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Sagebrush once covered roughly 247 million acres in western North America. Today, this threatened landscape is half its original size and shrinking due to large-scale threats like catastrophic wildfire and cheatgrass. Sagebrush rangelands drive our nation’s economy through energy and livestock production and are home to critical regional water resources. Equally important, sagebrush provides important wildlife values, including habitat for 350 native species such as sage grouse, mule deer, and migratory birds. Deep-rooted western livelihood, from Native American cultural traditions to ranching to big game hunting, all rely on healthy sagebrush rangelands.
Cross-Boundary Conservation
Voluntary, proactive, and coordinated sagebrush conservation efforts have proven to be an effective and durable method for sustaining wildlife, agriculture, and the economic vitality of western communities while reducing the need for Endangered Species Act listing and other regulatory actions. Through cross-boundary habitat improvements on public and private lands, our partnership is able to support a diversity of species and maintain healthy and connected watersheds.
Together, we are catalyzing proactive, voluntary, and community-led sagebrush rangeland conservation.
Proactive Cooperation
This initiative is bringing hundreds of partners together to focus strategically on threats in the sagebrush ecosystem including conifer encroachment, degraded wet meadows and other mesic resources, the challenge of the cycle and spread of annual invasive and catastrophic wildfire, and the need for grazing improvements. Partnering to Conserve Sagebrush Rangelands is a vehicle for conservation groups, government agencies, agricultural producers, industry representatives, recreationists, tribal and community partners to work together in priority landscapes and across sagebrush rangelands to conserve sagebrush birds, other wildlife and the habitats on which they depend.
Our Work
We take great pride in western public lands that are our American heritage. To keep these lands productive for all users, we focus our work on these key areas to address major threats to sagebrush habitat:
Reduce the Risk of Wildfire and Invasive Weeds
Sagebrush News
Wind River Restoration: Cooperative Effort Against Cheatgrass
The BIL-funded project is part of a larger, landscape-scale partnership to fight cheatgrass in Wyoming’s core sagebrush habitat.
Cornell Land Trust Small Grant RFP is Open
The 2023 Request for Proposals opens the first week of January and will fund up to 14 grants.
Our Top 9 from 2022
Our top nine stories from 2022 reflect the power of collaborative conservation.
Learn More & Engage in This Growing Partnership
There are lots of ways to get involved. Learn more at www.PartnersIntheSage.com. Consider:
- Supporting conservation action that addresses conifer removal, wildfire and invasives, wet meadow and other mesic restoration, and/or outcome-based grazing.
- Investing in the initiative through providing funding, helping partners access funding, or contributing other technical resources.
- Sharing your story of cross-boundary sagebrush habitat conservation through proactive public-private partnerships.
iwjv@iwjv.org
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