GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK – This is a unique way to put those school art projects to good use! Papier-mâché sage-grouse decoys have been placed in the wild in hopes of protecting the greater sage-grouse in Grand Teton National Park.
The art pieces will hopefully attract the real birds to a field south of the Jackson Hole Airport runway, so they can perform their unique mating displays in a safe place. More than 30 sage-grouse have been killed by airstrikes close to the airport between 1990 and 2013.
The decoys were made with the help of the Teton Raptor Center, Jackson Hole Middle school art students and local artist Lori Solem. They’re being deployed as part of the airport’s Wildlife Hazard Management Plan. Trail cameras will monitor the decoys to see if they’re successful at attracting the real thing.
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