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After a century or two of obscurity, the sage grouse has been getting a lot of attention lately. It’s not just about sage grouse, but where it lives and what it presents: Montana’s healthy sagebrush habitats.

The taming of the West has been hard on this bird. Sage grouse have disappeared from much of their range as native sagebrush habitat has been converted to crop production, fragmented by energy development, and invasion of weeds like cheatgrass and encroachment of juniper has also diminished the quality of their habitat. Other challenges like predators, fence lines, and West Nile virus add to their woes.

Healthy habitat

Many Montanans take pride that we still have relatively healthy populations of sage grouse. Popular big game like mule deer and pronghorn likewise depend on sagebrush for forage, cover, and to hide their young from predators.

Conservation-minded ranchers understand that what is good for grouse is often also the best for the long-term health of a cattle herd. They know that healthy habitat helps conserve our soil and keeps our water clean, our streams healthy, and a variety wildlife populations robust.