Double-brooding observed in a Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanachus phasianellus columbianus) in Idaho

Abstract

of the University of Wyoming conducted the lifecycle model analyses and prepared the summary of the results. C.E. Braun and an anonymous reviewer provided constructive comments that substantially improved the quality of the assessment. Finally, the authors are extremely grateful to G.D. Patton and P.M. McDonald with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Their support, technical guidance, understanding, and most of all, patience, made the preparation of this assessment easier. AUTHORS' BIOGRAPHIESRichard W. Hoffman earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. Degrees in wildlife biology from Colorado State University. He subsequently worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife for over 30 years as an avian researcher specializing in upland game birds. He has conducted research on population dynamics, habitat relationships, nutritional ecology, and behavior of white-tailed ptarmigan, dusky grouse, greater prairie-chickens, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, and wild turkey. In retirement, he continues to work on projects involving white-tailed ptarmigan, greater sage-grouse, and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.Allan E. Thomas earned his B.Sc. Degree in wildlife management with minors in fisheries and range management from the University of Arizona. He also conducted graduate work at the same university and received additional credits from attending schools in Washington, South Dakota, Arkansas, Alaska, and Idaho. His work experience spans more than 50 years and includes positions primarily with the Bureau of Land Management (22 years) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (19 years). He retired from the Bureau of Land Management in 1999 and started another career as a private consultant in Boise, Idaho. DEDICATIONSadly, Allan E. Thomas passed away before this assessment was completed. Allan was a devoted conservation biologist who believed strongly in documenting and communicating biological information. This assessment is testimony to Allan's work ethic and is dedicated to his memory. COVER PHOTO CREDITPhotograph of male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in an alert posture by Richard W. Hoffman. 3 SUMMARY OF KEY COMPONENTS FOR CONSERVATION OF COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE StatusThe Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus; CSTG) is one of six existing subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse in North America. It is endemic to big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), shrubsteppe, mountain shrub, and riparian shrub plant communities of western North America. The subspecies currently occupies less than 10 percent of its historic range, with only three metapopulations remaining in central British Columbia, southeastern Idaho and northern Utah, and northwestern Colorado and south-central Wyoming. Within Region 2 of the USDA Forest Service (USFS), this grouse formerly occurred in as many as 22 counties in western Colorado and in portions of 11 counties in west-central, southwestern, and south-central Wyoming. Today, viable populations occur in only three counties in Colorado and one county in Wyoming. Attempts are being ...