What Methodology was used to develop the draft ODFW sage-grouse Core Habitat layer?
The “Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy for Oregon: A Plan to Maintain and Enhance Populations and Habitat” identifies and maps Core Areas of habitat that are essential to sage-grouse (using the method described by Doherty et al. in press). This data provides a tool for planning and identifying appropriate mitigation in the event of human development in sage-grouse habitats. These maps show both Category 1 and Category 2 habitats. Recently, a landscape approach to sage-grouse habitat protection has been developed across the Western states. This landscape approach is commonly referred to as Core Areas. Specifically, this approach prioritizes habitats based on measures that assess breeding bird density of sage-grouse populations and associated habitats. ODFW’s Core Area approach is consistent with range-wide efforts to map important population strongholds by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The strength of the Core Area approach is that it uses
