2024 Sage Grouse Lek Attendance

Описание: Sage-grouse lek attendance is up 33 percent from last year according to data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department lek counts from the past spring. Officials observed an average of 28 male sage-grouse per active lek, or breeding ground. More than 29,000 male sage-grouse were observed on 90 percent of known, occupied leks. Annual observations are carried out by Game and Fish, federal partners, consultants and volunteers from a distance from both the ground and air during spring mating. The appearance of more birds at leks is thought to be due to the natural population cycles of sage-grouse combined with good moisture benefiting sagebrush habitat.
Habitat is key to sustaining sage-grouse populations, as Sage-grouse are a sagebrush obligate species and could not survive without intact sagebrush ecosystems. Well-timed moisture and available habitat are paramount to robust sage-grouse populations. Wyoming invests significantly in efforts to study sage-grouse populations and conserve sage-grouse habitat, with the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission contributing over $500,000 annually to the effort, which is administered via local sage-grouse working groups. Game and Fish also monitors the percentage of known active and inactive leks in the state; a lek is considered inactive if no birds or signs of strutting are observed under ideal conditions during mating season. The percentage of active leks remains steady at 80 percent. Game and Fish has collected data on sage-grouse lek attendance for nearly six decades and the cyclical nature of the bird’s population is evident, with studies indicating sage grouse populations cycles every seven to nine years. Biologists were pleased to see an increase this year and anticipate continued increases or a leveling off in the next year or two. The cause of these cycles is not understood, but is thought to be influenced by weather and climate, which impact the availability of food and cover in the sagebrush ecosystem. Game and Fish manages sage-grouse while taking into consideration the natural rises and falls that populations experience over time. Part of that management is a conservative hunting season that undergoes annual review and a process where the public can provide comments. There have been some changes to sage-grouse hunting seasons in recent years, including closures in northeast Wyoming and the new free annual sage grouse permit requirement for all licensed hunters.