Field Methods for Translocating Female Greater Sage‐Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) with their Broods. (12th August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Meyerpeter, Mary B.; Lazenby, Kade D.; Coates, Peter S.; Ricca, Mark A.; Mathews, Steven R.; Gardner, Scott C.; Dahlgren, David K.; Delehanty, David J.
• Is Part Of: Wildlife Society bulletin. Volume 45:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 529
• Page End: 537
• Publication Date: 2021-08-12
• Subjects: augmentation -- brood -- Centrocercus urophasianus -- field protocol -- population restoration -- sage‐grouse -- release methods -- translocation; Wildlife management -- Periodicals; Wildlife conservation -- Periodicals; 333.9540973
• DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1199
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0091-7648

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Greater sage‐grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) have experienced considerable range contraction and reduced abundance in response to habitat loss and degradation. Translocation is a conservation action that is often used to reintroduce extirpated populations or augment existing small populations. Translocations have had limited success in restoring viable populations of sage‐grouse; a lack of success is attributed to long‐distance post‐release movements away from release sites, reduced survival, and lack of reproductive success of translocated individuals. Translocating female sage‐grouse with their chicks (brood translocation) is a technique aimed at promoting breeding area fidelity and reproduction and may be beneficial to population restoration efforts. Furthermore, the ability to capture, relocate, and release individuals while minimizing translocation‐induced loss increases the overall probability of restoration success. Accordingly, we developed a protocol to translocate female sage‐grouse and their broods simultaneously, using a delayed‐release system that included a custom release box and acclimation pen. We tested our protocol across 2 separate restoration projects in North Dakota and California during 2017–2019 with a total of 38 translocated females and 196 chicks. We successfully released 174/196 chicks (88.8%) from 32/38 (84.2%) broods. Our protocol builds on existing translocation methods used to translocate sage‐grouse and will likely prove to be a critical technique in restoring sage‐grouse populations. © 2021 The Wildlife Society. : With sage‐grouse populations experiencing significant range contraction and population declines over the past 40 years, effective and direct management techniques are needed to restore remnant populations especially on the fringe of their range. We describe and evaluate a novel method for translocating female sage‐grouse with their broods to help guide management actions aimed at restoring populations range‐wide.