A new Sage Grouse Technical Team has been formed that will serve as an extension of the Upper Snake River Basin Sage Grouse Working Group. The newly-formed Technical Team will work in conjunction with the existing local working group and will hold their first meeting from 1:00pm-4:00pm, Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department office in Jackson (420 North Cache Street).

This new Sage Grouse Technical Team has been created in accordance with Governor Gordon’s Sage Grouse Executive Order to address a dwindling local sage grouse population in Jackson Hole. The Executive Order calls for an Adaptive Management approach that requires a response strategy when certain population or habitat triggers have been tripped, which has happened with the Jackson population. While the formation of the new Technical Team is not mandatory, it has been requested by the existing local working group.

The local sage grouse population has experienced a downward trending number of birds counted on their spring mating grounds, called leks. This recent decline in local sage grouse has managers convening to consider possible strategies to reverse this trend.

As with any of the local sage grouse working group meetings, the public is welcome to attend or may contact Wyoming Game and Fish Jackson Wildlife Coordinator Doug McWhirter at 307-248-8151 for additional information.