Fun Fact Friday: #You’re it! Fence Modifications Help Grouse and Wildlife
By Nancy Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist, Greater Sage-Grouse Rocky Mountain Region
When you’re out in sagebrush country, you’re likely to spot fence lines. Fences crisscross western landscapes, often following ownership and livestock grazing patterns. Many of these fences are made of wire and can be hard to spot in certain light conditions.
The more than 350 species of wildlife that live here have to figure out ways to move through this landscape, even with fences across it. Mule deer agilely leap over fences. Pronghorn can’t jump over fences so they seek out places where they can slip underneath or detour around until they find a crossing point. Greater sage-grouse prefer to shuffle underneath fences to stay out of sight of predators.
Sometimes Greater sage-grouse will take flight, barely skimming above sagebrush let alone a fence. In addition, when males fly into a lek, their mating grounds, often it is in limited visibility near dawn or dusk. Since wire fences are relatively low and can blend into surroundings, this creates a collision hazard for the grouse.
A simple solution is to use tags to increase visibility of fences. Tags are placed about a wingspan apart on the top wire of a fence. Often made of white vinyl, tags help the birds recognize that a hazard exists. This works somewhat like how people will use lights to mark tall buildings, water towers, hills, and transmission lines to alert pilots of hazards.