Wildlife Conservation Through Sustainable Ranching
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Imagining a Future without Cheatgrass
MORE THAN 60 PEOPLE FROM 13 STATES PARTICIPATED IN AN IN-FIELD, HANDS-ON WORKSHOP IN JULY FOCUSED ON MANAGING INVASIVE ANNUAL GRASSES
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A helicopter whizzed over a group of 60 people standing in a sagebrush meadow outside of Sheridan, Wyoming, in July. Just a few meters from the ground, the helicopter’s hatch opened and a line of liquid rained down on the target: invasive annual grasses.
Although this particular helicopter was spraying water rather than herbicide as a workshop demonstration, it still wowed the people watching. Even more impressive? The nearby plot where invasive ventenata had been sprayed a couple years prior. Participants were amazed at the stark line between the treated and untreated pastures: on one side, healthy perennials provided forage for livestock and wildlife. On the other side, a monoculture of yellow invasive grasses was still degrading soil and habitat.
This hands-on field workshop was part of a series of educational training events that empower people to combat invasive annual grasses in the western U.S. It was organized by a new Tech Transfer Partnership, led by the University of Wyoming’s Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE).
Launched in 2022 by a team of interagency partners, IMAGINE’s Tech Transfer Partnership develops resources that transfer the latest technology and science on invasive grasses into action that conserves sagebrush rangelands. Working Lands For Wildlife is a founding member of the Tech Transfer Partnership and helped design content for this workshop series.
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Saving the Sagebrush Sea One Species
At a Time
EXPLORE BIG SKY DIGS INTO WLFW-SUPPORTED RESEARCH ON SAGEBRUSH SONGBIRDS
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Sage grouse are often used as an "umbrella species" in sagebrush conservation. Umbrella species conservation focuses conservation actions on one species (an umbrella species) while also benefiting other species that share the same habitat.
In this study, WLFW researcher Elise Zarri partnered with the BLM's Katie Benzel to see if and how conifer management for sage grouse benefited other sagebrush songbirds.
Their research showed that, indeed, sagebrush songbirds' reproduction increased following conifer removal.
Check out this article about the study from Explore Big Sky.
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| Sagebrush Songbird Videos, Researcher Interview, and More
DIG DEEPER INTO THE RESEARCH FEATURED BY EXPLORE BIG SKY WITH SONGBIRD VIDEOS, AN ASK AN EXPERT INTERVIEW WITH THE RESEARCHERS AND MORE
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Researcher Elise Zarri and her team spent four summers tracking how a suite of birds reacted to conifer management targeted at sage grouse.
They found a 119% increase in Brewer's Sparrow fledgling production, 308% more Vesper Sparrows, and 98% nest success for Sage Thrashers in areas where trees were removed compared to areas where trees were left on the landscape (no Sage Thrashers were found in encroached sites).
This page compiles the research findings, some amazing video footage, and an Ask an Expert interview to help you learn more.
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Publication Alert: Grazers and Grazing Support Pollinator's Critical Role in Ecology
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NEW RESEARCH SHOWS GRAZED PASTURES HAD 2-3 TIMES MORE NATIVE, GROUND-NESTING BEES THAN PASTURES WITHOUT GRAZING
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While most people are familiar with the classic European honey beehives, most native bee species in western rangelands excavate nests under small patches of bare ground, where they raise their young. In fact, bare ground is a habitat requirement for 70% of these solitary ground-nesting bees.
Recently published WLFW-supported research from Hayes Goosey, a researcher from Montana State University, examined native pollinator abundance in rangelands with three different grazing regimes – pastures in a wildlife refuge that had been idled (left ungrazed for more than a decade), grazed pastures enrolled in a managed-grazing program through the USDA-NRCS’s Sage Grouse Initiative, and grazed pastures with owner-controlled grazing regimes.
Goosey’s team analyzed the amount of bare ground, the amount of litter on the ground, vegetation cover, and the abundance of bees in each of the grazing systems. They found that ground-nesting bee abundance in grazed lands, regardless of whether they were enrolled in a managed-grazing program or were owner-controlled, was 2-3 times higher than in idled lands.
Goosey attributed this finding to the amount of small patches of bare ground and lack of accumulated litter in grazed pastures versus idled pastures. Bare ground is an important component of intact, functioning rangeland systems that evolved with grazers, like bison. When herbivores are removed from rangeland systems, bare ground decreases and litter accumulation increases.
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Ranchers or Environmentalists? Owyhee County Land Owners and Feds Work to Save the Spotted Columbian Frog
NRCS HELPED SUPPORT LOW-TECH RIPARIAN RESTORATION TO BENEFIT WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK
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In Owyhee County, ranchers Chris Black and Jerry Hoagland worked with the NRCS and the USFWS to improve wetlands and stock tanks to support the Spotted Columbian Frog, a species of conservation concern.
First, they built beaver dam analogs to restore wetlands, which provide critical habitat for the species. Additionally, the wetlands soak up spring runoff and hold it in the soil so plants and animals can access it later in the year.
The ranchers also partnered with the BLM to manage encroaching juniper trees that suck up water and decrease forage production.
Cross-boundary projects like this that address multiple threats to sagebrush rangelands and provide win-win solutions are well-worth celebrating and sharing.
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| Increasing the Success of Invasive Annual Grass Restoration Projects: A Webinar for Land Management Practitioners
WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING TO LEARN PRACTICAL TIPS FOR MANAGING INVASIVE ANNUAL GRASSES
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This webinar, organized by Envu, was aimed at land management practitioners throughout the West who face the challenge of managing invasive annual grasses and prioritizing management on areas with the highest likelihood of success.
With the recent Bureau of Land Management’s decision to approve new tools to control invasive annual grasses on public lands, district, and field-level coordination and collaboration will be key to cross-boundary restoration success.
The speakers, including WLFW's Jeremy Maestas, discussed invasive annual grass ecology, site prioritization as it pertains to the “defend the core” framework, cross-boundary collaboration, management tools, and real-world success stories.
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Cheatgrass in Sagebrush Country: Fueling Severe Wildfires
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CHECK OUT THIS MONTH'S THROWBACK VIDEO ABOUT CHEATGRASS AND WILDFIRE IN SAGEBRUSH COUNTRY
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This great video from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon Rockies does an excellent job of highlighting the growing threat cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass that fuels severe wildfire and degrades wildlife habitat and range productivity, poses to the sagebrush biome. It also showcases the beauty of the sagebrush sea and the hundreds of species of plants and animals that live there. Thanks to Cornell and Audubon for allowing us to post the video on our page.
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When Quail Forever and Working Lands for Wildlife are hosting a new webinar series this fall focused on Bobwhite Quail. The series will cover topics pertinent to landowners and resource professionals. All webinars will be hosted on Zoom. The first webinar will kick off Sept. 12 at 11:30 a.m. Central and continue every second Thursday of the month through the fall. Register for the webinar here. Recordings will be posted here.
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When Doris Rhodes and her sisters nearly sold their 515-acre farm they inherited from their late father, Doris had a rewarding epiphany that made them hold onto the land and netted them increased native trees, shrubs, and grasses that provide food, cover, and nesting habitat for many native birds and wildlife. She realized the benefits would be invaluable and worked through the USDA-NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program’s (ACEP) wetland easement component to restore their wetland acres. Since then, they have enjoyed many benefits, including better control of invasive species and restored habitat for the southwestern willow flycatcher and Rio Grande silvery minnow. Watch the video linked above to learn more about their experience.
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The USDA has awarded $22 million for 29 selected projects in 36 states that expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increases the use of conservation practices on grazing lands. NRCS is funding the cooperative agreements through its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI), which empowers partners to increase availability of grazing land technical assistance for livestock producers, including historically underserved producers, as well as Native American tribal governments.
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The USDA is accepting offers for more than 2.2 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year’s Grassland, General, and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signups administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency. With these accepted acres, enrollment is very near the 27 million CRP acreage cap.
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Working Lands for Wildlife is the Natural Resources Conservation Service's premier approach for conserving America's working lands to benefit people, wildlife, and rural communities. In the West, WLFW is guided by two, action-based frameworks for conservation. The framework approach is designed to increase conservation and restoration of rangelands by addressing major threats to rangeland health and through the implementation of conservation measures that limit soil disturbance, support sustainable grazing management, promote the strategic use of prescribed fire, and support native grassland species. Together, the frameworks leverage the power of voluntary, win-win conservation solutions to benefit people and wildlife from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
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