Sharp-tailed grouse trapping

Jerome - Establishing new sharp-tailed grouse populations west of Rogerson, in the Cedar Creek drainage west of Browns Bench, is the goal of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Bureau of Land Management trapping efforts in the month of April. Going from April 5-17, biologist and trapping crews will try to capture between 50 to 100 birds near the Twin Springs Campground in the Curlew Valley. "This is a program we have been working on for the past 11 years," said Randy Smith, Fish and Game wildlife manager. "So far we have reestablished viable populations in the Shoshone Basin and helped start several flocks in Nevada along the border." Much like the sage grouse, the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is a native to Idaho and the Columbia Basin. Over the years the population has dwindled, with the largest population remaining in southeastern Idaho. Through the efforts of landowners, Fish and Game and the Bureau of Land Management, this much sought after game bird is once again repopulating its range. Efforts like these were cited as positives in the findings of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when the sharp-tailed grouse was petitioned to be listed as a endangered species in 2000.