Rangeland Ecology & Management

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APPLICATION OF ASSESSMENT, INVENTORY, AND MONITORING DATA TO A GREATER SAGE-GROUSE HABITAT ASSESSMENT IN OREGON
Author
Anthony, Molly
Domschke, Christopher
Frederick, Glenn
Pattison, Robert
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2018
Body

In 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) committed to conducting multi-scale habitat assessments for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) across BLM managed lands in the west. �The first full implementation of this policy was conducted in 2017 by the Lakeview Field Office for the Beatys Butte area in south-central Oregon and north-central Nevada. �This Sage-Grouse Habitat Assessment Framework (HAF), multi-scale summary report (mid-, fine-, and site-scale) informs the Rangeland Health Assessment associated with the livestock grazing permit renewal for allotments within the fine-scale area.� The site-scale analysis evaluated sage-grouse seasonal habitat conditions using indicators derived from vegetation data collected in 2016 following Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) protocols. �AIM points used in this analysis came from the Lakeview Field Office sample design with intensification in Sagebrush Focal Areas, and in the allotment where the permit renewal was occurring. �The indicator values were used to determine site-scale suitability ratings for each plot. Core AIM indicators and supplementary indicators from the Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment contributed to the suitability rating. �The site-scale habitat suitability determinations were then used to estimate the proportion of suitable, marginal, and unsuitable area in sage-grouse seasonal use areas within the Oregon portion of the fine-scale boundary. Mid- and fine-scale analyses evaluated Greater sage-grouse habitat conditions at the regional and sub-regional scale.� The estimated proportion of sage-grouse breeding, summer and winter habitat within the fine-scale analysis area that was suitable was 74.1%, 88.1%, and 93.9% respectively. �The fine-scale area was determined to be suitable, because anthropogenic disturbance is low and availability of habitat does not limit dispersal potential between seasonal use areas. �The mid-scale area was also determined to be suitable, primarily due to the composition of large occupied and contiguous patches of sagebrush, and sagebrush associated vegetation, land cover.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Reno, NV