The North American Grouse Partnership
Celebrating 25 Years!
"...the grouse represents only a millionth of either the mass or the energy of an acre.
Yet subtract the grouse and the whole thing is dead.”
- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac , 1949
The North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP) is the only conservation organization that advocates for all 12 North American grouse species and their habitats. Our strength is found in Science, Policy, Partnerships, and Management. This is demonstrated by the experience and expertise of our Board of Directors and Council of Scientists and is unparalleled in grouse conservation circles. Our goal is to ensure that grouse conservation is guided by science, public policies are beneficial to grouse and that on-the-ground management of lands lead to positive outcomes for grouse.
WHAT’S NEW? - See Below for the Latest
Interior Department Proposes Strengthened Protections for Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat
Proposed management updates employ science and partnership to balance development and conservation
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2024 — The Department of the Interior announced today that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has published proposed updates to strengthen conservation and management of greater sage-grouse habitat on public lands, informed by the best available science, collaborative work with states, and input from local, Tribal and federal partners. The proposed updates, outlined in a final environmental impact statement and amendments to 77 resource management plans, incorporate new sage-grouse conservation science and lessons learned and accommodate changing resource conditions while increasing implementation flexibility. The proposals balance a consistent west-wide management approach with unique policies in the individual states that are responsible for managing wildlife populations.
Updated habitat management plans will protect greater sage-grouse habitat in 10 Western states. Sage-grouse populations have continued to decline, largely due to habitat loss exacerbated by climate impacts such as drought, increasingly intense wildfires, and invasive species. Conserving sagebrush habitat benefits more than 350 other wildlife species and supports the livelihoods and traditions of Western communities. Species like elk, mule deer, pronghorn and pygmy rabbit rely on the same habitat to survive, and sagebrush lands contain headwaters for some of the West’s major river systems and the aquatic species they sustain.
“Guided by the best available science, we are committed to the continued balance in our multi-use mandate for America’s public lands,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “For too long, a false choice has been presented for land management that aims to pit development against conservation. This Administration’s collaborative work has demonstrated that we can do both successfully. Through collaborative work in local communities, developed over decades, we are presenting science-based and thoughtful proposals to protect the greater sage-grouse and its habitat.”
The BLM manages the largest single share of greater sage-grouse habitat in the United States—nearly 65 million acres of 145 million total acres. The proposal released today builds on a number of collaborative efforts undertaken by the Biden-Harris administration – including the Public Lands Rule, renewable energy rule, and the proposed Western Solar Plan – to strengthen protection for sagebrush habitat while retaining flexibility to coordinate with state government partners and account for variations in local habitat conditions. Today’s proposal will help ensure that other uses of BLM sagebrush lands, including clean energy projects, move forward in a manner that limits impacts to sensitive resources and can also help combat climate change—a main driver of greater sage-grouse habitat loss.
“This remarkable species and the people who live, work, and play alongside it deserve management that will sustain sagebrush habitat across the West for years to come,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “Our environmental analysis, aided by a wealth of information from our partners, indicates that these proposed updates—which are the result of decades of sustained collaborative efforts—are the best way to ensure the health of these lands and local economies now and into the future.”
The BLM considered roughly 38,000 comments from the public on the draft environmental analysis, along with information shared by state, local, Tribal and federal partners during more than 100 meetings held over two years. States also contributed data and scientific information that helped frame direction on adaptive management and mitigation requirements and supported updates to the boundaries of habitat management areas. The BLM engaged in government-to-government consultation and held informational briefings for Tribal governments throughout the process. Planning documents are available for review at the BLM National NEPA Register.
Protests of the proposed amendments may be filed until Dec. 9, 2024, at the BLM Filing a Plan Protest page. Following resolution of valid protests and responses to governors’ reviews for consistency with state and local plans, the BLM will issue Records of Decision for each state where habitat management plans are being updated.
In addition to management decisions guided by the habitat plans, the BLM is actively restoring and conserving sagebrush habitat across the West through the President’s Investing in America agenda. For example, as part of the Department’s new Sagebrush Keystone Initiative, the Department has identified “Sagebrush Collaborative Restoration Landscapes” as areas to collaborate with ranchers, state and local leaders, Tribal Nations, conservation and sportsmen organizations, the outdoor recreation economy, private landowners and others to strategically deliver restoration actions in sagebrush country for the people, wildlife, and economies that depend on them. The Department’s National Seed Strategy Keystone Initiative is also devoting resources to ensure a ready source of native plant seeds to further enhance landscape resilience and has identified five areas of greater sage-grouse range in which to fund habitat restoration and conservation.
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
U.S. HOUSE INTRODUCES NORTH AMERICAN GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION ACT The time to protect America’s grasslands and shrub-steppe ecosystems is NOW.
Oct. 18, 2024 - Last week, the North American Grasslands Conservation Act was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Nancy Mace (R – S.C.), Sharice Davids (D – Kan.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R – Penn.) and Mike Thompson (D – Calif.). Once passed, the legislation will be one of the most significant steps for grassland conservation efforts in the 21st century.
More than 70 percent of America’s tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prairies have vanished, followed by the precipitous decline of grassland bird populations – more than 40 percent since 1966. Additionally, grazing lands that have sustained generations of ranchers are dwindling and species from sage grouse and pheasants to monarch butterflies and elk to are struggling to navigate landscapes they used to call home.
The Grasslands Act would kickstart the voluntary protection and restoration of grasslands and sagebrush shrub-steppe ecosystems – and the livelihoods and wildlife dependent upon them. Functionally, the legislation is modeled after the successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and would create a landowner-driven, voluntary, incentive-based program to conserve America’s critically imperiled grasslands. There’s urgency to maintain these grassland biomes for agriculture, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration and for future generations while supporting ranchers, farmers, Tribal Nations, sportsmen and women and rural communities.
The concept of a Grasslands Act was first introduced in the U.S. Senate during the 117th Congress, led by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). This new U.S. House version has some key changes aligning it more closely with NAWCA, improving tribal provisions, and making it more bipartisan.
“We need the Grasslands Act now", stated Ted Koch, North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP) Executive Director. "Grasslands are the most threatened ecosystem in America, and of the nine prairie grouse populations found historically, six are either extinct or recognized under the Endangered Species Act, and the other three are declining.”
“The United States has over 125 million acres of grasslands that are threatened, and right here in South Carolina, we see firsthand how important conservation is to the health and beauty of our natural ecosystems,” Mace said. “Our office has made a promise to preserve this beauty, not just for today but for future generations.”
“In Kansas, we have grassland prairies that are well known throughout the Great Plains for their beautiful landscapes and scenic hiking trails, but grasslands once covered millions of acres across North America, stretching from coast to coast,” Davids said. “Grasslands are vital to ranchers and producers, Tribes, and folks who love spending time outdoors. They’re critical habitat for countless species of birds, important pollinators, and treasured animals like the bison. And, they’re crucial to fighting the effects of climate change, bolstering our food security, and combatting extreme weather. I’m excited for this opportunity to highlight the protection of our grasslands and bipartisan solutions that build off of successful public-private partnerships.”
“Grasslands are vital to the livelihoods of our nation’s ranchers and the health of our native wildlife — yet they remain endangered. It’s great to join my colleagues to introduce the bipartisan North American Grasslands Conservation Act to invest in voluntary, incentive-based programs to help farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations, sportsmen and women, and state and local governments preserve, rehabilitate, and responsibly manage our grasslands for generations to come,” Thompson said.
“Grasslands are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world, with over 70 percent of America’s tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prairies now gone,” Fitzpatrick said. “Our grasslands are vital for the survival of farmers and rural communities across Pennsylvania and our nation, which is why I am championing this critical piece of bipartisan, bicameral legislation. By establishing a landowner-driven, incentive-based program and investing in restoration programs, the North American Grasslands Conservation Act will protect essential habitats that support our American farmers, ranchers, and Tribal Nations and revitalize these critical ecosystems, ensuring they continue to sustain wildlife and rural communities for generations to come.”
More than 45 organizations, including NAGP, are collaborating in support of the Grasslands Act. A full roster of those groups can be found at www.ActforGrasslands.org. Additionally, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has partnered with the coalition to develop the www.MapForGrasslands.org website, which provides a powerful tool to visualize the loss of grasslands habitat.
TWO PHD STUDENTS NEEDED TO EVALUATE CRP & GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN ECOLOGY IN KANSAS AND NEBRASKA
The Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Kansas State University and the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Nebraska Lincoln are actively recruiting two PhD students that will be fully funded with graduate research assistantship and tuition covered.
The project will focus on evaluating the influence of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands on greater prairie-chicken population demography, habitat selection, and landscape connectivity. We will be capturing greater prairie-chickens and marking them with GPS transmitters as well as collecting samples for genomic analyses to pursue our objectives at 4-5 study sites in Kansas and Nebraska.
A position description can be found at the button below. Please distribute this information to any exceptional individuals that may be interested and a good fit for this position.
Thank you,
Dan Sullins
Assistant Unit Leader
USGS Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Division of Biology
204C Leasure Hall
Kansas State University
(785) 410-5281
GRASSLANDS ARE THE MOST THREATENED ECOSYSTEM IN THE WORLD - Lesser Prairie-Chickens are Exhibit A
An op-ed in the Odessa American on-line news;, September 24, 2024
By Ted Koch, Executive Director, North American Grouse Partnership
The grassland-dependent lesser prairie-chicken was recently listed under the Endangered Species Act. Why? Because the purpose of the Act is to conserve the ecosystems upon which we and all other species depend. Grasslands, including sand sagebrush and shortgrass prairie, are the most threatened ecosystem on the continent and in the world, especially here in Texas and the southwestern Great Plains.
In fact, over the last 50 years grassland birds overall have declined more than birds in any other ecosystem on the continent. And as the recent listing under the Act shows, lesser prairie-chickens in our region are, unfortunately, leading that decline. And if it wasn’t these charismatic chickens, there would soon be another species listed here.
The North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP) believes we must all pull together now to save grasslands and chickens and avoid the need to list any more species.
We thought we had a good road map: the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (WAFWA’s) Range-Wide Plan. Unfortunately, developed 10 years ago, it now sits without funding or leadership to implement it. For example, by now the plan called for restoring 1 million acres of habitat; we’re perhaps just 2% of the way there. In that same timeframe we’ve lost hundreds of thousands of more acres of habitat which is a big net loss for chickens.
Meanwhile, WAFWA supported a recent university study that found genetic differences within lesser prairie-chicken populations, and between them and their close cousin, the greater prairie-chicken, with whom lessers sometimes hybridize. The scientists did not say how to apply their scientific findings to the legal decision on how to treat the listed chickens under the Act; be it as a species, or a subspecies, or as two or more distinct population segments, all of which are allowable.
Somehow, WAFWA now claims the findings call the entire decision whether to list into question. Of course, another group could rightfully claim the opposite – that the findings support the way the listing decision was made. Also, case law under the Act regarding hybridization has been addressed with other species before, and there’s little difference, in fact, this time around.
But most importantly, who cares? The grassland ecosystem in our backyard, upon which we and so much other wildlife depend, is clearly among the most endangered in the world. Let’s focus on that. We urge the five lesser prairie-chicken states to reestablish their leadership of the Range-Wide Plan and save them in our backyard. The states could also join the NAGP in our ground-breaking work collaborating with local ranchers and private landowners to save ranching and chickens, creating win-win solutions that keep people and wildlife on the ground together.
Let us not be distracted by arcane scientific arguments over whether certain birds are cousins or step-siblings. Instead, let’s save our most endangered ecosystem while there’s still a little time left.
Ted Koch spent 30 years working as an Endangered Species Biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service throughout the West.
LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN TO BENEFIT FROM CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM MEASURES
The following is excerpted from USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Notice CRP-1034 on Sept. 9, 2024. NAGP and the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Landowner Alliance have been working with partners and agencies to support measures such as these to benefit lesser prairie-chicken.
On November 17, 2022, the USFWS listed the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act. On March 27, 2023, the listing became effective. USFWS concluded that Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) implementation is anticipated to result in a long-term positive population response.
Thus a notice was shared to inform State and County Offices of conservation measures and restrictions on permissive uses of CRP land across portions of southeastern Colorado, western Kansas, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma, and portion of Texas (see map), providing habitat and hosting remaining lesser prairie chicken populations; and to facilitate agricultural producer and landowner outreach and awareness about the new conservation measures.
Counties designated as “core” counties will prescribe conservation measures in the conservation planning process. Conservation measures include CRP practices and NRCS technical practices and applies to all CRP signup types including grassland, continuous, and general when the offer is in a “core” county.
The measures are designed to:
• avoid or minimize potential adverse effects to lesser prairie chicken and other federally listed species, and
• encourage establishment of large blocks of quality habitat comprised primarily of diverse native species, adapted to local ecological site descriptions, providing appropriate food, cover and other habitat needs throughout the year, including breeding, nesting, brood-rearing, winter cover, and protection against predators.
CRP maintenance and management activities are restricted to avoid or minimize disturbance of breeding, nesting, and brood-rearing activities during primary nesting and brood-rearing seasons.
A critical reproduction period of March 1 through July 15 is established. These dates are crucial in nest success and survival of chicks as the first breeding season has been identified as a key parameter affecting lesser prairie-chicken population growth rates.
Specific conservation measures for each conservation practice standard are identified for prescribed fire, forage harvest management, and livestock pipeline.
Read the full USDA Notice at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_Notice/crp_1034.pdf...
USDA announced on Sept. 20 that it is accepting offers for more than 2.2 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year’s Grassland, General, and Continuous CRP signups. With these accepted acres, enrollment is very near the 27 million CRP acreage cap. Including the nearly 1.44 million acres recently accepted in Grassland CRP for offers received in 2024, producers will have enrolled more than 10 million acres in this popular working-lands program. Nearly 200,000 acres have also been accepted through the General signup, bringing total acres enrolled in General CRP to 7.9 million acres.
RECENT SAGE-GROUSE NEWS - Ongoing plight but an increase in Wyoming lek attendance
Click below to read an op-ed about the ongoing plight of sage-grouse and need for an effective BLM plan. Plus news that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported a 33% increase in sage-grouse lek attendance this spring compared to last year. This marks a positive shift in the sage-grouse population, which follows the natural cycles the species experiences. Favorable moisture conditions this year also contributed to the improved sagebrush habitat, which is critical to sage-grouse survival. Last year’s counts were affected by harsh winter conditions.
American Wildlife Conservation Partners Release Conservation Policy Recommendations in "Wildlife for the 21st Century", 7th edition
On September 11, the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP) released Wildlife for the 21st Century, Volume VII (W-21). This comprehensive publication focuses on solutions to conserve wildlife and their habitats across the nation, bolstering public access, and protecting our outdoor traditions.
The recommendations in W-21 will aid policymakers in the next Administration and the next two Congresses in making decisions on sporting-conservation issues and practices that are vital to current and future generations of sportsmen and sportswomen and other conservationists.
The North American Grouse Partnership is part of AWCP, which is made up of the nation’s top 52 sporting-conservation organizations that represent America’s hunter-conservationists, professional wildlife and natural resource managers, outdoor recreation users, conservation educators, and wildlife scientists.
AUGUST 2024 UPDATE
NAGP & 20 PARTNERS SUBMIT LETTER REGARDING FINAL EIS on Proposed, Massive Solar Farm Adjacent to Last Wisconsin Prairie-Chicken Stronghold
NAGP and 20 partners submitted a letter on August 15, 2024 with recommendations regarding the final EIS for the proposed Vista Sands Solar Project in central Wisconsin. The letter can be found at the button below, and more detail on the project read in the below June post regarding the draft EIS. The final decision on the proposed project now rests with three Public Service Commissioners, who must make a ruling by January 2025.
An opinion piece by Peter Ziegler, past president of the Society of Tympanuchus Cupido Pinnatus (Greater Prairie Chicken Society), in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Nov. 16, 2024 regarding the proposed project can also be found below.
SPORT A SHARP-TAILED GROUSE SHIRT & SUPPORT NAGP!
Project Upland has teamed up with the North American Grouse Partnership through their new Bird Shirts for Birds Program to commit $10 per sharp-tailed grouse shirt. This is an ongoing donation to NAGP through the end of the year.
Project Upland created this program to raise money for non-profits in the upland hunting space, and also has associated shirts for Chukar Chasers Foundation and Ruffed Grouse Society. Their hope is to add more designs and organizations in the future.
Buy your favorite upland apparel and give back simultaneously! Magazine subscribers get $5 off.
Thank you, Project Upland!
NAGP & 19 PARTNERS SUBMIT LETTER REGARDING DRAFT EIS on Proposed, Massive Solar Farm Adjacent to Last Wisconsin Prairie-Chicken Stronghold
June 14, 2024 - NAGP is immensely grateful to all who who submitted comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Vista Sands Solar project in central Wisconsin, and/or signed on to a coalition letter, to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and Wisconsin DNR. At the below button, find the letter with a list of all 19 partners that signed on. Please thank and support these organizations!
A solar electric generation facility and associated facilities are proposed on approximately 6,737 acres, with 3,012 acres as alternative acres, along the northern and western portions of the Buena Vista Wildlife Area. This Area harbors the largest concentration of greater prairie-chicken (GRPC) among the four remaining wildlife areas in Wisconsin which they inhabit.
This project as proposed will have significant detrimental impacts on the last remaining core habitat and GRPC in Wisconsin. And a cumulative impact on GRPC within its overall range, increasing potential for its continued decline and need for federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. In addition, the local economy, recreation, and outreach/education will be negatively affected if the population declines to the point that activities such as viewing blinds and the Prairie Chicken Festival cannot continue.
NAGP and partner recommendations included first and foremost that an alternative site be found in an intensively altered landscape that is not adjacent to critical wildlife habitat. We also recommend mitigation of a one-mile buffer, design features that minimize impacts to GRPC, establishment and management of native vegetation beneath and around solar arrays, and use of compensatory offsets such as a habitat bank. Finally, we recommended examining impacts of a federal listing of GRPC, use of current data and the best available science, funding of an independent research study to monitor impacts, and adaptive management.
Local Wisconsin partners are now preparing for hearings.
NAGP Job Announcement - Lesser Prairie-Chicken Landowner Alliance Coordinator, Apply by July 29
NAGP is seeking an individual committed to conserving North America’s Lesser Prairie Chicken and the grasslands they inhabit through an innovative partnership with ranching landowners and operators in the southwestern Great Plains. The successful candidate will serve as the primary point-of-contact with landowners and coordinate implementation of an exciting new program. Apply by July 29. Click below for details.
NAGP Welcomes New Board Member, Jordan Martincich
The North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP) is proud to announce that Jordan Martincich has joined its Board of Directors. Jordan is a passionate upland bird hunter and prairie grouse lover with significant conservation sector leadership experience. He is member of the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s team where he serves as the organization’s Vice President of Development.
“It’s an honor to join the NAGP Board of Directors. NAGP is a small but mighty organization that has been punching above its weight for many years. I look forward to helping NAGP expand its reach for the benefit of grouse, the ranching community, and future generations,” said Jordan.
”We are very excited to have Jordan on our Board” said NAGP President Jon Haufler. “His background in development combined with his passion for grouse provide a tremendous resource for our organization.”
Jordan will help grow NAGP from its status as an emerging player in wildlife conservation to become a leader in prairie grouse conservation across North America. This growth comes at a time when prairies are recognized as the most threatened ecosystem type on the continent and lesser prairie-chickens in the southwestern Great Plains were recently listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Our work could not be more urgent,” said Ted Koch, Executive Director of NAGP. “We’re excited to have Jordan’s strength and energy behind us.”
Greater Sage-Grouse Scientists Submit Letter to BLM Regarding Draft EIS - Submit Your Input by June 13
June 3, 2024 - A group of greater sage-grouse scientists have submitted input to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the 2024 Greater Sage Grouse Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will result in amendments to 76 resource management plans across the 67 million acres of habitat managed by the agency. Sage-grouse populations have continued to decline during the last decade, and recent science supports BLM developing new plans to allow decisive action across state boundaries to accomplish lasting benefits for sage-grouse and sagebrush habitat.
The scientists support planning outcomes that effectively conserve sage-steppe habitat based on the best available science, believe the BLM’s sage grouse EIS is an important step forward from the agency’s earlier effort in 2019, and state there are still a variety of science-based refinements that should be included in the final decision to advance BLM’s responsible land stewardship. These refinements involve habitat connectivity, “no net loss” of sagebrush habitats, lek buffers, a targeted annual warning system, and grazing.
The letter states “The sagebrush biome is at the critical juncture with its fate of whether or not it continues to be a functional ecosystem hanging in the balance. Active management is critical and the time to arrest the decline of the system is short. It bears repeating that we're experiencing a sustained loss of high quality sagebrush of about 1.3 million acres per year. We have to slow the loss of quality sagebrush and at the same time move compromised habitat into a high quality category. We encourage aggressive action to meet this challenge.”
Read the full letter by clicking the button below.
Submit your input by June 13 using the second button below.
35th Prairie Grouse Technical Council Meeting to be held in Nebraska in fall 2025.
This timing will allow for this important gathering of grouse scientists and enthusiasts to return to the intended schedule of odd years after being disrupted by the covid pandemic.
2024 Joint Meeting of the MN Prairie Chicken Society and MN Sharp-tailed Grouse Society
Presentations Are Now Available!
ADVOCATES FOR GRASSLAND ACT WELCOME NEW CONSERVATION TOOL
Science-based project demonstrates the need for legislation aimed at conserving America’s prairies, savannas, glades, and sagebrush.
Washington, D.C. – April 11, 2024 – Today, a coalition of conservation organizations is celebrating the launch of MapforGrasslands.Org as illustration of the need for the North American Grasslands Conservation Act. The first-of-its-kind website documents the loss of grasslands in North America, the subsequent impact on iconic wildlife species, and the need for grasslands-specific legislation – the North American Grasslands Conservation Act (Grasslands Act) – to address upland habitat loss.
The new website demonstrates the significant loss of America’s prairies, savannas, glades and sagebrush over a thirty-year period (1992-present). Fifteen individual species are also highlighted within the project, showcasing population declines in some of America’s iconic wildlife — including the greater prairie-chicken, greater sage-grouse, monarch butterfly, and bobolink. Produced by Cornell Lab of Ornithology in collaboration with the coalition, the project is a valuable tool for legislators, hunters, and conservationists to better understand the habitat and species loss in their own backyards while empowering individuals to act.
“Grasslands across the U.S., and the species that call them home, are suffering dramatic losses. To deliver the message of grasslands in trouble and inspire action, we saw the need to show in one place all these losses, using the most authoritative evidence available,” said Wenfei Tong, a Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “The value of this tool is that it summarizes published data to show the link between large-scale biodiversity declines and the loss of our native grasslands.”
“The Map for Grasslands tool really demonstrates the magnitude of grasslands habitat loss across the country and how those lost ecosystems have had devasting impacts on the birds, insects, mammals, and even the fish species living there,” stated Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President & CEO Marilyn Vetter. “It’s a great example of how science can help make the case for critically important Grasslands Act legislation.”
“It’s hard to imagine the massive loss of grasslands across our enormous prairie ecosystems, but with Map for Grasslands, now we can see it,” said Ted Koch, Executive Director for the North American Grouse Partnership. “Over two centuries we went from unending ‘seas of grass’ with teeming wildlife like prairie grouse, to postage-stamp grasslands and increasingly endangered species. Americans have saved other endangered ecosystems before. Now it’s time to save prairies with the North American Grasslands Conservation Act.”
“Grasslands are North America’s most imperiled ecosystem. This mapping tool affirms that we need to take concerted, collaborative steps to conserve and restore this landscape, which is essential for wildlife, water, and our way of life throughout the country,” said Aviva Glaser, Senior Director of Agriculture Policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “We need our leaders to rally around solutions like the North American Grasslands Conservation Act to ensure this great American landscape endures for future generations.”
“With more than 1.5 million acres of vital grassland habitat being lost to the plow each year, we’re trending in the wrong direction. The Map for Grasslands tool clearly illustrates how the current rate of grasslands destruction not only harms wildlife, but our own health and well-being too,” said Martha Kauffman, Vice President for the Northern Great Plains Program, World Wildlife Fund-US.
“All wildlife rely on healthy habitat to thrive – from grasslands to forests – and arming landowners with the resources to conserve and manage habitat is vital for wildlife,” said Ben Jones, President and CEO of the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society.
“Millions of acres of grassland and sagebrush habitat is rapidly disappearing across the North American landscape, a loss of critical habitat impacting a broad assemblage of species including pronghorn and bobwhite quail,” said Patrick Berry, President and CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “When coupled with meaningful policies like the North American Grasslands Conservation Act, innovative resources like the Map for Grasslands will help inform identification of strategic projects to conserve these shrinking landscapes.”
“We thank the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Center for Conservation Media for developing this stunning conservation mapping tool that demonstrates what state fish and wildlife agencies, private landowners, and conservation organizations across the country have witnessed for decades – the drastic decline of our nation’s grasslands and their associated wildlife," said John Morgan, Executive Director of the National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative. "These grassland species, including the Northern bobwhite, are in great peril, but this mapping tool provides us the opportunity to work should-to-shoulder with working lands and producers to restore grassland habitat that will benefit drastically declining populations of Northern bobwhite, other grassland wildlife species, and grass-based agricultural operations. It may also help restore important ecological processes that provide other societal benefits such as clean water, aquifer and groundwater recharge, extended growing and grazing seasons, clean air, and carbon sequestration.”
The Grasslands Act is modeled upon the very successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to empower America’s landowners with voluntary conservation tools to help conserve these grasslands, prairies, savannas, and sage lands. This program would live within the U.S. Department of Interior and complement the Farm Bill programs within USDA. Like NAWCA, the coalition is seeking the Grasslands Act to be authorized at $60M annually, with an increase of $7.5M/year.
In July of 2022, America’s leading conservation groups touted the introduction of the Grasslands Act by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon — co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado. Coalition partners are currently working with elected officials on revised bill language in hopes of reintroduction for the future.
To learn more about the North American Grasslands Conservation Act or to take action on behalf of this historic legislation, please visit www.ActforGrasslands.Org.
LANDOWNER ALLIANCE MAKES ITS VOICE HEARD TO SAVE RANCHING & LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS
April 8, 2024 - The Landowner Lesser Prairie-Chicken Alliance (LPCLA) hosted a roundtable and tour last week in western Kansas to share with key conservation leaders what is needed to save ranch grasslands, and federally threatened, lesser prairie-chicken populations. This event was the culmination of much work by NAGP, the LPCLA, and other partners including The Nature Conservancy and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Yet, it is just the beginning of momentum to get ranchers the tools they need.
The LPCLA's mission is to save ranching and chickens in the southwestern Great Plains through a more strategic, focused, and sufficient effort. To both conserve grasslands and achieve shared agricultural and conservation goals, they are seeking more technical assistance, more funding in the right places, and more policy flexibility through the Farm Bill and other conservation programs.
The most efficient way to compensate these landowners for the multiple ecosystem services they provide through healthy grasslands is to pay them fair market value for those services. In addition to beef, they include healthy soils, vegetation, and wildlife, clean water and air, stored carbon, and hunting and other recreational access.
Over 50 people consisting of ranchers and partners from agencies and organizations participated in the roundtable and tour. The tour entailed two mornings at leks and visits to four ranches of the Red Hills and Chalk Bluffs. Ranchers shared their stories of love for their way of life, families, grasslands, cattle, and the birds and other wildlife. Also shared were challenges of drought, wildfire, fluctuating beef prices, insufficient CRP payments, and transfer of land to the next generation.
NAGP wishes to express its sincere gratitude to all who made this event possible, especially the ranchers. We look forward to using ideas born from this event and taking next steps together.
To learn more about the LPCLA, see the article in last fall's magazine on page 26 under our “Grouse Partnership News” tab.
BLM PROPOSES STRONGER GREATER SAGE-GROUSE CONSERVATION PLANS
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Press, BLM_Press@blm.gov, March 14, 2024
WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is announcing a draft plan to strengthen greater sage-grouse conservation and management on public lands, informed by the best-available science and input from local, state, federal, and Tribal partners. The draft plan is built on decades of partnership, research, and on-the-ground knowledge and experience in maintaining, protecting and restoring healthy sagebrush habitats.
Greater sage-grouse rely on sagebrush lands for all aspects of their life cycle to meet seasonal needs for food, cover and reproduction. A local population may need up to 40 square miles of intact landscape to stay healthy. Populations once in the millions now number fewer than 800,000, largely due to habitat loss exacerbated by climate change, such as drought, increasing wildfires, and invasive species. Protecting and restoring sagebrush on BLM-managed public lands across the West is critical not just for greater sage-grouse, but also for the health of western communities and other iconic Western species that rely on healthy sagebrush, including mule deer, pronghorn, and the pygmy rabbit. Additionally, these collaboratively developed landscape-level plans will ensure that other multiple uses of BLM sagebrush lands – including clean energy projects – move forward in a manner that limits impacts to sensitive resources and can also help combat climate change—a main driver of greater sage-grouse habitat loss.
“The majesty of the West and its way of life are at stake. Sagebrush lands are places where people work and play, and they are the headwaters for the West’s major rivers,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “Joint efforts to conserve the greater sage-grouse and its habitat led to the largest collaborative conservation effort in our history, and we are building on that work, together with our partners, to ensure the health of these lands and local economies into the future.”
The BLM manages the largest single share of sage-grouse habitat in the United States—nearly 67 million acres of 145 million total acres. The draft plan offers a range of alternatives for sustainable management of these lands. Balancing a consistent management approach across the range while addressing conditions and policies unique to individual states, BLM will be able to work more effectively with state and local managers to protect and improve sagebrush habitats on public lands.
Alternatives in the proposal build on the most successful components of the plans that the BLM adopted in 2015 and updated in 2019. The draft plan incorporates new sage-grouse conservation science and lessons learned, accommodating changing resources conditions while increasing implementation flexibility. The agency considered nearly 1,900 comments gathered during an initial public scoping period and information shared by state, local, federal, and Tribal partners in more than 100 meetings.
The BLM will hold 13 public meetings to answer questions and take further comments on the draft alternatives and analysis. Information on public meetings will be posted in the events column on the main page of the BLM website.
In addition to actions guided by the greater sage-grouse management plans, the BLM is actively restoring and conserving sagebrush habitat across the West through the Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda. Annually, the BLM invests approximately $35 million of its congressional appropriation in sagebrush ecosystem projects, supplemented by $123 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and complemented by investments by state and local governments, Tribes, stakeholder groups, and private landowners.
The draft environmental impact statement and plan amendments will open for public comment on March 15, 2024. The comment period will end on June 13, 2024. More information on how to comment on this draft will be posted at https://www.blm.gov/sagegrouse. A final environmental impact statement is expected this fall, followed by Records of Decision in each state.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The “Grouse Trail” is Back at Pheasant Fest 2024!
This year find us at booths 2600-2606 near the Public Lands Pavilion.
- Visit each grouse org's booth and get entered for door prizes!
- Check out the grouse viewing blind with video of all 12 species.
- Learn from grouse presentations on the Public Lands Stage each day.
- Info and tickets are available at https://www.pheasantsforever.org/Pheasant-Fest.aspx
- Support grouse conservation, because when grouse thrive, wild habitats thrive!
Early Estimates from Wyoming’s 2023 Sage Grouse Wing Collection Indicate Increased Reproduction
Wyoming Game & Fish Department News Release -
CHEYENNE - Early estimates from Wyoming’s 2023 sage grouse wings indicate increased sage grouse reproduction. Wings from harvested chick and hen sage grouse are collected from hunters — primarily in central and southwest Wyoming — who voluntarily contribute wings by dropping them off at designated collection points during the hunting season.
Hunters deposited wings from 1,551 chicks and 852 hens in collection barrels. In a preliminary analysis, Wyoming’s 2023 chick-to-hen ratio was 1.82 chicks/hen. It’s an increase from previous years when the reproduction ratio was at 0.8 chicks/hen. Based on these numbers, male lek attendance is expected to be slightly higher this spring.
“Good moisture in the spring and summer and quality habitat are the top two contributing factors of chick survival,” said Nyssa Whitford, Wyoming Game and Fish Department sage grouse/sagebrush biologist.
During the first month of life, chicks rely on a diet of high-protein insects with adequate habitat cover. As the bird grows, grass and forbs — like wildflowers — become another important food source. Older birds rely almost exclusively on sagebrush in their diet.
“Sage grouse are a sagebrush obligate species and could not survive without it,” Whitford said.
Thirty-eight percent of the world’s sage grouse is in Wyoming, and the state supports more than 1,700 known, occupied leks. Wyoming is a sage grouse stronghold, Whitford said, and hunters who harvest birds provide valuable information for management.
“We appreciate hunters dropping off wings in our collection barrels. This enhances our annual data collection efforts,” Whitford said.
A full analysis for 2023 bird populations will be available in the sage grouse job completion report, posted on the Game and Fish website in the spring.
Breanna Ball, Public Information Officer - breanna.ball1@wyo.gov - Wyoming Game & Fish Department
A New Grasslands Conservation Program for Ranching, Wildlife, and the American Public - Access the January 10, 2024 Webinar Here
Much thanks to the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) for partnering with NAGP on this webinar (see Jan. 3 post below). In it, Steve Riley, ABC, and Terry Riley, NAGP, explain "A Strategy to Recover Lesser Prairie-Chickens Through A New or Modified Farm Bill Conservation Program". The webinar recording is now available by clicking on the below button.
BLM Seeking Public Input on Plan to Support Gunnison Sage-Grouse Recovery
Male Gunnison sage-grouse display, Photo from USFWS library.
Nov 8, 2023, BLM News Release - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comment on a plan to preserve and enhance habitat for eight Gunnison sage-grouse populations on public lands across southwest Colorado and southeast Utah. Gunnison sage-grouse are a federally protected species distinct from the greater sage-grouse, and only inhabit portions of Colorado and Utah. This planning effort is separate from the BLM’s greater sage-grouse planning effort.
To develop the draft plan, the BLM evaluated 11 existing land use plans to identify management actions with potential to impact Gunnison sage-grouse populations and habitat. The draft details five alternative management approaches for addressing the habitat and conservation needs of the species, in balance with the many other resources and activities the BLM manages for, including recreation, livestock grazing, lands and realty, wildland and prescribed fire, and energy and minerals.
“Public feedback during this comment period is critical in shaping our management that benefits this threatened species,” said BLM Colorado State Director Doug Vilsack. “Public input on the draft will help us finalize an approach that allows for the Gunnison sage-grouse population to recover—and perhaps eventually be removed from Endangered Species Act listing—while continuing the important work the BLM does to manage public lands on behalf of the American people.”
The Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement analyze management issues and incorporate recommendations from the 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Final Recovery Plan For Gunnison Sage-Grouse.
A Notice of Availability is published in the Federal Register for a 90-day public comment period that ends February 6, 2024. Written comments can be submitted through the “Participate Now” option on the BLM National NEPA Register (preferred) or delivered to: BLM Southwest District Office, ATTN: GUSG RMPA, 2465 S. Townsend Ave, Montrose, CO 81401. Additional documents, maps, resources, and other information are also available at the online register.
For additional information, please contact Sage-Grouse Coordinator Leah Waldner at (970) 244-3045 or BLM_CO_GUSG_RMPA@blm.gov.
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The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Their mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Biden Vetoes Effort to Strip Protections for Lesser Prairie-Chicken
President Joe Biden vetoed two joint resolutions Tuesday that would have stripped Endangered Species Act protections from the recently listed lesser-prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat. The vetoes maintain ESA protections for them.
Each measure “would overturn a science-based rulemaking that follows the requirements of the law, and thereby undermines the ESA,” Biden said in announcing the vetoes.
S.J.Res. 9 sought to remove ESA protections from the lesser-prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). The GOP-backed resolution passed the Senate on May 3 with a 50-48 vote. The vote fell mostly along party lines, with a swing vote from West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin. The resolution passed in the House in late July with a 221-206 vote, including four votes from Democrats in states with lesser prairie-chicken populations.
Once occupying 100 million acres across the U.S., the lesser prairie-chicken has dwindled by 97%, mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation. With fewer than 30,000 individual birds remaining in the wild, mostly in Kansas, the lesser prairie-chicken was listed as endangered in late March. The listing decision faced an immediate backlash, with Kansas lawmakers leading the push to reverse it.
“The lesser prairie-chicken serves as an indicator for healthy grasslands and prairies, making the species an important measure of the overall health of America’s grasslands,” President Biden said in his statement.
“If enacted,” Biden said, the resolution “would undermine America’s proud wildlife conservation traditions and risk extinction of the species.”
Biden’s move follows up on his announcement in May that he intended to veto both resolutions. Since the two measures lack the votes to override a presidential veto, ESA protections for the species will likely remain for the foreseeable future, although opposition to the listings is expected to continue.
Read the full story by Tom Klein in The Wildlife Society's eWildlifer by clicking the button below.
August 1 -2, 2023 at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area
Program and Presentations Available
Ranchers Should Receive Market-based Value to Protect and Restore Sage Grouse Habitat
Ranchers in Idaho can be key in protecting sage grouse habitat, keeping out cheatgrass
Idaho Statesman - Opinion - by Ted Koch and Wayne Walker, April 25, 2023
Of the six native prairie grouse species in North America, three are extinct or endangered and three more are close behind, especially sage grouse. The lesser-prairie chicken in the southwestern Great Plains, a sage grouse cousin, was just protected under the Endangered Species Act. Extensive loss of habitat, just like with Idaho’s sagebrush, is the threat that caused the lesser-prairie chicken to be listed. It’s a cautionary tale for our state.
Lesser prairie-chickens and sage grouse both need large blocks of wide-open prairie and sage. Stopping habitat loss and restoring lost habitat is key. For sage grouse that means stopping cheatgrass spread which leads to landscape-altering fire. Allowing ranchers to receive market-based value for sage grouse that competes against traditional development is critical to sage-grouse conservation success.
An astounding 1.3 million acres of sagebrush range are lost each year, primarily to cheatgrass. With only 32 million acres left of the 160 million acres of sagebrush originally, we’re losing both bird habitat and productive rangeland at an alarming rate.
Nearly 70,000 acres of farmland, ranches and prairies have been developed in Idaho over a 15-year period through the past decade, an area larger than Boise, according to Farm Bureau reports. Land development, fragmentation and loss of native prairie often leads to commensurate losses of our wonderful birds and grouse species — including the beloved sage grouse here.
Cheatgrass is the biggest problem, but the way to help the sage grouse is not different from what we are essentially doing for the lesser prairie-chicken to create strongholds and restore landscapes. The conservation banks are paying private ranchers a market rate, combined with a permanent easement and endowment for strategic and durable conservation.
With cheatgrass in Idaho, we must pay ranchers what they need to get the outcome the sage grouse needs. If that’s reducing stocking rates, to allow native grasses to out-compete cheat grass, we must do that. If it is paying ranchers to do targeted treatments to try and restore native grasses or manage cheat grass, we should do that.
Motivated ranchers are trying to save the lesser prairie chicken in the southwest. All they ask — very reasonably — is to be paid the market price for their work and rewarded with protection from the penalties of the Endangered Species Act. Conservation bankers like Common Ground Capital provide these payments through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-approved Conservation Bank Agreements and Habitat Conservation Plans. The LPC landowner alliance, run by Grouse Partners, works in coordination with conservation bankers to improve farm bill programs with ranchers as well.
In sage grouse country, federal land managers also need to ensure ranchers are empowered to provide healthy sagebrush habitat and suppress cheatgrass. Then, when a fire burns, we are more likely to see the area recover as a sagebrush ecosystem like it used to, and not a cheatgrass desert.
Well-intentioned local programs funded by small government or nonprofit grants help sharpen our understanding, but they will not save the sage grouse. State mitigation programs developed years ago, unfortunately, share many of the design flaws of the 2013 vintage program created by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for the lesser prairie chicken, which is headquartered right here in Boise. We need large-scale changes in the relationship between private and public land management.
Grasslands are the most threatened ecosystem on the continent, and birds like these prairie grouse have declined more than in any other habitat type. It’s time to use all our tools, including durable and strategic, market incentives and new approaches to public land management, to conserve them.
Ted Koch is director of North American Grouse Partnership. He spent 29 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species biologist, mostly in Idaho, and later as assistant regional director for endangered species in the southwest. He has a master’s in zoology from Idaho State University. Wayne Walker is principal of Common Ground Capital and LPC Conservation Partners, private impact mitigation and conservation banks. He worked in the renewables and oil and gas industries and maintains an award-winning ranch in Texas. He has a master’s in environmental science from Baylor.
