Greater Sage-Grouse Nesting and Brood Habitat in Idaho and Montana

BLM ID SW Montana Greater Sage Grouse FEIS Nesting and Late Brood Rearing Habitat 2015 is a geospatial dataset defining nesting and summer habitat for the Greater Sage-Grouse. It was created by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management for a 2015 Final Environmental Impact Statement. The habitat layer was derived by applying a 10 km buffer around active lek locations to capture approximately 80% of known nests.

Use Cases

• Identify potential nesting habitat by analyzing the 10 km buffer zones around active lek locations.
• Assess landscape connectivity for brood-rearing by examining the spatial extent of the combined nesting and summer habitat layer.
• Support land-use planning by overlaying this habitat data with other geospatial layers like proposed development areas.
• Model habitat suitability by using the buffered lek data as a core input for species distribution models.

Strengths

• Habitat mapping is based on a defined scientific method using a 10 km buffer to capture 80% of nests.
• Data integrates field observations from multiple agencies including Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service.
• Covers a significant multi-state subregion encompassing Idaho, southwestern Montana, and part of Utah.

Limitations

• Late brood-rearing (summer) habitat is not mapped in detail and is assumed to be embedded within the nesting habitat areas.
• The underlying lek data for parts of the analysis are from unpublished agency sources from 2012-2014.
• The dataset represents a 2015 analysis snapshot and may not reflect current habitat conditions.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Collection Method

Created by buffering active lek locations by 10 km and combining data from Idaho, Montana BLM Dillon Field Office, and the Raft River Unit of the Sawtooth National Forest.

Time Range

Analysis prepared for a 2015 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

Freshness

Data represents a 2015 analysis; the platform record was last updated in 2026.

Geography

Idaho and Southwestern Montana Subregion (IDMT), including a portion of Utah's Raft River Unit.