Transcript Slide 1
Beneficial Management Practices for Saskatchewan Species at Risk: Greater Sage-grouse Endangered • Long black & white tail with pointy tips • Black patch on belly • White band on black throat • Large ruff of white feathers on chest • Yellow combs above eyes • Found in warm, dry grasslands where sagebrush, particularly where Silver Sagebrush is present • Restricted to sagebrush community due to attributes that meet needs throughout life cycle • Feeds on soft vegetation such as sagebrush, flowering plants and insects • Located in the SW corner of the province where sagebrush communities exist • Status: Endangered • Declined due habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, increased predation, West Nile virus and genetic inbreeding • 186-276 birds in Saskatchewan Beneficial Management Practices Habitat Size • Retain all remaining natural prairie within a 5 to 10 km radius around a Greater Sage-grouse lek Grazing • Avoid early spring livestock use of sage grouse habitat • Graze lightly and periodically in the early spring or late dormant season • Avoid concentrated grazing or supplemental feeding in sagebrush communities in the winter Grazing (cont’d) • Limit sheep utilization of sage grouse habitat • Avoid water developments that disrupt the natural flow of water to low-lying moist areas or function of riparian vegetation • Install escape ramps in existing steep sided water troughs and dugouts Grazing (cont’d) • Avoid installing fences within sage grouse habitat where fences did not previously exist • When rebuilding existing fences, make at least the top 2 wires smooth rather than barbed Woody Vegetation • Do not plant trees or shrubs on native grasslands within 5 to 10 km of a lek • Remove man-made structures from native or tame grassland that serve as roosts for avian predators • Avoid removal or reduction of woody shrubs (i.e. Silver Sagebrush) by any method within 5 to 10 km of a lek Roads • Restrict traffic on roads within 3 km of a sage grouse lek during breeding & nesting • Restrict traffic speed on roads to 10km of a sage grouse lek • Encourage resource developers to minimize construction of new roads and trails within 3 km of sage grouse lek Ecotourism & Off Highway Vehicle Use • Avoid ecotourism activities and using all terrain vehicles and in sage grouse habitat during breeding and nesting period