Rangeland Wildlife

Idaho is home to iconic symbols of rangelands like the Greater sage grouse and pronghorn as well as many other species that call rangelands home or pass through. Rangelands must be managed in a way that recognizes these species’ needs as well as the multiple uses that occur on these lands. Stakeholders identified needs for coordination of additional research emphasizing the social, economic, and ecological interconnections among wildlife and rangeland communities, continued work on communication via education and outreach, and improved collaboration on developing policies and implementing management actions related to rangeland wildlife. 

Project list

Idaho Sage-grouse and Spring Grazing Study

Project Leads: Courtney Conway (IDFWCU), Karen Launchbaugh (UI-CNR), Paul Makela (BLM), Shane Roberts (IDFG), Dave Musil (IDFG) 

Non-target effects of the herbicide Indaziflam on sage-grouse preferred forbs and habitat use, and small mammal populations

Project Leads: Tracey Johnson (UI-CNR), Tim Prather (UI Extension), Kirby Lau* (UI-CNR)

Tree removal in sagebrush habitat: implications for the songbird community – BOSH project

Project Leads: Tracey Johnson (UI-CNR), Aaron Young* (UI-CNR) 

Livestock grazing and chukar habitat: synthesis of impacts and opportunities

Project Leads: Tracey Johnson (UI-CNR), Colter Rowe* (UI-CNR) 

Sage-grouse habitat use and demographic response to landscape dynamics (Owyhee Uplands) 

Project Leads: Tracey Johnson (UI-CNR), Peter Coates (USGS) 

Multi-scale habitat characteristics and cavity nester occupancy: impacts of climate change on owl distribution

Keri Vierling (UI-CNR), Tracey Johnson (UI-CNR), Kassandra Townsend* (UI-CNR)

Publications

Visit the University of Idaho VERSO page for a full list of Rangeland Wildlife publications from Rangeland Center Members

  • Conway, C. J., Tisdale, C. A., Launchbaugh, K. L., Stevens, B. S., Overlie, G. E., Eigenbrode, S. D., Makela, P. D., & Roberts, S. B. (2025). The Grouse and Grazing Project: Effects of cattle grazing on demographic traits of greater sage-grouse (, Ill.). U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. https://doi.org/10.3996/css82003131
  • Hawse, A., & Cook, S. P. (2025). Ecological patterns of plant–pollinator interactions in the Palouse Prairie. Environmental Entomology, . https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae129 
  • Lachman, D. A., Conway, C. J., Vierling, K. T., & Matthews, T. (2025). Water depth, position within the nesting colony, and nearest neighbor density affect nest survival in Aechmophorus occidentalis (Western Grebe). Ornithological Applications, . https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf011 
  • Nerkowski, S. A., Hohenlohe, P. A., Rachlow, J. L., Warheit, K. I., Gallie, J. A., & Waits, L. P. (2025). Long-Term Noninvasive Genetic Monitoring Guides Recovery of the Endangered Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis). Genes, 16(8), . https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16080956 
  • Paprocki, N., Kidd, J., & Conway, C. J. (2025). Increased Mortality Rates Caused by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in a Migratory Raptor. Ecology and Evolution, 15(7), . https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71715 
  • Santiago-Plata, M., Solem, A., Adams, J., Rachlow, J. L., Sullivan, J., & Waits, L. P. (2025). Optimizing fecal DNA collection and storage techniques for noninvasive genetic sampling of river otters. Wildlife Society Bulletin (2011), . https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1612 
  • Stevens, B. S., Conway, C. J., Roberts, S. B., & Englestead, D. K. (2025). Fitness consequences of catastrophic wildfire are mitigated by behavioral responses of an iconic bird. Fire Ecology, 21(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-025-00391-2 
  • Vega, K. S., Marshall, A. M., Svancara, L. K., Ausband, D. E., & Link, T. E. (2025). Detection of deer at remote camera sites in relation to snow conditions. The Journal of Wildlife Management, . https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70088 
  • Vosbigian, R. A., Ballinger, A., Link, T. E., Copeland, T., & Falcy, M. R. (2025). Elevation mediates juvenile steelhead demographic response to stream temperature and flow. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 1–50. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2025-0057 
  • Wann, G. T., Whipple, A. L., Orning, E. K., McLachlan, M. M., Beck, J. L., Coates, P. S., Conway, C. J., Dinkins, J. B., Johnston, A. N., Hagen, C. A., Makela, P. D., Naugle, D. E., Schroeder, M. A., Sedinger, J. S., Walker, B. L., Williams, P. J., Inman, R. D., & Aldridge, C. L. (2025). Greater sage‐grouse seasonal habitat associations: A review and considerations for interpretation and management applications. The Journal of Wildlife Management, . https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70022 
  • Yost, C. M., Sliwa, K. M., Shafique-Sabir, R., Shore, J., & Conway, C. J. (2025). Irrigated agriculture influences selenium levels in an endangered marsh bird. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 197(), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-14533-1 
  • Young, A. C., Katzner, T. E., Shinneman, D. J., & Johnson, T. N. (2023). Implications of tree expansion in shrubland ecosystems for two generalist avian predators. PloS One, 18(6), e0286478–e0286478. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286478
  • Pilliod, D. S., Beck, J. L., Duchardt, C. J., Rachlow, J. L., & Veblen, K. E. (2022). Leveraging Rangeland Monitoring Data for Wildlife: From Concept to Practice. Rangelands, 44(1), 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2021.09.005