Canada’s Greater Sage-grouse Begin their Long Road to Recovery

Wild Lands Advocate article, April 2015, by Sean Nixon and Mark Boyce

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus urophasianus) is listed as “endangered” under the federal Species at Risk Act. Since 1988, more than 90 percent of these iconic birds have disappeared from Canada’s prairies. They are highly sensitive to disturbance. Industrial activity, particularly oil and gas development, threatens their survival and recovery. Research shows that when confronted with oil and gas development sage-grouse chicks fail to survive and adults abandon their leks (central courting and breeding grounds) and other habitats crucial to their survival.