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• lek occurred in 1995, when only eight grouse (including at least seven males) were documented. <br />In 2008, ICF Jones & Stokes biologists observed seven males and one female on the lek. <br />Male attendance at Annan's 20-mile 3 lek generally increased from four males in 1995 to a <br />maximum of 23 males in 1999, but then decreased substantially for several years afterward. <br />Between the years of 2002 and 2006, only one grouse was observed at the site (in 2004) by ICF <br />Jones & Stokes biologists. As in 2007, no grouse were observed at the actual lek location, but <br />three non-displaying grouse were observed foraging north of the lek in a similar area where six <br />grouse were located during the 2007 spring surveys. <br />Attendance at the Yoast Mine Road lek was fairly steady from the time of its discovery in 2000 <br />through 2002, with a peak male count ranging from 12 to 14 grouse each year. However, no <br />grouse were documented at the lek in 2008 and, with the exception of two grouse (sex <br />undetermined) flushed from the site in 2005, no grouse have been observed at the lek site since <br />2002. <br />0 CDOW records (Yost 2007) indicate that the Trousdale lek has been active since at least 2002. <br />In 2004, ICF Jones & Stokes biologists discovered a probable satellite location for the Trousdale <br />lek in SW NE Section 32 T6N:R87W. Since then, ICF Jones & Stokes biologists have <br />documented no grouse at the original lek site, but male attendance at the satellite location has <br />steadily increased from 2 to more than 16 males in each year from 2004 to 2007. Grouse were <br />again absent at the original lek location during survey in 2008, but seven males and one female <br />were recorded at the satellite location. <br />The Fifer lek was discovered in 2005, when biologists observed at least 10 males and 2 females <br />at the lek site. However, the following years have been highly variable with one male <br />documented in 2006 and at least 12 males observed in 2007. In 2008, only one male and a <br />second individual (sex undetermined) were recorded at and nearby the lek, respectively. <br />The exact reasons for the observed declines in recent years at many sharp-tailed grouse leks in <br />the vicinity of the Yoast Mine are unknown. Although annual counts at leks can be biased by <br />. factors such as weather conditions during surveys, the number of site visits, and vegetative <br />features (which can obscure observation), the previous years' weather events and conditions are <br />2008 Yoast Mine Wildlife Monitoring Page 5