In the arid Mountain West, what role do wet meadows play?
While picturing Sage Grouse habitat probably takes your mind to never-ending rolling hills of upland sage brush habitat, restoration practitioners are instead setting their sights on the widely degraded wet meadows in the lowlands.
Due to over-grazing, wet meadows are drying up and leaving the federally threatened Gunnison Sage Grouse (Centrocerus minimus) without an increasingly important food source. The plants and insects that thrive in wet meadows support Sage Grouse during drought years when food sources are scarce in the sage brush uplands.
A study in Colorado analyzed the response of plant cover to a low tech restoration effort that aimed to reconnect the floodplain and raise the water table in ephemeral and perennial wet meadow habitat.
After treatment, the researchers observed a 4% per year increase in forb (wildflower) cover. These results have positive implications for the Sage Grouse! A previous study demonstrated a positive relationship between plant biomass and insect abundance - two vital food sources for the bird. Increases in plant mass due to restoration efforts will increase the availability of forage, cover, water, and movement corridors for a variety of wildlife in the area, benefitting more than just the Sage Grouse.
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