This year’s new attendance statistics show the sage grouse population count “leveling out,” according to the Game and Fish Department. In other words, sage grouse population numbers may be in the “trough,” or period between peaks.
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One thing is known for sure, though: Sage grouse depend on sagebrush.
“Sage grouse are a sagebrush obligate species and could not survive without it,” Schreiber said. “Conserving sage grouse habitat is of vital importance to the well-being of the bird.”
The chubby, speckled bird has captured the attention of the West for decades, and many eyes have turned to Wyoming to protect the imperiled species.
The state is home to more sage grouse than anywhere else in the world.
About three decades ago, sage grouse population numbers tanked to the lowest levels ever recorded in Wyoming, likely attributable to habitat destruction and drought. The attendance numbers released this year are nearly 58% higher than the low in 1996. But they are also 45% below the count recorded in 2016.
Though sage grouse numbers have rebounded, threats to the population still persist.
In the eyes of Alan Rogers, communications director at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, there’s still more the state could, and should, do to protect the special bird.
