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s ' <br />....,+,' <br />• • <br />D R A F T <br />SAGEBRUSH FERTILIZATION AS MITIGATION FOR SURFACE COAL MINING <br />IMPACTS ON SAGE GROUSE - NORTN PARK, COLORADO <br />Clait E. Braun and Len H. Carpenter <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />Need <br />The dependence of sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) upon sage- <br />brush (Artemisia spp.) dominated rangelands is extensively documented <br />throughout the range of this unique species of grouse. Big sagebrush <br />(A. tridentata), is particularly important as it provides cover and food <br />(up to 95% of the total food intake seasonally) throughout much of the annual <br />cycle of sage grouse. In Colorado, sage grouse occur in most areas where <br />sagebrush still dominates at least 30-40% of the rangelands with highest <br />densities (20-30+ birds/mil) in regions where less than 50% (probably 30-40%) <br />of the total sagebrush has been seriously altered. Sage grouse are an <br />important component of the sagebrush ecosystem and are avidly pursued by <br />recreationists during the spring breeding season (bird enthusiasts and <br />photographers) and fall (hunters). Hunting is a measurable demand and each <br />year - 90% of the 1200 + 200 sage grouse hunters in North Park originate in <br />metropolitan areas of the East Slope (Denver, Bouldet, Fort Collins, Greeley). <br />The demand for sage grouse oriented recreation by bird watchers, photo- <br />graphers, and hunters is expected to increase. The Colorado Division of <br />Wildlife intends to satisfy this demand for the foreseeable future (_ 10 <br />years) by maintaining the present sage grouse resource at least at the <br />same level experienced in the 1974-1979 interval. The population of sage <br />