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County staff outline Gunnison sage‑grouse status, restoration work and 2026 grant opportunity
Summary
County staff said local Gunnison sage‑grouse counts remain low (Dove Creek/Monument reported zero this spring), reviewed habitat work funded by a 2021 Colorado Restore grant, and urged using federal and state programs and a USGS prioritization tool to target future restoration and a 2026 grant application due Nov. 10.
Kia, a county conservation presenter, told the board that Gunnison sage‑grouse populations remain fragile and that the species has been listed as threatened since Nov. 20, 2014. She said the Gunnison Basin still contains the majority of the birds but several smaller local populations have fallen below management thresholds and some, including the Dove Creek/Monument population, recorded zero birds this spring.
Kia described monitoring and management work done under a Colorado Restore grant awarded in June 2021: the county spent $100,900, installed Z‑deck structures on four properties, removed three acres of tamarisk and 23 Russian‑olive trees, and assessed six properties. The grant also funded workforce development, employing roughly 40 young adults through Southwest Conservation Corps in Durango.
She summarized a proposed voluntary conservation benefit agreement that would allow private landowners to enter a 10‑year partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NRCS and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to fund habitat improvements; the agreement would allow baseline return if the landowner later exited the program.
Kia urged commissioners to use the BLM Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) and USFWS critical‑habitat maps when evaluating development proposals with any federal nexus (mineral or leasing access). She also noted Colorado Parks and Wildlife is trialing acoustic recording units for presence/absence monitoring during lek season (March–May) and recommended the county consider the USGS habitat‑prioritization tool to focus future funding where it yields the greatest habitat benefit.
The presenter offered to help the county prepare a Colorado Restore grant application for 2026 (deadline Nov. 10) and to coordinate with CPW and USFWS staff. No formal action was taken; staff said further planning and a draft county‑specific management plan are pending.
