Public asked to report dead sage grouse during West Nile virus season

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking everyone, especially landowners, to report dead sage grouse to the department so the birds can be tested for West Nile virus. While there are no signs of an outbreak, Game and Fish asks the public annually for reports to help in the management of the state's sage grouse populations.

West Nile virus is spread by certain mosquitoes, and research has shown sage grouse have a low resistance to the virus, which can be and is usually fatal to the birds. Evidence of the disease has been reported in past years in northeast Wyoming and in surrounding state...