OOS 2-7
Sage grouse demography and nest success: Long-term data sets and future questions
Beginning in 1989, Dr. John Crawford, director of the Game Bird Research Program at Oregon State University, initiated research at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge to better understand sage-grouse habitat relationships during the reproductive period. Between 1989 and 2003 seven graduate students (7MS and 1 PhD) conducted research projects that focused on pre-laying hen nutrition, nest site selection and nest success, brood-rearing habitat and chick survival, and long-term impact of fire on sage-grouse habitat. From these studies, 11 refereed publications greatly increased our knowledge of sage-grouse reproductive ecology.
Results/Conclusions
Although each student focused on a single aspect of sage-grouse reproductive ecology, baseline vegetation and sage-grouse demographic data were collected each year with consistent methodology. In addition to data collected at Hart Mountain, vegetation and sage-grouse demographic data were collected at 4 additional study sites in Oregon and Nevada during the same time period. We are currently in the process of organizing these data into a relational database. With removal of livestock from Hart Mountain during 1991 coupled with variation in climatic conditions during the 14 years of data collection, a unique opportunity exists to investigate long-term changes in vegetation and sage-grouse demographics at Hart Mountain. Currently, two research projects investigating impacts of feral horses on sage-grouse and long-term changes in vegetation after livestock removal are underway and will incorporate these baseline data into their analyses. These data are also available to other researchers in need of long-term baseline data in shrub-steppe.