Conservation groups are growing increasingly concerned that drought conditions in Colorado and Wyoming could hamper ongoing efforts to protect the imperiled greater sage grouse.

Nearly 70 percent of the contiguous United States remains in drought conditions, with one-fifth of the country in extreme or exceptional drought (ClimateWire, Aug. 24). The Agriculture Department this summer has issued disaster declarations for 62 counties in Colorado and four counties in Wyoming, due to projected crop and livestock losses resulting from drought conditions.

These dry conditions could have a major impact on the health of the greater sage grouse, as well as the Gunnison sage grouse, by limiting plant growth used for food and shelter, said Brian Rutledge, vice president of the National Audubon Society's eight-state Rocky Mountain region based in Fort Collins, Colo.

"Audubon Rockies has been focusing conservation efforts on the greater and Gunnison sage grouse as indicators of overall ecosystem health in Colorado and Wyoming," Rutledge said. "Unfortunately, drought is a variable we cannot control, and we are concerned that the extreme conditions this year could mean trouble in terms of population numbers for these keystone species."

The Fish and Wildlife Service in 2010 placed the greater sage grouse on a list of "candidate species" that warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act. Federal and state regulators are desperately trying to keep the bird off the ESA list, fearing such a listing would damage the region's economy, including its vital ranching, agricultural and energy sectors.

FWS is under a court mandate to make a final determination on the bird's status by 2015. The Gunnison sage grouse is also on the candidate species list, and FWS is expected to make a final determination on its status this fall.

Colorado and Wyoming are home to some of the most important grouse habitat, with Wyoming containing half the remaining greater sage grouse habitat in North America.

Grouse experts are not sure how badly the current drought has affected the grouse and probably won't know until annual bird counts are conducted this spring inside grouse breeding grounds, called "leks," Brad Petch, senior terrestrial biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Northwest Region, said today in a statement.

But there is a precedent for concern, grouse experts say, noting that drought conditions in 2001-2002 had a major negative impact on the bird.

"We'll be looking very closely at the numbers of birds on next spring's leks," Petch said, adding that the winter months in 2010 and early last year were "unseasonably wet" and may help the birds weather the dry conditions.

But this summer's hot and dry conditions may be a sign of things to come, said Mark Salvo, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians.

"Climate models predict that the Interior West will become a hotter, drier region and that drought will become the new norm," Salvo said. "Federal and state agencies must account for these long-term trends in sage grouse conservation planning by preparing for a drier, more fragile, more flammable landscape."

The drought concerns come as the Bureau of Land Management works to finalize a "National Greater Sage Grouse Planning Strategy" that will cover the 47 million acres of grouse habitat in 10 states that is under federal control. The first-ever national policy, which is not expected to be finalized until 2014, will include amending dozens of resource management plans across the grouse's Western range to include new mitigation measures and other strategies.

Today, the sage grouse occupies about half its historical terrain, and grouse populations have steadily declined in the past 50 years due to habitat fragmentation caused by man-made activities like energy development, as well as wildfires and predation.

For example, an academic study conducted for BLM and released last spring concluded that large-scale oil and natural gas drilling in northeast Wyoming's Powder River Basin is wiping out greater sage grouse populations that were flourishing less than 20 years ago (EnergyWire, March 29).

"Between the potential negative effects of drought and energy development, this sensitive species may have a tough road ahead," Rutledge said. "That is why it is essential that we take steps now to engage all stakeholders in protecting this remarkable sagebrush ecosystem."

Streater writes from Colorado Springs, Colo.