cuffing season is on the way and this bird's mating dance helps to protect YOU and over 300 animal and plant species in Western US. groups of male SAGE GROUSE meet in the same exact place every year, known as a LEK, to perform this chest bouncing dance to convince a female grouse he's worth mating with. because the location of the lek never changes over years, sage grouses have become an INDICATOR SPECIES, the sage grouse's good health indicates that species of animals and plants within it's ECOSYSTEM are also in good health. the sage grouse and many of its ecosystem companions are threatened by HUMAN DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS. fossil fuel industry expansion also increases air pollution, greenhouse gases and atmospheric temperatures, making human's more prone to CLIMATE DISASTER. four state governors (Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana) worked with the federal government to protect the sage grouse by banning mining in specific sage grouse habitats, but the restrictions and the ban was removed after the 2016 elections.
here are big and small THINGS YOU CAN DO! consider what parts of your life depend on fossil fuels, and research opportunities to shift. decrease your personal dependency of fossil fuels; use ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION like walking, biking, and public transit. INVEST IN RENEWABLE ENERGY sources. be hyper aware of the elections of your state PUBLIC SERVICE/UTILITIES COMMISSION, these folks oversee how the rates we pay for utilities are spent, like approving the building of a new nuclear power plant (ahem, Georgia). HOLD YOUR POLITICIANS ACCOUNTABLE, they are the ones deciding what's important; the planet, people, or profit. spread the word, we are isolated from our understanding of the environment around us, sharing more about how turning up the air can impact the seductive-dancing sage grouse and humans, will help other people understand what's at stake. REDEFINE THE NORM, extractive economies are toxic for us all, and anything that isn't regenerative gotta gooooooooooo!
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