The population size of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
in Washington is low. This species requires large landscapes of sagebrush steppe, much of which has been degraded, fragmented, or lost. The primary threat is the combined impact of habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation.
The greater sage-grouse Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment (DPS) was a candidate for listing under the U. S. Endangered Species Act from 2001-2015. In 2001, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) found that listing of the greater sage-grouse Distinct Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act was "warranted but precluded" by higher priority listing actions. In September 2015, the USFWS decided that the population in Washington did not meet the criteria for a DPS, and listing of the greater sage-grouse across its entire range was not warranted.