Photo: Noppadol Paothong
habitat
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.
Publication Alert
Spatial Technology Reveals Early Warning Signs of Large-Scale Woody Encroachment Threat to Greater Prairie-Chickens
December 28, 2021
Research provides early warning signal for landscapes transitioning from grasslands to ...
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A Conservation Dream Come True
March 2, 2021
This story originally appeared in Nebraskaland Magazine, the magazine of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Reposted here with permission.
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Idaho Launches the Cheatgrass Challenge
July 8, 2020
Read all about Idaho's new effort to tackle cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass that is causing serious issues across western ...
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How do lesser prairie-chickens like mesquite removal? Ask an Expert with Dr. Christian Hagen
July 2, 2019
Dr. Christian Hagen discusses his new research on mesquite trees, lesser prairie-chickens and how science can help inform the most effective places to invest restoration ...
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How Do Mule Deer Use Sagebrush?
February 5, 2019
Miles Moretti of the Mule Deer Foundation tells us how mule deer use sagebrush country and why MDF is partnering to conserve western ...
Sage Whiz Quiz
Sage Whiz Quiz | Sagebrush
January 17, 2019
Take this quiz to test your knowledge of ...
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New Nevada Agreement Paves The Way For Landscape-Scale Conservation
October 18, 2018
Public and private partners in Nevada sign a landmark agreement that leverages funding across state, federal, and private property to accelerate sagebrush ...
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Meet Leah Mori: Helping Ranchers Weather Wildfire Storms in Nevada’s Sagebrush Sea
August 20, 2018
This story features Leah Mori, a soil conservation technician in Winnemucca, Nevada, who is combating the twin threats of wildfire and ...
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NEW SCIENCE: Visualizing Sage Grouse Habitat As “Hubs & Spokes”
May 17, 2018
New research helps prioritize sage grouse conservation by ranking the importance of leks to the species' overall genetic connectivity across the range, likening certain areas ...
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California Ranchers Safeguard Agriculture and Sage Grouse Habitat
March 14, 2018
A conservation easement funded in part by the NRCS-led Sage Grouse Initiative will protect some of the best habitat in California for mule deer, waterfowl, migratory ...
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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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New Online Tool Shows Songbird Abundance Across Sagebrush Country
January 16, 2018
Check out the latest map additions to the SGI Web App, which allow users to easily visualize songbird distribution, bolstering multi-species conservation across the American ...
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The Conservation Gift That Benefits Us For Countless Years to Come
January 4, 2018
by Brianna Randall | Conserving our natural resources is one of the ways we can give back to our children, communities, and economy for years to come. And the gift that keeps ...
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Webinar: Effects Of Livestock Grazing On Sage Grouse Nesting Ecology
December 28, 2017
When: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 | 10:00 – 11:00 am PST Host: NRCS West National Technology Support Center Click here to view the On-Demand ...
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Working With Water: Restoring Wet Meadows in the Sage
November 9, 2017
By Sarah Keller for IWJV | In Montana, land managers and conservationists learned how to restore wet meadows for people and ...
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Journal Of Wildlife Management Study: Grazing Shows Little Effect On Grouse Nesting
October 31, 2017
by David Frey, for The Wildlife Society | A study in Montana found livestock grazing management doesn’t have as strong a link with sage grouse nest success as previously ...
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#HabitatHero Mike Fenn: Leaving A Legacy For Wildlife In Wyoming
September 25, 2017
by Brianna Randall | Landowners like Mike Fenn in western Wyoming are voluntarily stepping up to protect and restore the sagebrush country that supports their way of ...
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Meet Greg: A Sagebush Habitat Hero
June 27, 2017
by Jodi Stemler | Check out this multimedia story about how an SGI-enrolled rancher is leading the way in stewarding working lands and wildlife on his ranch in Colorado's ...
Sage Whiz Quiz
Take This Quiz To See If You’re A Sage Whiz | Pygmy Rabbit
June 7, 2017
Learn cool facts and test your knowledge about the pygmy rabbit, one of 350 species that depends on healthy, intact sagebrush ...
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What Do Sage Grouse Do All Winter?
February 1, 2017
Sage grouse are tough birds, surviving through cold winters in western North America. Learn how they thrive, even during the harshest ...
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$8 Million Fund Created to Improve Water Quality and Conserve Greater Sage-Grouse in the Eastern Sierra
January 20, 2017
Both the Bi-State population of greater sage-grouse and agricultural ranchlands will benefit from a just-announced $8 million USDA investment in California and ...
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Rangeland Science Journal Publishes Special Issue On Reducing Woodland Expansion
January 10, 2017
The latest research -- published in this month's special issue of SRM's Rangeland Ecology & Management science journal -- shows the benefits of removing conifers for grouse, ...
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Oregon Rancher Mike Greeley Enhances Mahogany Mountain For The Bird And The Herd
December 6, 2016
Rancher Mike Greeley uses conservation-minded management to sustain his working lands in eastern Oregon for wildlife and livestock. Check out this video of Mike on his ...
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Fun Fact Friday: To Migrate Or To Staycation
December 2, 2016
by Nancy Patterson, BLM | Learn which birds head south and which birds make their home on the sagebrush range during the chilly winter ...
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Latest Report Shows Promising Progress To Protect The Sagebrush Sea
August 9, 2016
This latest report chronicles the results from April through June across 11 western states, including collaborative efforts to conserve over 2.8 million acres of habitat for ...
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Human Connections Drive Habitat Conservation
December 1, 2015
By Tiffany Russell | This blog is about connecting people to talk about how wildlife and humans can thrive together. It describes a recent Ranch Conservation Tour, co-hosted ...
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New Guide Available | Sagebrush Bird Communities in the Intermountain West
September 21, 2015
A new tool is available for land managers in sagebrush country. The Sagebrush Bird Habitat Guide, created by several of our partners, provides information on breeding habitat ...
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New Tools For Land Managers | Predicting Vegetation Response to Treatments and Wildfire
August 31, 2015
Maintaining a resilient sagebrush steppe is job number one for sustaining sage grouse populations in the West. New tools are available to help conservationists better assess ...
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Department of Defense Dedicates $2 Million to Protect Sage Grouse in Nevada
August 19, 2015
The Department of Defense announced more than $2 million in funding from the Military Services’ Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program to protect ...
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John Deere’s “The Furrow” Magazine Features SGI Ranchers in Montana
April 6, 2015
This story on voluntary range improvements by Montana ranchers Patrick and Christy Lohof appears in the new Spring edition of John Deere’s The Furrow magazine. Read on to ...
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Sage Grouse Conservation Benefits Migratory Mule Deer
March 15, 2015
This report shows how habitat conservation for sage grouse, considered an umbrella species, can also protect critical habitat for mule deer. Scientists found that sage grouse ...
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Private Lands Vital to Conserving Wet Areas for Sage Grouse Summer Habitat
October 30, 2014
An impressive 85% of leks (sage grouse breeding areas) cluster within six miles of wet summer habitats. Successful sage grouse conservation will hinge on cooperative ...
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Predicting the Outcome of Wyoming’s Sage Grouse Conservation Strategy
June 19, 2014
This recent study by The Nature Conservancy, University of Wyoming and the Sage Grouse Initiative finds that Wyoming’s strategy, combined with targeted conservation ...