Cheatgrass May Be The End Of Utah's Sage Grouse

In this episode, Gabby and AJ talk to Associate Professor and Rangeland Wildlife Extension Specialist at Utah State University, Dave Dahlgren. As a sage grouse researcher and scientist, Dave explores the threat of cheatgrass and fire in the Great Basin to habitat. He also shares his experience with changing technology in radio telemetry and GPS tracking and how his pointing dogs have played a role in his research. Lastly, we discuss one of the most influential and limiting factors in sage grouse survival: area fidelity.

This is the second episode of a two-part series about sage grouse in Utah.

Listen to: Great Basin Sage Grouse Part One

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Clarification Note
After the release of this episode, Dr. Dahlgren provided helpful feedback to clarify a couple of technical points related to telemetry and radio-marking methods:

• Rump-Mount vs. Backpack GPS Radios: In this episode, we referred to GPS radio units used in research. It’s important to note that rump-mount GPS radios, which are used in our discussion, secure around the legs and hips. Backpack-style radios, in contrast, have straps that go around the wings and breast. Backpack-style marking has been shown to have significant negative effects on survival in most gamebird research.
• Telemetry Terminology: The term telemetry refers to all radio-marking and monitoring activities with wildlife, including GPS technology. In some cases, we might specify “GPS telemetry” or “VHF telemetry” to distinguish between newer GPS-based tracking and the older method involving ground or aerial tracking.

These distinctions don’t impact the main takeaways of the episode, but we appreciate the additional insights from experts in the field.

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