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Posted
Thursday, September 12, 2002
SWOG meeting minutes27 August 2002, Monticello, Utah Attending
Review There are currently seven petitions to list sage-grouse in the western states. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse remains a category 5 species, although in June Terry Ireland (USFWS, Grand Junction, CO) had suggested to move the species to a category 2. The San Juan County Gunnison Sage Grouse Conservation Plan will be updated in the coming months to reflect changes in management strategies and document efforts of the Working Group. The next step for the Conservation Plan will be to create Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CAA) with individual landowners in San Juan County. CAAs will insure private landowners will remain unharmed should the population be listed. CAA s are completely voluntary. The Conservation Plan, as a voluntary program, seems to meet people s needs without being too restrictive regarding land practices. The working group seems to be fulfilling its responsibility to keep the community informed. A question was raised as to what would happen should a landowner not wish to participate in the CAA. The response from Laura Romin (USFWS), asked after the meeting, was there is no penalty for not participating. However, should the species be listed, landowners who are not involved in a CAA can be held accountable for taking issues. A concern was raised that the current Conservation Plan doesn t meet the 5 risk factors: predation management, disease, regulatory process in place, loss of habitat, and habitat enrichment. This concern will be taken into account in the review and update process. Updates Range wide conservation plan for Gunnison Sage Grouse Guy Wallace has attended two meetings with the range wide conservation-planning group, based in Grand Junction, CO. The group intends to develop a range wide Conservation Plan for Gunnison Sage Grouse within the next year to provide guidance and support for the local working groups and their respective individual Conservation Plans. The range wide Plan will not supercede local plans. The range wide plan is meant to further prevent listing of the species and will include public hearings in different locations. SWOG members agree that SWOG needs to participate in the range wide working group (RWWG) because of possible involvement in future transplant efforts with Colorado. Guy Wallace will be the UT/SWOG representative to the RWWG. Terry Messmer was suggested as the Utah contact for information on research needs. Sarah Swenson was suggested as the UT/SWOG representative to the RWWG Scientific Committee. An immediate goal of the RWWG is to determine a minimum viable population size. They plan to contract a study to look into this question. Predator control USDA Wildlife Services has removed 46 coyotes from the Core Area in 27.1 hours of fixed wing flying time. Between February and late May, 291 eggs were put out on 18 different sites where ravens were seen. The number of birds killed is unknown, but is estimated to be one bird for every two eggs (~145 birds killed). Of the eggs distributed, all were gone within two days. The number of hours allotted (27) was exceeded. However, it is difficult to determine the necessary level of control. Wildlife Services intends to maintain the current level of control until the need for more or less is determined. USDA Wildlife Services has applied to use M44 to remove coyotes in the Core Area. The application is pending with the EPA. Terry Messmer requested data on the activities of Wildlife Services in the Core Area for the last two years for the Conservation Plan revisions. Conservation reserve program and emergency grazing The emergency grazing has been extended thru 11/30/02 or up to 60 percent utilization. A suggestion was made that sagebrush plantings might be very successful due to reduced competition with crested wheat grass. Terry Messmer will talk to Dean Mitchell (UT DWR) regarding possible funding for this. The sagebrush that was already planted in the CRP was not trampled and remains healthy. The emergency grazing will count as the five-year treatment for CRP. Water projects Dedicated hunters installed two guzzlers on Bruce Adam s property. Remote cameras have been set up at those guzzlers to help determine what wildlife species use them and with what frequency. Pictures were not available at the time of the meeting, however, since then, the film has been developed. The only species recorded at either guzzler was the meadowlark. A new well is currently being sunk on Clay Pearson s property. There have been some difficulties with the project but it should be complete within the next couple weeks. Water from that well will be used to create wet meadow habitat. Habitat projects The rabbit brush on the Adam s Easement that was treated and seeded in the fall of 2001 will need to be reseeded because of the drought. Utah State University needs to complete mapping the lek site on Bruce Adam s property as well. Easements Guy and Tammy Wallace have met with Clay Pherson regarding an easement on his property. His land is used by sage grouse for displaying in the spring and also probably provides winter habitat and nesting habitat. John Roring would be next in line in consideration for a conservation easement. There is also the potential of doing easements with Sinner, Hines, Frost, and Dalton. All these lands are used by sage grouse. Bureau of Land Management Tammy Wallace submitted a proposal for $67,000 to continue the Gunnison Sage Grouse project. She anticipates that the funding will come through because sage grouse are a high priority for the BLM. The Nature Conservancy The goal of the Nature Conservancy is to conserve rare plants and animals. Susan felt that they could serve SWOG and Gunnison Sage Grouse by providing funding or aiding with conservation easements. The Gunnison Sage Grouse project and SWOG fit the mission of the Nature Conservancy. Utah State University: current and future research Research conducted this year has been a continuation of research conducted in 2001. In addition to monitoring survival, habitat use, movement patterns, nest success, and brood success, the project has monitored the behavioral response of the grouse to livestock grazing on CRP, use of planted sagebrush, and use of water guzzlers. Exclosures were constructed on CRP lands that were grazed to monitor the response of vegetation to livestock grazing. These will be in place for several years to assess how the vegetation grows back. Sharon Ward is the new graduate student working on the project. She will be looking at winter habitat use, CRP response to livestock grazing, use of artificial wet meadows, and insect diversity and abundance on CRP lands. She will continue to monitor nesting and brood rearing habitat use, survival, and recruitment. |