A group of state and private scientists and biologists are working on a new plan to increase the population of the spruce grouse in Vermont, considered to be endangered in the state.
State Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz says the grouse’s health is an indicator of the health of the spruce-fir forest, a unique habitat that other wildlife rely on for survival.
Although considered common in Canada, Alaska and Maine, the grouse is near the southern edge of its range in Vermont. Extensive timber cutting since the 1800s has resulted in the removal of much of their breeding habitat and declines in their numbers.
