Rancher a pioneer in saving sage grouse

A Gunnison County rancher will be the first landowner in Colorado to join a voluntary conservation program aimed at preserving the Gunnison sage grouse, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has announced.

Curtis Allen operates a 4,200-acre ranch in the Ohio Creek Valley, just north of Gunnison, and a sage grouse mating area, known as a lek, is located on his property.

By agreeing to conservation measures, the DOW said, Allen is guaranteed that no further land-use restrictions or conditions will be required from him if the Gunnison sage grouse is ever listed as a threatened or endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The agreement, known as a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The DOW has been working with landowners in the Gunnison Valley and elsewhere to implement it.
 
“With the CCAA program, the Division of Wildlife is working cooperatively with landowners so that they can continue their activities in a way that enhances the survival of Gunnison sage grouse,” said Tom Remington, DOW director. “These kinds of partnerships are critical for maintaining adequate habitat for the bird.”

Allen enrolled 2,700 acres in the CCAA program. His ranch is adjacent to other ranches that also have excellent grouse habitat, the DOW said. About 100 landowners have submitted initial applications for CCAAs on a total of about 100,000 acres.
 
The DOW said it has conducted on-site inspections of about 30 properties so far to determine if they are located in important habitat areas that would aid Gunnison sage grouse. DOW and Fish and Wildlife Service officials expect to sign up more landowners this year.
 
“Allen’s property is a key parcel because it allows the birds to move around the Ohio Creek valley,” said Gary Skiba, senior wildlife conservation biologist for the DOW in southwest Colorado. “He also utilizes rotational grazing for livestock that allows for development of a great variety of grasses and forbs which provide critical cover and food for sage grouse,” Skiba said.
 
The Gunnison sage grouse exists in seven populations, six in Colorado and one in Utah. These include the Gunnison Basin, San Miguel Basin, Monticello-Dove Creek, Pinon Mesa, Crawford, Cerro Summit-Cimarron-Sims Mesa and Poncha Pass populations. The Gunnison Basin population is the largest.
 
For more on the Gunnison sage grouse, click here.