Title and Abstract

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• Sage Grouse Research Internship

• In Utah, Greater-Sage Grouse populations and habitat have been a large issue. Since ⅓ of their habitat is on private land, coordination between government agencies and landowners is key. Sagebrush is the main habitat for the Sage Grouse but if it becomes too thick or there is a poor understory, the chicks will not have a good food source and their chance of living will decrease significantly. Decisions about how to manage the habitat for them, is done on a state level. The research that I will be assisting with will suggest that the habitat is significantly different in Southern Utah than in other parts of Utah. When decisions are made about what to do with the Sage Grouse and it’s habitat, we hope that they will take the difference of habitat into consideration, instead of making statewide decisions. I will be working 20-30 hours a week collecting data in four valleys in Southern Utah. This data includes observing the hatch success and the rate of mortality of the chicks as well as tracking the Sage Grouse via satellite transmission to determine their patterns of movement.

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Goals and Objectives

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• This internship helped me gain experience in the field so that I will have a higher chance of getting a job right after graduation

• My objective was to gather data for further research regarding Greater-sage grouse.

• I have completed the internship and will receive institution credit for it. The data is being analyzed and will be published soon.

 

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