The Effects of Electric Power Lines on the Breeding Ecology of Greater Sage-Grouse

Anthropogenic infrastructure can negatively affect wildlife through direct mortality and/or displacement behaviors. Some tetranoids (grouse spp.) species are particularly vulnerable to tall anthropogenic structures because they evolved in ecosystems void of vertical structures. In western North America, electric power transmission and distribution lines (power lines) occur in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes within the range of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended using buffer zones near leks to mitigate the potential impacts of power lines on sage-grouse. However, recommended buffer distances are inconsistent across state and federal agencies because data are lacking. To address this, we evaluated the effects of power lines on sage-grouse breeding ecology within Utah, portions of southeastern Idaho, and southwestern Wyoming from 1998–2013. Overall, power lines negatively affected lek trends up to a distance of 2.7 and 2.8 km, respectively. Power lines died not affect lek persistence. Female sage-grouse avoided transmission lines during the nesting and brooding seasons at distances up to 1.1 and 0.8 km, respectively. Nest and brood success were negatively affected by transmission lines up to distances of 2.6 and 1.1 km, respectively. Distribution lines did not appear to affect sage-grouse habitat selection or reproductive fitness. Our analyses demonstrated the value of sagebrush cover in mitigating potential power line impacts. Managers can minimize the effects of new transmission power lines by placing them in existing anthropogenic corridors and/or incorporating buffers at least 2.8 km from active leks. Given the uncertainty we observed in our analyses regarding sage-grouse response to distribution lines coupled with their role in providing electric power service directly to individual consumers, we recommend that buffers for these power lines be considered on a case-by-case basis. Micrositing to avoid important habitats and habitat reclamation may reduce the potential impacts of new power line construction

Stakeholder contemporary knowledge needs regarding the potential effects of tall structures on sage-grouse

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 required all state and federal agencies to grant utilities access permits to promote reliable, renewable energy production and transmission. Contemporary transmission relies largely on above-ground electric transmission structures and lines. The construction, operation, and maintenance of tall structures, such as power lines, communication towers, wind turbines, and other installations and their associated activities in sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.) habitats were identified as a conservation threat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in its decision to designate greater sage-grouse (C. urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) as a candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Greater Sage-grouse Range-wide Comprehensive Strategy identified a need to synthesize the research on the effects of tall structures on sage-grouse as the first step in a process to develop best management practices (BMPs) to minimize potential negative impacts on the species. The Utah Wildlife-in-Need Foundation (UWIN) facilitated a public input process in 2010 to assess stakeholder contemporary knowledge regarding the effects of tall structures on sage-grouse. Stakeholders reviewed published information to evaluate the scientific basis for the potential impacts of tall structures on sage-grouse. At the time of the UWIN review, stakeholders concluded that there were no peer-reviewed, experimental studies reported in the scientific literature that specifically documented increased avoidance or predation on sage-grouse because of the construction, operation, and maintenance of tall structures. Consequently, stakeholders were concerned that the science upon which tall structure siting decisions are based was lacking, and as a result, temporal and spatial setbacks and buffers stipulations may differ by governmental agency. Stakeholders recommended that research implemented to address their concerns include experimental designs that simultaneously address multiple knowledge gaps, include metrics assessing potential individual and cumulative impacts of each tall structure type, and a collaborative process that allows preliminary results to be implemented in an adaptive management approach to actively refine BMPs. Lastly, stakeholders recommended that industry be provided mitigation incentives as part of a comprehensive strategy to fund desired research. A review of the scientific literature regarding sage-grouse since completion of the 2010 review produced no new published information, but recent unpublished reports have begun to address the issue