Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Refreshing ‘Ologists: Greater Sage-Grouse in Mono County with Mary Meyerpeter

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

This post was written by Joslyn Rogers, 2018 Mono Lake Intern and 2018–2020 Project Specialist.

Join us on Wednesday, August 15 at 4:00pm in the Mono Lake Committee gallery for this week’s Refreshments with Refreshing ‘Ologists presentation.

Mary Meyerpeter (right) taking measurements from a bi-state Greater Sage-Grouse in the Bodie Hills before its relocation to Parker Meadow. Photo courtesy of Dan Hottle, USFWS.

USGS biological science technician Mary Meyerpeter will be here to discuss her research on the bi-state Greater Sage-Grouse around Mono County. As part of a multi-agency project, Mary and other researchers are translocating the Sage-Grouse from the Bodie Hills to leks (breeding areas) in Parker Meadow.

The bi-state Greater Sage-Grouse are a genetically distinct sub-population that are having a difficult time successfully reproducing on their own. Several factors have led to a decline in the population of the Sage-Grouse but their greatest challenge is a lack of genetic diversity. A small population size, along with infertility issues, has led to inbreeding and fewer nests successfully hatching.

Measurements being collected from a female bi-state Greater Sage-Grouse for the translocation project. Photo courtesy of Dan Hottle, USFWS.

The Parker Meadow sub-population of Greater Sage-Grouse showed a 70 percent chance of going extinct in the next five years, which led to a large effort to find effective ways to increase their reproductive success and conserve their population. The strategy of translocation, which is defined as intentionally gathering animals from one area and releasing them into the wild at a different location, could increase the reproductive success rate of the Parker Meadow Sage-Grouse. This project is a collaborative effort with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Geological Survey, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

If you’re interested, join us in the gallery at 4:00pm on Wednesday for this free presentation and snacks!

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