The Gunnison Sage-grouse is an iconic species being considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In Colorado's Gunnison Basin, ranchers own the majority of water rights and productive river bottoms, and approximately 30% of the most important Gunnison Sage-grouse habitat. This project uses interviews to document how ranchers plan to respond if the grouse is listed. Results suggest that listing may result in the sale of water rights that could negatively impact grouse habitat, ecology, aesthetics and livelihoods in the region. Ethnographic studies are critical for understanding the tradeoffs between livelihoods and conservation in an increasingly interconnected world.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.