Greater
Sage-Grouse
74°W
73°W
72°W
NRCS and the Sage Grouse
NRCS launched the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI)
in 2010 to strategically focus conservation efforts
to maximize biological benefits to sage grouse
populations. NRCS’ sage grouse efforts are part of
Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), through which
NRCS provides technical and financial assistance
to help ranchers restore and protect habitat for
sage grouse. WLFW also provides ranchers with
regulatory predictability under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA), which ensures regulatory
compliance for ranchers who continue to manage
their ranches using NRCS-prescribed conservation
practices for up to 30 years.
This conservation work includes establishing
conservation easements to prevent working ranches
from being subdivided, implementing sustainable
grazing systems to improve hiding cover for birds,
removing invasive conifers from grasslands to allow
birds to re-colonize otherwise suitable habitat, and
marking or moving “high-risk” fences near breeding
sites to reduce bird collisions.
2015 Progress Report
44°N
ME
Le ge nd
N ew En gl a nd
co t to nt ai l f oc a l a r e a
W at er b od i es
St at e b ou nd ar i e s
C ou nt y b ou nd ar i es
43°N
70°W
Focus Areas
VT
44°N
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus
urophasianus), an iconic ground-dwelling bird native
to the arid sagebrush plains of the American West,
experienced significant population declines over the
last 50 years. The population declines have resulted
from habitat loss and fragmentation associated with
land conversion, energy development, urbanization,
wildfire, conifer encroachment and invasive species.
NRCS is working with local, state and federal
partners to reverse this trend by reducing threats to
sage grouse.
71°W
New England Cottontail
Focal Area
NH
43°N
NY
MA
42°N
42°N
RI
CT
M ap ID :
Actions
•
25
50
74°W
Albers Equal Area
•
•
•
•
•
DRAFT
Remove encroached conifers, improving habitat for
sage grouse and other wildlife and increasing forage
availability for livestock.
Improve grazing systems management, increasing
rangeland plant diversity, cover for birds and forage
availability for livestock.
Identify and mark fences where sage grouse
collisions are likely, reducing accidental mortality
caused by fence strikes.
Increase connectivity of existing core habitat.
Improve weed and invasive species management.
Restore and promote healthy, productive springs and
seeps.
Sc a l e
0
m 1 232 7
Da ta S our c e s :
41°N
Wor k i n g Lan ds fo r Wi l dl i fe ,
U. S. D e par t m ent o f Ag ri c ul tur e,
Na tu ra l R e s our c e s C on s er v a ti o n Se rv i c e;
and t he U .S . D epa rt m en t of t he In te ri or ,
Fi s h a nd Wi l dl i fe S er v i c e
41°N
Km
73°W
M ap S our c e:
U. S. D e par t m ent o f Ag ri c ul tur e,
Na tu ra l R e s our c e s C on s er v a ti o n Se rv i c e,
So i l Su rv e y a nd R es o ur c e A s s es s m ent ,
Re s ou rc e A s s e s s m en t D i v i s i on ,
Be l ts v i l l e,
MD
Fe br uar y 20 12
71°W
70°W
72°W
Outcomes and Impacts
WLFW is enhancing NRCS’ ongoing conservation efforts
to support sage grouse recovery by strategically focusing
resources to promote healthy grazing lands management.
Anticipated long-term outcomes of this initiative are
improved rangeland health, greater connectivity of core
sage grouse habitat, and stabilization or recovery of sage
grouse populations.
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sagegrouse
Greater Sage-Grouse
Fiscal Year 2015 Sage Grouse Initiative
NRCS Financial Assistance (FA) and Active and Completed Contracts through WLFW
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
State
Acres
NRCS Investment
Contracts
Acres
NRCS Investment
Contracts
California
13,346
$953,278
6
Colorado
13,447
$347,953
8
0
$0
0
1,805
$1,200,000
Idaho
27,753
$2,235,203
15
945
4
$361,500
1
Montana
89,527
$1,756,817
5
Nevada
46,051
$904,378
13
0
$0
0
2,785
$2,325,000
2
N. Dakota
9,042
$256,054
8
0
$0
0
Oregon
37,083
$3,977,658
40
0
$0
0
S. Dakota
24,962
$586,644
2
0
$0
0
Utah
108,037
$5,061,077
36
4,081
$2,791,125
2
Washington
7,514
$422,139
6
0
$0
0
Wyoming
244,154
$1,561,634
12
0
$0
0
Totals
620,916
$18,062,836
151
9,616
$6,677,625
9
Data source: NRCS Resource Economics, Analysis and Policy Division, October 2015.
NRCS GOALS
Through SGI, NRCS works with ranchers to restore
and protect habitat for sage grouse to increase
populations, provide habitat for other sagebrushdependent species and provide predictability to
ranchers, ensuring they can continue managing
their working lands. NRCS is working to address
these three goals by addressing six threats to sage
grouse. By 2018, NRCS aims to reduce wildfire threat
by removing invasive plants from 2.17 million acres;
remove invading conifers from 246,000 acres; protect
320,000 acres from exurban development through
easements; protect 921,500 acres from cultivation
through easements; protect 14,675 acres of mesic
areas; and mark 1.2 million feet of fences to prevent
collisions. These milestones are part of the agency’s
Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0 investment strategy for
fiscal years 2015 through 2018.
Overall Summary
SGI 2.0 Milestones:
Addressing Sage Grouse Threats
FY15
Acres Implemented
FY15
Acres Planned
Reducing Wildfire
Risk and Addressing
Invasive Grasses
Milestone:
2,177,800 acres
89,219 335,884
Removing Invading
Conifers
Milestone:
246,000 acres
6,183 46,199
Protecting Lands from
Exurban Development
Milestone:
320,000 acres
FY10-14
FY15
Total NRCS Investment
$267,122,611
$24,740,461
6,831
Protecting Grazing Lands
from Cultivation
472 204,896
Protecting and Restoring
Mesic Areas
Number of Contracts
1,129
160
Total Acres Contracted
4,417,414
Milestone:
14,675 acres
2,785
Marking Fences to
Reduce Collisions
630,532
Milestone:
921,500 acres
22,830 176,874
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Milestone:
1,200,000 feet