Over 500 Acres Set Aside in San Miguel County to Protect Gunnison Sage Grouse

A collaborative effort involving Tri-State Generation and Transmission, the Bureau of Land Management, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife has resulted in permanent protection of 505 acres in San Miguel County as habitat for the federally threatened Gunnison sage grouse. The area wildlife manager for Parks and Wildlife in Montrose, Renzo DelPiccolo, said in a release that the property had been identified for years as an important site for the ground-dwelling bird, which is famous for its mating dance. Tri-State then worked with the BLM and landowner to purchase the tract and donate it to Parks and Wildlife. The property adjoins the 2,500-acre Dan Noble State Wildlife Area, which holds Miramonte Reservoir. The area is home to one of Colorado’s few remaining populations of Gunnison sage grouse. The species’ total population is believed to be around 5,000 birds.