Thanks for posting this article. It is interesting learning about this species, and about conservation issues in New York State. Hopefully your Department of Environmental Conservation can pull the spruce grouse out of decline. It is interesting that it is the spread of old growth forest that apparently is driving this species decline. It shows how complicated ecology can get and that ecosystems are dynamic. It seems intuitive that increasing old growth forest would be good for conservation, and in many ways it probably is, but in order to maintain species like the spruce grouse it seems that disturbance processes that "reset" tree growth need to be factored into conservation management also.
Here is some more info on the Spruce grouse from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website. Spruce Grouse Fact Sheet - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
