Local Landowners Help Conserve Gunnison Sage-Grouse
A Gunnison County rancher will be the first landowner in Colorado to participate in a voluntary conservation program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aimed at preserving the Gunnison sage-grouse.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife in conjunction with the Service has been working closely with landowners in the Gunnison Basin to help manage implementation of this conservation program.
By agreeing to conservation measures, landowners who participate in the program are guaranteed that no further land-use restrictions or conditions will be required from them if the Gunnison sage-grouse is ever listed as a threatened or endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agreement, known as a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), outlines conservation measures to benefit the Gunnison sage-grouse while still allowing the landowners to use their lands.
Curtis Allen operates a 2,700-acre ranch that is located in the Ohio Creek Valley, just north of Gunnison. A sage-grouse mating area, known as a lek, is located on his property and the ranch provides excellent year-round habitat for the birds. The ranch is also adjacent to other ranches that have excellent grouse habitat. For several years Allen has worked with the DOW to develop a wildlife management plan on the property conducive to sage-grouse, other wildlife species and his cattle operation.
"With the CCAA program, the Division of Wildlife is working cooperatively with landowners so that they can continue their activities in a way that enhances the survival of Gunnison sage-grouse," said Gary Skiba, senior wildlife conservation biologist for the DOW in southwest Colorado. "These kinds of partnerships are critical for maintaining adequate habitat for the bird."
The Fish and Wildlife Service also sees great value in CCAA partnerships.
“We commend Mr. Allen for being the first landowner to sign up under this Agreement and for his commitment to the conservation of the Gunnison sage-grouse,” said Steve Guertin, the Service’s Director of the Mountain-Prairie Region. “This type of voluntary cooperation of ranchers and other rural landowners is essential for wildlife conservation in our state.”
The CCAA program in the Gunnison area was started three years ago by the Division of Wildlife and the Fish and Wildlife Service as a voluntary arrangement under the ESA designed to prevent the need for listing through preventative conservation efforts. The DOW has worked closely with the Service to develop the program and to assist landowner participation. Some 100 landowners submitted initial applications for properties that represent about 100,000 acres.
The DOW has conducted on-site inspections of about 30 properties so far to determine if they are located in important habitat areas that would aid Gunnison sage-grouse. DOW and Fish and Wildlife Service officials expect to sign up more landowners in 2009.
Under the agreement, Allen will continue to maintain and manage water and range resources on the property to benefit both livestock production and Gunnison sage-grouse brood rearing. The enrollment will be in effect until the CCAA expires in 2026.
"Allen's property is a key parcel because it allows the birds to move around the Ohio Creek valley. He also utilizes rotational grazing for livestock that allows development of a great variety of grasses and forbs which provide critical food and cover for sage grouse," Skiba said.
Allen's management proves that ranching and wildlife management are compatible.
“The Service believes there is a need for these kinds of agreements which provide incentives for landowners to help conserve species of concern, candidate species, or listed species on their property. These types of incentive-based programs go a long way to contributing to species conservation and recovery,” said Guertin.
The Gunnison sage-grouse currently exists in seven populations, six in Colorado and one in Utah. These include the Gunnison Basin, San Miguel Basin, Monticello-Dove Creek, Pinon Mesa, Crawford, Cerro Summit-Cimarron-Sims Mesa and Poncha Pass populations. The Gunnison Basin population is the largest.
The Gunnison sage-grouse is designated as a species of concern by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and a sensitive species by the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
