Photo: Noppadol Paothong
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We provide scientific reports, project profiles, technical tools, videos, photos, field guides, and links that tell the story of how cooperative conservation is making a difference for working lands and wildlife across the West.
News
2023 Western Working Lands for Wildlife Workshop Recap
July 27, 2023
Learn more about the 2023 Western Working Lands for Wildlife ...
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USDA Announces Historic Investment in Wildlife Conservation, Expands Partnership to Include Additional Programs
June 27, 2023
USDA commits $500 million from Farm Bill, expanding Working Lands conservation to benefit wildlife, support agriculture, and rural ...
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Research Says, Adjusting Grazing Practices Can Improve Prairie-Chicken Habitat
February 27, 2018
SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: A new study by researchers at Kansas State University identifies specific grazing practices that create the varied grassland habitat structure that ...
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Seeing the Prairie From a Coyote’s Eye View
December 27, 2017
FIELD REPORT; What does the prairie look like from a coyote's eye view, and why does that matter to lesser prairie-chickens? LPCI range conservationist Marina Osier, based in ...
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Prairie Grouse Meeting Showcases Latest Prairie-Chicken Research
October 25, 2017
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: Emerging research on lesser prairie-chickens took center stage last week at the 32nd annual Prairie Grouse Technical Council meeting in Dickinson, North ...
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Keeping the Grass in CRP Grasslands—LPCI and the Dust Bowl legacy
October 9, 2017
LPCI NEWS: The Dust Bowl's legacy has profoundly shaped ranching and wildlife conservation in the southern Great Plains. LPCI helps ranchers like Abell keep grasslands in ...
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New Mexico Range Managers Put Science to Work for Prairie-Chickens
April 14, 2017
LPCI NEWS RELEASE: For wildlife biologist Randy Howard, a new mapping tool developed by lesser prairie-chicken researchers is an essential part of restoring habitat for ...
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Rangeland Science Journal Publishes Special Issue On Woody Plant Encroachment
January 12, 2017
PRESS RELEASE: This month, the Society for Range Management's scientific journal, Rangeland Ecology & Management, released a special issue focused entirely on the ...
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Science to Solutions: Mesquite Encroachment Impacts Lesser Prairie-Chickens
January 10, 2017
PRESS RELEASE: New research study quantifies the significant impacts of honey mesquite encroachment on lesser prairie-chickens in the southern Great Plains. Read more ...
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Fun Fact Friday: A Natural Winter Windbreak In Sagebrush
January 9, 2017
by Nancy Patterson, BLM | What are wildlife to do out in the sagebrush 'Big Empty' to protect themselves from harsh winter weather conditions? Let sagebrush come to the ...
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Fire Helps Kansas Rancher Restore Redcedar-infested Grasslands
July 6, 2016
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: When Tom Carr was a boy, redcedars were a rarity on his family's ranch lands in south-central Kansas. By the early 2000s, cedars had overtaken the ...
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Passion for Wild Things–A Poet’s Perspective on WLFW Conservation
June 20, 2016
Behind all the science and strategy, a deep caring for the land underlies enduring conservation efforts within the Working Lands For Wildlife program, beautifully rendered in ...
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USDA Unveils Three-Year Conservation Strategy for Lesser Prairie-Chicken
April 28, 2016
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: The USDA today announced the release of a three-year conservation strategy that will guide the voluntary restoration of 500,000 acres of habitat for the ...
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Seeding Techniques for Sagebrush Community Restoration After Fire
March 22, 2016
By Jeff Ott, Anne Halford, and Nancy Shaw | This new Great Basin Fact Sheet outlines important considerations and options for post-fire seeding, including the selection of ...
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How do Lesser Prairie-Chickens Survive the Winter?
February 2, 2016
FIELD REPORT: Biting winds, deep snows, frigid temperatures--how do prairie wildlife make it through the winter? LPCI wildlife biologist Amy Erickson reports in from Portales, ...
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Tracks in the Sand
January 21, 2016
FIELD REPORT: LPCI wildlife biologist Amy Erickson explores the sand dunes of eastern New Mexico, where tracks in the sand reveal the presence of the many animals that live ...
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New Report Highlights LPCI Conservation Across the Range
January 4, 2016
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: New report highlights Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative habitat conservation successes across the lesser prairie-chicken's range in the Southern Great ...
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The Role of Sand Sagebrush in Prairie Grasslands
December 3, 2015
FIELD REPORT: Roll the gray-green foliage of sand sagebrush between your fingers, and you’ll catch the spicy aroma of a plant that’s an important part of the prairie ...
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Assessing Fuel Loads in Sagebrush Steppe and PJ Woodlands
October 22, 2015
By Stephen C. Bunting and Jeff Rose | This fact sheet helps define wildland fuels and review the approaches used to assess fuel loads in the Great ...
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Wind Erosion Following Wildfire in Great Basin Ecosystems
October 19, 2015
By Matthew J. Germino | Wind erosion is a problem in the Great Basin, particularly following large wildfires. This factsheet helps resource managers with a "how to" for ...
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New Study on Habitat Use Yields Insights for Prairie-Chicken Management
October 14, 2015
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: A recently published research study examines factors affecting space use by female prairie-chickens at ten sites across the Great ...
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Management of Aspen in a Changing Environment
October 14, 2015
By: Douglas J. Shinneman, Anne S. Halford, Cheri Howell, Kevin D. Krasnow, and Eva K. Strand | This fact sheet provides information to help identify different aspen types, ...
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Kansas Rancher Puts Expired CRP Grasslands to Work for Cattle and Wildlife
October 13, 2015
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: Kansas rancher Dwight Abell is shifting his expired CRP grasslands to cattle grazing with LPCI assistance, a win-win proposition for his cattle operation ...
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LPCI Partners Awarded for Conservation Efforts
October 7, 2015
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: Two Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative partners receive the Hamerstrom Award for their important contributions to prairie grouse ...
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New LPCI Video Spotlights Conservation Reserve Program
September 22, 2015
LPCI PRESS RELEASE: How does the Conservation Reserve Program benefit lesser prairie-chickens and the private landowners who steward their habitat? A newly released 3-minute ...
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Establishing Big Sagebrush and Other Shrubs from Planting Stock
July 16, 2015
Bareroot or container seedlings can be used to quickly re-establish big sagebrush and other native shrubs post-fire or other disturbances in situations where direct seeding is ...
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Post-Fire Grazing Management in the Great Basin
July 16, 2015
Successful post-fire recovery hinges on the growth of perennial understory plants, especially perennial grasses that provide livestock forage and wildlife habitat. This fact ...
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Fuel Breaks That Work
July 16, 2015
This fact sheet provides a framework for using established fuel breaks for protecting sagebrush ecosystems that are prone to fire due to the invasion of nonnative annual ...
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Conifer Removal in the Sagebrush Steppe
July 8, 2015
This transition from shrub steppe to woodland has broad, concerning impacts on ecosystem function and services. This fact sheet explains the "why when, where, and how" of ...
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Reestablishing Perennial-Dominated Plant Communities in Medusahead-Invaded Sagebrush Rangeland
July 8, 2015
This fact sheet gives tools and strategies for reestablishing perennial-dominated plant communities in medusahead-invaded areas, which helps restore and protect vital ...
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Limiting Medusahead Invasion and Impacts in the Great Basin
July 8, 2015
Limiting the spread of invasive medusahead is critical, since this non-native plant decreases biodiversity, degrades wildlife habitat, reduces livestock forage, increases the ...
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Putting Resilience and Resistance Concepts into Practice
July 7, 2015
This fact sheet is designed to assist land managers in using resilience and resistance concepts to assess risks, prioritize management activities, and select appropriate ...
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LPCI Films Stewardship in Action
May 18, 2015
FIELD REPORT: Filmmaker Jeremy Roberts recently visited southwest Kansas with LPCI staff to film exemplary land stewardship practices by ranchers. Read about the filming and ...
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Lesser Prairie-Chickens Return to the Leks
April 10, 2015
FIELD REPORT: LPCI Field Staff wildlife biologist Amy Erickson reports from eastern New Mexico on the return of lesser prairie-chickens to their booming grounds, or ...
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Pinyon-Juniper Forum Played Key Role for Future of Bi-State Sage Grouse
March 26, 2015
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to announce its final decision in April on whether the Bi-State population of sage grouse will be listed as threatened under the ...
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Just Add Water: Prairie Vegetation Responds to Rain
March 3, 2015
FIELD REPORT: LPCI field staff wildlife biologist Jake Swafford reports from Portales, NM, on the effect of 2014’s rains on the drought-stricken ...