The project was partially funded by grants from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The Conservation Plan recognizes recreational use of the Gunnison Sage-grouse during the spring lekking season as a viable human activity, but as a potential impact on grouse population status. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Gunnison Sage-Grouse as a candidate species for threatened or endangered status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the late 1970s, Braun estimates there were as many as 10,000 Gunnison sage grouse alive — 7,000 of those in the Gunnison basin alone. The decision on the Gunnison sage-grouse in no way predetermines a decision on the greater sage-grouse, which the Service is independently evaluating. In 1999, Braun retired after 30 years with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and in 2000 the team published its findings of the Gunnison sage grouse as a … Since the conservation agreement was adopted, the Gunnison sage-grouse population in the Gunnison Basin has declined dramatically from 3,149 in 2013 to only 1,667 in 2020 — a more than 40% decline in just six years. The conservation easement protects agricultural uses and Gunnison sage-grouse habitat. The property borders public lands and is leased for seasonal grazing by a local family ranch. This group completed the Gunnison Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan in 1997. Click here for complete Sage-grouse information from Gunnison County; Here are further details concerning the above points: Please do not visit the sagebrush country before 9am until May 15th. The Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) is a newly named species native to the Gunnison Basin and surrounding areas, recognized by the American Ornithological Union in 2000.It was formerly known as the Northern sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), which is spread throughout the western United States.The Gunnison sage-grouse is about 2/3 the size of the Northern sage-grouse… Gunnison County hired a sage-grouse coordinator in 2005. The two species are very similar, but this one is smaller, and males have a more strongly banded pattern on the tail feathers. The federal government paid for aerial seeding to provide food for the grouse and changed their mowing practices to cater to the bird. The Gunnison sage-grouse is a distinct species from the greater sage-grouse, a larger bird which exists across a much broader range throughout the West and, in some places, faces different threats. Support Gunnison Sage-grouse conservation efforts, because it’s the right thing to do! Sage-grouse mating takes place in the morning. A rare and localized bird, found in southwestern Colorado and a small part of adjacent Utah. The Sage Grouse Initiative is a partnership of ranchers, agencies, universities, non-profit groups, and businesses that embrace a common vision: wildlife conservation … Remarkably, this bird was not recognized as a separate species from the Greater Sage-Grouse until the year 2000. The U.S. FWS's Threatened & Endangered Species System track information about listed species in the United States In response to a petition in 2000, the U.S. In the years after it was named a new species, millions of dollars were spent on conservation efforts. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is a flagship species for a uniquely American ecosystem; it will probably stand forever as the last bird species to be described from the North American continent; it is widely invoked as a classic example of how evolution produces distinctive behavior and ornamentation in isolation. Rangewide the …