Sagebrush Safari

Greater Sage-Grouse Lek Tours Boost Economy, Conservation

Last month, a dozen Defenders of Wildlife supporters and staff joined Conservation Colorado and other conservation organizations for a Sagebrush Safari: Greater Sage-Grouse Lek Tour near Craig, Colorado.

We began our day very early, piling into two large vans and driving north out of Craig. After about an hour, we arrived at the lek site—an ancestral breeding ground for sage-grouse. We could hear the grouse as soon as we got out of the vans: A faint, but unmistakable, call of male sage-grouse. The bubbling sound is incredibly unique and personally, one of the coolest sounds I’ve heard in nature.

We began the short walk to the viewing trailer, donated for sage-grouse watching by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and settled in. As the sky lightened, we watched an incredible scene unfold before us. Male sage-grouse engaged in an elaborate and flamboyant dance to attract females. Fanning their tail feathers and puffing out their chests, the strutting birds simultaneously flutter their wings, toss long, thick plumes at the napes of their necks above their heads, and emit a sequence of popping gurgling sounds from yellow air sacs on their breasts.

The lek we visited is one of Colorado’s largest. At one point, we counted more than 140 males displaying for the attention of more than 30 females. Watching the grouse was truly remarkable and after just a few minutes, one of the tour attendees whispered that male greater sage-grouse is “like the Liberace of all sage-grouse.” An apt description for the species.

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The Sagebrush Safari lek tours are very popular – selling out weeks in advance and hosting more than 200 people – and provide a positive, conservation-driven benefit to the economy of Craig. In fact, the owners of a local motel credited a bump in business from the lek tours last spring (during an otherwise slow period) for keeping their doors open another year. It’s wonderful to see that these popular tours not only raise awareness about this majestic but imperiled bird, but also bring much-needed revenue to rural communities.

Sage-grouse conservation is a hot topic in Washington, DC, and out West. Federal agencies and states are engaged in an unprecedented planning process to protect and recover the grouse and their habitat. All agree that more must be done to conserve this charismatic species, which would also benefit countless other flora and fauna, including elk, mule deer, pronghorn, native trout, golden eagles, jackrabbits, butterflies and hundreds of other fish and wildlife. Visit a sage-grouse lek and it’s impossible not to become an advocate for this fancy dancer.