Grouse Priority Area Siting Tool Launches

Pennsylvania’s state bird, the ruffed grouse, has suffered dramatic population losses due to the statewide scarcity of young forests and large-scale West Nile virus die-offs. To offset those losses, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has created a tool to identify prime grouse recovery areas.

“The Game Commission recognizes that all conservation partners must work smarter, not just harder, to restore the King of Thunder,” said Lisa Williams, the agency grouse biologist who identified West Nile’s role in Pennsylvania’s grouse-population collapse.

The Grouse Priority Area Siting Tool (G-PAST) iden...