Conserving Greater Sage-grouse in South Central Washington
Sage-grouse populations serve as a key indicator of the health of sagebrush ecosystems, which continue to face threats from habitat loss and fragmentation. Listed as endangered in Washington State, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a focal point of shrub-steppe conservation efforts across the West and a top priority bird species for Audubon Washington’s conservation initiatives. Audubon Washington is conducting targeted surveys in partnership with landowners and WDFW to assess sage-grouse presence and habitat suitability in the Toppenish Ridge and Rattlesnake Hills Management Areas, providing critical data for species recovery efforts and informing land management strategies.
This project will fill a much-needed gap in Washington’s Greater Sage-grouse population inventory that will help inform species and land management strategies to support the recovery of sage-grouse and habitats they need to survive.
The Sagebrush Songbird Survey
In 2019, we completed our flagship Sagebrush Songbird Survey, a five-year, collaborative community science project to identify sagebrush songbird distributions within the remaining sagebrush areas in our state.
This joint project with the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and local Audubon chapters generated over 20,000 bird observations from 130 volunteers, and represents an unprecedented community undertaking in support of sagebrush birds and their habitat.
A committee of Audubon chapters applied these data in sagebrush conservation and WDFW used these data to create maps of sagebrush songbird distributions, providing legally defensible baseline data that fills a critical need of land use planners, landowners, and conservation partners. Using these data, Audubon has successfully worked to:
- Ensure that new baseline data on sagebrush songbirds is incorporated into land use planning and management.
- Leverage public-private partnerships in support of habitat connectivity and fire protection and rehabilitation.
- Secure funding to support stakeholder process for least-conflict solar siting
Downloadable Resources
SSS Annual Report 2016 SSS Annual Report 2017 Sample Training Agenda.pdf SSS Annual Report 2018 
sagebrush_songbird_survey_introduction_2019.docx audubon_protocol_sheet_2019.pdf audubon_survey_form_2019_.pdf how_to_enter_your_sightings_in_ebird_2019.pdf gps_for_birders_etrex25_2019.pdf working_lands_priorities_2021.pdf wdfw_audubonwa_shrubsteppe_passerine_distribution_finalreport_2022.pdf Donate to Audubon
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