wildlife

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.

Meet the American Burying Beetle
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Meet the American Burying Beetle

Get to know this unique species and how long-term conservation efforts in Nebraska are giving its population a ...
Montana Sheep Grower Explores Value-Added Options for Livestock
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Montana Sheep Grower Explores Value-Added Options for Livestock

Learn how sheep and cattle rancher, Ben Lehfeldt, is working with the NRCS to make his operation more profitable and better for ...
USDA Announces Department-wide Effort to Support Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity
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USDA Announces Department-wide Effort to Support Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity

New USDA Announcement Supports Wildlife Connectivity Across the ...
From Bird To Biome: Keeping the range intact for wildlife and people
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From Bird To Biome: Keeping the range intact for wildlife and people

Learn more about our shift from species-specific conservation to biome-centric ...
Cherish The Soils And Roots That Support Life On The Range
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Cherish The Soils And Roots That Support Life On The Range

The roots of wildflowers on the range support a hidden world of living organisms that produce healthy soils. Nurturing these native plants creates healthier soils and keeps ...
Next-gen remote sensing tools level up rangeland conservation
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Next-gen remote sensing tools level up rangeland conservation

New research highlights how remote sensing tools accurately and efficiently detail conservation outcomes on ...
Ask an Expert: Early Warning Signals and Grassland Bird Richness
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Ask an Expert: Early Warning Signals and Grassland Bird Richness

Caleb Roberts discusses two recent papers that highlight how the Rangeland Analysis Platform is informing on-the-ground conservation in the Great ...
Spatial Technology Reveals Early Warning Signs of Large-Scale Woody Encroachment Threat to Greater Prairie-Chickens
Publication Alert

Spatial Technology Reveals Early Warning Signs of Large-Scale Woody Encroachment Threat to Greater Prairie-Chickens

Research provides early warning signal for landscapes transitioning from grasslands to ...
Conserving Prime Hay Ground As Well As Colorado’s Famous Elk and Deer
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Conserving Prime Hay Ground As Well As Colorado’s Famous Elk and Deer

The Etchart Family placed much of their ranch in a conservation easement protecting prime working land from development and preserving habitat for elk, deer, and sage ...
Turning former cropland into green grass — and green cash
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Turning former cropland into green grass — and green cash

Learn how one producer worked with the NRCS to turn expired CRP lands into profitable grazing lands that support wildlife while producing income for the ranch and local ...
Great Plains Grasslands Framework in Focus: Wildlife Conservation Through Sustainable Ranching
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Great Plains Grasslands Framework in Focus: Wildlife Conservation Through Sustainable Ranching

Dig into the Framework for Conservation Action in the Great Plains Grasslands ...
Shared Capacity, Shared Success
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Shared Capacity, Shared Success

Learn about the Strategic Action Watershed Team and how these partner-positions are adding significant capacity to NRCS offices across the ...
Fire and the Great Plains
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Fire and the Great Plains

Fire used to play a big role in shaping the Great Plains. Does it today and how do the Plains recover from fire? Dr. Victoria Donovan answers these and other questions in this ...
Western Working Lands Snapshot | Western Meadowlarks
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Western Working Lands Snapshot | Western Meadowlarks

Our second Western Working Lands Snapshot post features the western meadowlark. This pretty bird has one of the sweetest calls in the ...
Sage Whiz Quiz | Pronghorn
Sage Whiz Quiz

Sage Whiz Quiz | Pronghorn

Test your knowledge of pronghorn, one of the most iconic residents of the sagebrush ...
Conservation Easements Continue to Protect Idaho’s Pioneers-To-Craters Landscape
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Conservation Easements Continue to Protect Idaho’s Pioneers-To-Craters Landscape

Two new easements protect an additional 2,500 acres of prime sagebrush habitat, adding to area's conservation ...
Big Picture of Woodland Management in Sagebrush Country
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Big Picture of Woodland Management in Sagebrush Country

Science to Solutions - New research highlights reduction and expansion of conifer encroachment in sagebrush ...
Sage Whiz Quiz | Elk
Sage Whiz Quiz

Sage Whiz Quiz | Elk

Take this Sage Whiz Quiz to test your knowledge of ...
1,800 Ranchers and Counting!
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1,800 Ranchers and Counting!

As 2018 comes to a close, the Sage Grouse Initiative caught up with Tim Griffiths, NRCS’s Western Working Lands for Wildlife Coordinator, for a glance back and a peek ...
NEW SCIENCE | Middle Ground Found On The Range
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NEW SCIENCE | Middle Ground Found On The Range

New research shows grazing access to public lands in the western U.S. can be good for ranching and ...
Harnessing Technology Improves Conservation Effectiveness
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Harnessing Technology Improves Conservation Effectiveness

Innovative Web App increases conservation effectiveness on working lands in the American West by matching the right practices to the right places using emerging science and ...
New Online Tool Shows Songbird Abundance Across Sagebrush Country
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New Online Tool Shows Songbird Abundance Across Sagebrush Country

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 ...
Patch-Burn Grazing Fires Up Prairie-Chicken Habitat
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Patch-Burn Grazing Fires Up Prairie-Chicken Habitat

SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: Hot off the press! New research shows that patch-burn grazing creates the mosaic of grassland habitat structure that prairie-chickens depend on. LPCI's ...
Sage Whiz Quiz | How Do Sagebrush Animals Survive Winter?
Sage Whiz Quiz

Sage Whiz Quiz | How Do Sagebrush Animals Survive Winter?

Are you a sage whiz? Test your knowledge on how animals use sagebrush range during the cold, harsh winter ...
Journal Of Wildlife Management Study: Grazing Shows Little Effect On Grouse Nesting
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Journal Of Wildlife Management Study: Grazing Shows Little Effect On Grouse Nesting

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 ...
What’s It Like To Photograph Sage Grouse?
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What’s It Like To Photograph Sage Grouse?

Wildlife photographer, Noppadol Paothong, spent 5 years on his newly released book, Sage Grouse: Icon of the West. Learn how and why he created this beautiful book featuring ...
Do Elk Need Sagebrush?
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Do Elk Need Sagebrush?

Historically, elk were found in all but five states in the U.S. However, due to over-hunting, elk populations declined from more than 10 million to less than 100,000 by the ...
Take This Quiz To See If You’re A Sage Whiz | Pygmy Rabbit
Sage Whiz Quiz

Take This Quiz To See If You’re A Sage Whiz | Pygmy Rabbit

Learn cool facts and test your knowledge about the pygmy rabbit, one of 350 species that depends on healthy, intact sagebrush ...
How Do We Find (And Protect) Precious Wet Places In The West?
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How Do We Find (And Protect) Precious Wet Places In The West?

Mesic areas comprise only 1-2% of the western landscape, but 80% of animals depend on them -- including sage grouse and livestock. Learn why they're important and how to ...