Sage Grouse Mitigation

WESTECH has over 40 years of experience surveying for sage grouse, implementing restoration of sagebrush habitat, and navigating permit requirements associated with this species.  Our primary efforts and experience include:

• Completing sage grouse conservation plans
• Developing compensatory mitigation plans.
• In-depth familiarity with the Montana Habitat Quantification Tool (HQT) and Montana Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program
• Implementing sagebrush restoration
• Monitoring sage grouse leks and habitat evaluations

States such as Wyoming, Montana, and Nevada have implemented rules requiring all project proponents acquire a permit for projects within sage grouse habitat or proof of consultation confirming that a project is outside of sage grouse habitat.  This permitting step can be confusing to develop and challenging to negotiate, especially if mitigation is required.  WESTECH has worked with numerous clients to develop project-specific avoidance or mitigation plans that facilitate permitting without requiring excessive mitigation costs.

Examples of recent projects include:

• Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Authored sage-grouse compensatory mitigation plan and habitat restoration plan for 285 miles of pipeline and facilities in Montana and 75 miles of pipeline and facilities in South Dakota.  As part of this effort, WESTECH has completed 6 years of aerial surveys of sage-grouse leks, on-the-ground sage-grouse habitat survey, construction design procedures to minimize impacts to sage-grouse and facilitated numerous agency meetings.
• DY Junction Communication Tower: Completed numerous assessments of habitat type, lek visibility, and impact assessment for comparison with HQT output.  Participated in numerous consultations with Montana Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program, Governor’s staff, and the client to better define impacts and reduce mitigation requirements consistent with those impacts, resulting in an approximate $1 million savings.
• Sage-grouse Mitigation Bank Assessments: WESTECH has completed several assessments of potential sage-grouse mitigation banks in Montana for a private conservation client.  Assessments included an inventory of baseline conditions, their current quality, and a restoration plan with costs, to restore sage-grouse habitat and develop mitigation credits.
• WESTECH has also provided support sage-grouse permitting and HQT assessment support for several permits related to gravel pits, coal mines, transmission lines, and pipeline infrastructure.