Posted on 11.02.23 by Harney SWCD

A flock of ravens can be called a “rave,” a “treachery,” a “conspiracy,” or an “unkindness.”  While ravens play an important role in ecosystems, they are also shown to be unkind to sage grouse.  LaGrande wildlife biologist Jackie Cupples shares how a Baker City project that offers careful disposal of animal carcasses can make a difference in maintaining a healthy sage grouse population:

How are sage-grouse, ravens, wolves, and livestock connected? Read this Baker City Herald article to find out!

Sage-grouse nest survival is largely influenced by predation and one of the most common nest predators is ravens. Unfortunately, raven numbers have increased by almost 300% in the western United States! That’s a lot of ravens!

In an effort to address this threat to sage-grouse, the Baker LIT has submitted and funded a project to construct a carcass disposal/compost site at the Baker Sanitary landfill. The goal of the project is to provide a sustainable way to reduce the presence of livestock and wildlife carcasses, a popular food source for scavengers and predators, and thus reduce the presence of ravens within sage-grouse habitat.

While the carcass disposal station is still under construction, we hope to have it up and running by January 2024. Reach out to the Baker LIT Coordinator for more information: 541-239-7016.