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Bureau of Land Management Research Needs
TITLE:
The Effects of Oil and Gas Development on
Breeding Sage Grouse
SUBMITTING AGENCY: USDI-Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Originating Office: Wyoming State Office
DATE SUBMITTED: August 15, 1998
BIN NUMBER: BLM01CR99
BRD REGION: Central
DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION NEED: While considerable anecdotal information and observations exist regarding the impacts of oil and gas development on sage grouse breeding grounds, it seems there is really very little in the way of scientifically-designed, empirical studies of this issue. Several key study questions needing answers include:
1. What are the impacts to breeding sage grouse from the noise of typical oil field activities? Does the frequency of noise and the distance to the noise source have any effect on breeding sage grouse?
2. Do oil field facilities (e.g., powerlines, treater stacks, storage tanks, etc.) create extraordinary opportunities for avian and other predators to prey on breeding sage grouse? If so, what factors foster this increased mortality, and does distance to the facility play a role in this impact?
3. Does human activity in and around oil field facilities disrupt nearby sage grouse breeding activities? If so, what are the nature of the impacts (e.g., vehicular traffic on roads, the sound of human voices, humans walking around the site, etc.), and at what distances does this impact occur?
These are the types of impacts "tests" or hypotheses that could be designed into an impacts study.
Any impacts study of the above nature would probably have to be at least 3 years long, and possibly longer, to yield scientifically valid results. This does not mean, however, that we could not start formulating some land management policy prior to that time. It may also be desirable to incorporate a number of different entities and interests in the study design and funding to insure a high level of support and continuity.
Based on past study experience, I would estimate an impacts study of this nature and magnitude to cost in the neighborhood of $50,000 per year, for a total of $150,000 over a 3 year period, minimum. Hopefully, we could split this cost among several partners and take advantage of some of the on-going sage grouse studies in the Green River Basin to help augment some of the costs.
MANAGEMENT PROBLEM LEADING TO NEED: Some of the scientific information shortfall at this time has centered around the question of what kind and extent of oil and gas activities have a significant negative impact on sage grouse populations, particularly at breeding grounds (i.e., strutting grounds, or leks). These questions have surfaced in regard to the 1/4 mile buffer of no surface use and disturbance around the center of leks used by BLM as a protective stipulation on various authorized uses of the public lands. The BLM is currently under an IBLA appeal on the grounds that these stipulations are inadequate to protect breeding sage grouse.
There appears to be a great deal of anecdotal information about impacts that was derived from life history and ecology studies, or from casual observations, but there is a paucity of any real empirical evidence of impacts. While anecdotal information has some value, it is hard to assign any real cause-effect relationships tied to certain types of impacts until empirical information is gathered. The typical statement we often hear is, "We have been watching this sage grouse lek for 15 years, and it has been OK. Three years ago an oil well was drilled 3/4 of a mile away, and now the lek has disappeared. Therefore, the oil well forced the abandonment of the lek." Well, maybe it did, and maybe it didn't. Since data on the nature of oil well impacts was not gathered, and since there was no measured control site or replications, it would be very difficult to draw any meaningful cause-effect conclusions about this situation. Before we can say definitively what may have caused a certain effect, or impact, we need some empirical data drawn from a scientifically designed study that set out to test certain hypotheses.
The matter of protection of crucial wildlife habitats (e.g., sage grouse strutting grounds, etc.) in the face of large scale industrial development of all types (including oil and gas resources) has become the increasing focus of attention at all levels (i.e., national, regional, state, and local) in recent years. Sage grouse habitat protection is of particular concern to the BLM because a majority of the Public Lands are in the western part of the country. Furthermore, since no broad-based protective standards exist across the agency, a form of regulatory chaos reigns. This contributes to the already existing differences of opinion within the professional wildlife community about adequate wildlife habitat protection.
In summary, this impacts controversy is an old, long-standing debate that is apt to continue well into the future unless we can do some definitive studies aimed at impacts resolution. I think we have a "window of opportunity" right now, and we ought to be taking advantage of it.
AGENCY CONTACT (Name, Address, Phone): Dave Roberts, 5353 Yellowstone Road, P.O. Box 1828, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003-1828, Phone: (307) 775-6099, FAX: (307) 775-6082
BRD PRIMARY CENTER: MESC, (ECRC)
BRD CENTER CONTACT: Brian Cade, (Miguel Mora)
RESULTS OF BRD-INITIATED COMMUNICATION: Dave Roberts was contacted to provide additional information and to clarify the magnitude of this problem. The problem area involves about 30 oil fields in Sweetwater, Carbon, Sublette, Lincoln, and Uinta counties in southwestern Wyoming. Sublette county is thought to have some of the best sage grouse habitat in the state. A crude estimate of the number of leks in proximity to the oil fields is 100-200. Oil well spacing can be as dense as a well per 40 acres in some fields. Dave indicated that current sage grouse research by Wyoming Fish and Game and Wyoming COOP Unit was focused on life history and ecology and not sufficient to address the legal challenge being raised against the BLM's 0.25 mile restriction on oil field activity. Oil field activity may negatively impact sage grouse populations by direct reduction of suitable habitat, by restricting access to suitable habitat because of undesirable levels of human activity and noise associated with the wells, and by enhancing foraging opportunities for raptors that prey on sage grouse.
Additional follow-up work will be required to determine the feasibility of conducting research that can separate effects due to direct loss of habitat and natural turnover of leks from effects due to human activity and increased predation opportunities. Clait Braun at the Colorado Division of Wildlife will be contacted for possible information pertinent to the oil field disturbance issue. BRD staff should continue to pursue this issue with Wyoming state BLM biologists, Wyoming COOP unit staff, and Wyoming Dep. Fish and Game. BRD should consider possibly incorporating research on rangeland restoration issues related to sage grouse populations (as identified in a western region BIN by Oregon state office of BLM) with any studies related to the oil field disturbance issue.
DATE SUBMITTED TO REGIONAL OFFICE: 6 January 1999
PREPARED BY: Brian S. Cade, Landscape and Habitat Analysis Section, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80525-3400; 970-226-9326; brian_cade@usgs.gov.
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