Name: Greater Sage Grouse Priority Areas for Conservation
Display Field: PAC_Name
Type: Feature Layer
Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon
Description: The purpose of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW or the Department) sage-grouse core area approach to conservation (OAR 635-140-0015) is ‘to address greater sage-grouse management from a conservation biology perspective that identifies the most productive populations and habitat that meets all life history needs.’ Under this overarching goal, ODFW identified and mapped sage-grouse habitats necessary to conserve 90% of Oregon’s greater sage-grouse population, defined as ‘Core Areas’, or 'core habitat'. Similarly, ODFW identified low-density habitats, which provide additional breeding, summer, and migratory habitats for Oregon’s greater sage-grouse populations. The ODFW sage-grouse core and low-density habitat map was originally delineated in 2011 as one component of the Oregon Sage-Grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy (CAAS). Sage-grouse core areas were named in 2011, and these named core areas were adopted as Sage-Grouse Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs), a range-wide designation, by the Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Objectives Team (COT) and published in the Team’s 2013 Report. ODFW sage-grouse core habitat and sage-grouse PACs are analogous.The Goal 5 sage-grouse rule (OAR 660-023-0115) was adopted by the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) in 2015. This rule defines core and low-density sage-grouse habitat and makes specific reference to the sage-grouse map delineated by ODFW and outlined in the CAAS. The LCDC adopted the 2011 ODFW sage-grouse core and low-density habitat map into OAR 660-023-0115 as the controlling document identifying significant sage-grouse habitat. The Goal 5 sage-grouse rule (OAR 660-023-0115) defines significant sage-grouse habitat and identifies types of land use that could conflict with the conservation of Oregon's sage-grouse populations. The Rule directs counties to review applications for development permits using the mitigation hierarchy (avoidance, minimization, and mitigation; defined in OAR 635-140-0000 through 0025) and sets development thresholds that limit the amount of significant sage-grouse habitat impacted due to new large-scale development.The core and low-density habitat map was updated by ODFW in 2023 with the Department's most recent sage-grouse data and the best available science, following the methodology outlined in the CAAS (see 'Sage-Grouse Core Area Habitat Categorization and Conservation Recommendations using ODFW Fish and Wildlife Habitat Mitigation Policy'). During the final phases of the update process, the draft map was reviewed by ODFW District Biologists, cooperating agency biologists, elected county officials or their representatives in counties with sage-grouse habitat, Oregon's Sage-Grouse Local Implementation Teams (LITs), conservation partners, and the public to ground-truth and refine the boundaries at a 1:10,000 scale. The updated core and low-density map adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on 15 December 2023. Updated sage-grouse PAC boundaries were delineated within the final approved core habitat and appropriately named. The Department expects the LCDC to adopt the updated (2023) sage-grouse core and low-density habitat map as part of the Goal 5 sage-grouse rule (OAR 660-023-0115), thereby replacing the deprecated 2011 map. Until the updated (2023) sage-grouse habitat map is adopted by the LCDC to replace the 2011 map, the 2011 map will continue to apply for OAR 660-023-0115.Spatial ReferenceProjected Coordinate System: NAD 1983 Oregon Statewide Lambert (Intl Feet)Projection: Lambert Conformal ConicWKID: 2992Authority: EPSGLinear Unit: Feet (0.3048)Geographic Coordinate System: NAD 1983WKID: 4269Authority: EPSGAngular Unit: Degree (0.0174532925199433)Datum: D North American 1983
Copyright Text: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife [ODFW]. (2023). Sage-Grouse Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs) and Low-Density Habitat Map. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem, Oregon, USA.
Contact information:
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Skyler Vold
Sage-Grouse Conservation Coordinator
541-573-6582
Skyler.T.Vold@odfw.oregon.gov
Description: The purpose of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW or the Department) sage-grouse core area approach to conservation (OAR 635-140-0015) is ‘to address greater sage-grouse management from a conservation biology perspective that identifies the most productive populations and habitat that meets all life history needs.’ Under this overarching goal, ODFW identified and mapped sage-grouse habitats necessary to conserve 90% of Oregon’s greater sage-grouse population, defined as ‘Core Areas’, or 'core habitat'. Similarly, ODFW identified low-density habitats, which provide additional breeding, summer, and migratory habitats for Oregon’s greater sage-grouse populations. The ODFW sage-grouse core and low-density habitat map was originally delineated in 2011 as one component of the Oregon Sage-Grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy (CAAS). Sage-grouse core areas were named in 2011, and these named core areas were adopted as Sage-Grouse Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs), a range-wide designation, by the Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Objectives Team (COT) and published in the Team’s 2013 Report. ODFW sage-grouse core habitat and sage-grouse PACs are analogous.The Goal 5 sage-grouse rule (OAR 660-023-0115) was adopted by the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) in 2015. This rule defines core and low-density sage-grouse habitat and makes specific reference to the sage-grouse map delineated by ODFW and outlined in the CAAS. The LCDC adopted the 2011 ODFW sage-grouse core and low-density habitat map into OAR 660-023-0115 as the controlling document identifying significant sage-grouse habitat. The Goal 5 sage-grouse rule (OAR 660-023-0115) defines significant sage-grouse habitat and identifies types of land use that could conflict with the conservation of Oregon's sage-grouse populations. The Rule directs counties to review applications for development permits using the mitigation hierarchy (avoidance, minimization, and mitigation; defined in OAR 635-140-0000 through 0025) and sets development thresholds that limit the amount of significant sage-grouse habitat impacted due to new large-scale development.The core and low-density habitat map was updated by ODFW in 2023 with the Department's most recent sage-grouse data and the best available science, following the methodology outlined in the CAAS (see 'Sage-Grouse Core Area Habitat Categorization and Conservation Recommendations using ODFW Fish and Wildlife Habitat Mitigation Policy'). During the final phases of the update process, the draft map was reviewed by ODFW District Biologists, cooperating agency biologists, elected county officials or their representatives in counties with sage-grouse habitat, Oregon's Sage-Grouse Local Implementation Teams (LITs), conservation partners, and the public to ground-truth and refine the boundaries at a 1:10,000 scale. The updated core and low-density map adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on 15 December 2023. Updated sage-grouse PAC boundaries were delineated within the final approved core habitat and appropriately named. The Department expects the LCDC to adopt the updated (2023) sage-grouse core and low-density habitat map as part of the Goal 5 sage-grouse rule (OAR 660-023-0115), thereby replacing the deprecated 2011 map. Until the updated (2023) sage-grouse habitat map is adopted by the LCDC to replace the 2011 map, the 2011 map will continue to apply for OAR 660-023-0115.Spatial ReferenceProjected Coordinate System: NAD 1983 Oregon Statewide Lambert (Intl Feet)Projection: Lambert Conformal ConicWKID: 2992Authority: EPSGLinear Unit: Feet (0.3048)Geographic Coordinate System: NAD 1983WKID: 4269Authority: EPSGAngular Unit: Degree (0.0174532925199433)Datum: D North American 1983
Service Item Id: 0e112ffd2beb47489397ffd90547cd15
Copyright Text: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife [ODFW]. (2023). Sage-Grouse Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs) and Low-Density Habitat Map. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem, Oregon, USA.
Contact information:
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Skyler Vold
Sage-Grouse Conservation Coordinator
541-573-6582
Skyler.T.Vold@odfw.oregon.gov