F&G Biologist Co-editor of Book on Sage-grouse

Idaho Fish and Game wildlife biologist Jack Connelly is co-editor of a comprehensive volume on sage-grouse. "Greater Sage-Grouse: Ecology and Conservation of a Landscape Species and Its Habitats," was 1 this year by University of California Press for the Cooper Ornithological Society. Connelly is principal wildlife research biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and has been researching sage-grouse for three decades. Co-editor Steven T. Knick is supervisory research ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center. "Here's everything one needs to know about sage-grouse, but it's much more than that. From the probing analyses of sage-grouse biology, one gains a broader understanding the ecology and conservation imperatives of sagebrush habitats throughout the West," John A. Wiens wrote in a review for University of California Press. Wiens is chief conservation science officer at PRBO Conservation Science in Petaluma, Calif., formerly known as the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. The book relies on the experiences of 38 researchers and describes the bird's population trends, its sagebrush habitat and limits to conservation. The sage-grouse, once a symbol of the wide open spaces of the West, has declined across much of its range, which spans 11 western states and reaches into Canada. The decline is mostly the result of loss of critical sagebrush habitat from many causes, including rangeland fire, invasive plants, and climate change, as well as land uses such as energy development, suburban expansion and agriculture. "Today the Greater Sage-Grouse is at the center of a complex conservation challenge. This multifaceted volume, an important foundation for developing conservation strategies and actions, provides a comprehensive synthesis of scientific information on the biology and ecology of the Greater Sage-Grouse," says a description on back cover. The list price is $95, and the book is available from the University of California Press at www.ucpress.edu, online booksellers, or contact local book seller with the title and this identification number ISBN 978-520-26711-4.