Oregon Public Broadcasting

The federal government is developing a new strategy to conserve greater sage grouse habitat in the West -- the area includes Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Male sage-grouse conducting his breeding display on a lek in Baker County, OR. Photo courtesy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington State biologist Michael Schroeder says grouse live on less than 60 percent of the land they inhabited two centuries ago. That’s when David Douglas and the Lewis and Clark expedition explored the West.

"They both observed a lot of sage grouse. But the places where they observed sage grouse no longer have sage grouse," he said.

Grouse only use specific areas to reproduce and nest. Although the grouse cover a large range, they always return to the same nesting locations.

When their nesting site or habitat is disrupted by a road or development, they won't reproduce and their numbers diminish.

The BLM announced its plan this week to develop a new management plan over the next four months for the greater sage grouse.

Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined the sage grouse warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act. But with other animals in worse trouble, the population was placed on a waiting list.