Spring is about a week away. It’s time for warming temperatures, preparing gardens, hiking, and biking. Another springtime activity involves a question many ask after spending time in the sagebrush-dominated landscapes common throughout much of southern Idaho. People exploring these areas are sure to encounter barb wire fences with small silver, white, or red markers, strung out for miles. Thus, the question: “What’s up with those fences” or something similar. To answer that question let’s drop back a few years.
It was late winter about 15 years ago when I met up with my friend Hub Quade. I was still gainfully employed as a research biologist by Idaho Department of Fish and Game but the plan for that day was fun, not work. I was going to accompany Hub while he hunted sage-grouse with his falcons. Hub suggested we take a little drive before we started hunting. A few days earlier he had found a fence that a grouse had flown into and he wanted a closer look at the area.
We drove a mile north-south along that fence then dog-legged and drove another mile east-west. In that two-mile stretch we counted over 15 sage-grouse fence strikes. It looked like a problem to me.
The next day I discussed my observations with my supervisor and other state and federal biologists. We developed a strategy to assess how widespread this potential problem was and under what circumstances fence strikes occurred. If it turned out that the problem was something other than an isolated incident, we also discussed finding a solution.
No previous work had systematically examined sage-grouse fence collisions and population-level impacts of fence collision were unknown. We knew we were charting new territory. We selected a bright, energetic graduate student to conduct the research through the University of Idaho. It took several months to select study areas, obtain equipment, and craft a research proposal. Three years of intensive field work and data analysis followed.
Our findings showed fence collisions were common and influenced by fence characteristics, with collisions more common along fence segments lacking wooden fence posts and with fence posts separated by more than four yards. We also learned that the probability of collision was influenced by the specific area, terrain, and fence density. Of course, collision counts during late winter and spring were also related to distance to nearest active sage-grouse lek. The bottom line was that we discovered that fence collisions were widespread but we also identified factors responsible for those collisions.
We believed we had a good understanding of the problem, but could we solve it? Some published information suggested markers might help. There were many potential marker designs and countless miles of fence. Marking all fences would be an expensive and time-consuming proposition. After some thought, we decided to use vinyl-siding undersill with reflective metallic tape to construct fence markers. These markers were inexpensive, durable, and easy to attach.
We marked the top strand of fence at 1-yard intervals and then compared collisions on marked stretches of fence to those on unmarked fence. After analyzing the data, we concluded that marking fences in this manner reduced sage-grouse collisions by about 83%. We also found that marking should focus on areas with locally abundant grouse populations and fence segments within about 1.25 miles of known leks.
The word spread. Resource agencies and private individuals began marking fences in sage-grouse winter and breeding habitat. So, the answer to that annual spring question is that the funny looking fences are marked to reduce sage-grouse collisions. This story may also give you some appreciation for how applied science works to benefit our wildlife populations and how an interested hunter initiated a game-changing management program.
March 12, 2021 at 11:00AM
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CONNELLY: Springtime question -- What’s with those funny-looking fences? - Post Register
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Funny
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