Group aims to protect bird species with Medicine Hat land purchase
A national environmental conservation group is trying to raise more than $2 million to protect the prairie habitat of an endangered bird in southern Alberta.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) wants to raise an additional $2.2 million to buy Sagebrush Flats, a 635-hectare property southeast of Medicine Hat, as part of the organization's efforts to conserve Canada's vanishing Prairie grasslands. The property would be conserved in perpetuity while maintaining it as rangeland for local ranchers.
The NCC says Sagebrush Flats provides essential habitat for the greater sage-grouse, a large bird found in grassland regions of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. Sage-grouse are designated as endangered under Alberta's Wildlife Act and Canada's Species At Risk Act.
“One of the main factors affecting sage-grouse is habitat loss, and so that's why this property is such a priority for us,” said Sean Feagan, a spokesman for the NCC. “We want to save this species' home.”
The situation is “dire” for the bird, said Feagan.
In the spring, sage-grouse breed at sites called leks where a group of males display and vie for dominance in front of females, and this ritual provides an opportunity to count their numbers. Last spring, 17 males were counted.
“Their numbers have declined by about 90 per cent since the 1960s, and unfortunately that trend is continuing,” said Feagan.
Sage-grouse used to be found in British Columbia's southern Okanagan valley, but the species was officially declared extirpated from B.C. in the 1990s, he said.
“We've already lost them from one province in Canada,” said Feagan.
In addition to habitat loss, other factors are contributing to the decline of the sage-grouse population.
The birds have a tendency to fly into barbed-wire fences, and artificial structures such as transmission lines and telephone poles have given predators a good vantage point down onto sage-grouse habitat, making them easier to detect, said Feagan.
There's also evidence sagegrouse are susceptible to West Nile virus, and are sensitive to light and noise pollution, he said.
The NCC says purchasing Sagebrush Flats would add to adjacent conserved properties, which include NCC conservation agreements.
“This project, alongside efforts by other conservation organizations, is intended to help ensure the long-term viability of sagegrouse populations in the region,” the NCC said in a news release.
As well as preserving sagegrouse habitat in Alberta, the NCC has other reasons to conserve the Sagebrush Flats property.
The property lies within the Sage Creek Important Bird Area, providing crucial habitat for numerous grassland bird species, one of the fastest declining groups of birds in Canada, according to the NCC. The property is home to other at-risk species such as burrowing owl (endangered), loggerhead shrike (threatened) and American badger (special concern). The area also includes important habitat and movement corridors for pronghorn, a sensitive species in Alberta.
Through the NCC'S Prairie Grasslands Action Plan, the organization has a goal of conserving more than 500,000 hectares by 2030. Conserving Sagebrush Flats is part of that broader plan.
Canada has been losing an estimated 60,000 hectares of grassland a year and has 20 per cent of its grasslands remaining, said Feagan.
“It's really imperative to save what's left,” he said.