AT: Sage Grouse

by Jenny McCarthy,

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are an icon of the west. They are a magnificent and charismatic galiforme, drawing spectators, scientists, and controversy. Sage-grouse, also known as sagehens, rely on large territories of sagebrush. Unfortunately, this habitat type, in addition to supporting wildlife, often overlaps with other competing types of land use such as ranching, oil and gas extraction, renewable energy development, and urban sprawl. As these land uses continue to encroach on, disrupt, and deplete sage-grouse habitat, states have had to work together to find a balance between nature and human resource use. The result is a great deal of scientific research revealing that sage-grouse use sagebrush habitat in ways that we can route development around. Will developers and policy makers respond to the science?

Jenny McCarty is a Natural Resources Project Manager for SWCA Environmental Consultants, based out of Broomfield, Colorado. She received her Master’s in stream ecology from Montana State in Bozeman. Though she specializes in water resources projects for SWCA, she also gets to lead teams that tag Wyoming sage-grouse every fall and spring. She currently lives in Boulder, Colorado with her partner and their pup, seeking out weekend camping trips and great mountain biking trails.