Zachary B. Lockyer Melissa A. Farinha Joelle M. Sweeney Valerie M. Johnson Matthew G. Meshriy Shawn P. Espinosa David J. Delehanty Michael L. Casazza Peter S. Coates 2011 Relationships between habitat selection and population vital rates of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse), recently designated as a candidate species under the Endangered Species Act, within the Great Basin are not well-understood. The growing development of renewable energy infrastructure within areas inhabited by sage-grouse is thought to influence predator and vegetation communities. For example, common ravens (Corvus corax), a synanthropic sage-grouse nest predator, are increasing range-wide and select transmission lines and other tall structures for nesting and perching. In the Virginia Mountains of northwestern Nevada, we collected preliminary information of space-use, habitat selection, and population vital rates during the nesting and brood-rearing period over two years on 56 sage-grouse. Additionally, videography at nest sites (n = 22) was used to identify sage-grouse nest predators. The study area is a potential site for renewable energy developments (i.e., wind and solar), and we plan to continue monitoring this population using a before-after-control-impact study design. The results reported here are preliminary and further data are required before conclusions can be drawn from this population of sage-grouse. application/pdf 10.3133/ofr20111182 en U.S. Geological Survey Preliminary analysis of Greater Sage-grouse reproduction in the Virginia Mountains of northwestern Nevada reports