T

he IWJV works to understand and respond to social and ecological challenges and changes through our habitat delivery efforts in working wet meadows and sagebrush ecosystems. These ecosystems provide a wide range of values and functions for birds and other wildlife. They also supply food, fiber, fresh water, and fuel, as well as recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits to people. However, both working wet meadows and sagebrush ecosystems are in peril due to habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, drought, declining aquifers, and climate change. These threats increasingly challenge the ability of private and public landowners and managers to conserve and restore these systems. Added to the mix are the social, economic, and political changes affecting the fabric of our identity and roots as residents of the Intermountain West.

These challenges and uncertainties require continued attention to science, policy, and management with a focus on building adaptive and co-productive capacity through relationships. We set our sights on being relevant, innovative, strategic, and results-oriented. Our work across spatial and temporal scales uses geophysical, biological, and socioeconomic information to achieve strategic conservation outcomes.