WASHINGTON, D.C. – The USDA today issued a report showing that, since 2010, USDA and its partners in the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) have worked with private landowners to restore 4.4 million acres of habitat for sage-grouse while maintaining working landscapes across the West. USDA also said that, through the provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill, it will invest in new sage-grouse conservation work over four years.
“We’re working with ranchers who are taking proactive steps to improve habitat for sage-grouse while improving the sustainability of their agricultural operations,” Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie said. “Thanks to the interest from ranchers and support of our conservation partners, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working to secure this species’ future while maintaining our vibrant western economies. Since 2010, we’ve worked with ranchers to conserve, restore or maintain more than 4 million acres of habitat on private lands – an area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park.”
In the past five years, NRCS has invested $296.5 million to restore and conserve sage-grouse habitat, and has pledged to extend these efforts by approximately $200 million over four years through the 2014 Farm Bill. NRCS is piloting use of its Conservation Stewardship Program to broaden the impacts of SGI by targeting up to 275,000 acres to enhance sage-grouse habitat in 2015.
SGI is a partnership led by NRCS that includes ranchers, state and federal agencies, universities, non-profit groups and private business. SGI has leveraged the NRCS investment with an additional $128 million from partners and landowners, bringing the total SGI investment to $424.5 million. SGI aids ranchers with NRCS technical and financial assistance and in getting NRCS conservation practices on the ground.
“American ranchers are working with us to help sage-grouse because they know they are helping an at-risk bird while also improving the food available for their livestock,” Bonnie said. “As the saying goes, ‘What’s good for the bird is good for the herd.’”
“We continue to work diligently to remove the conifer trees that put sage-grouse and their habitat at risk,” said Tim Griffiths, NRCS’ coordinator for SGI. “By removing trees and saving vulnerable grasslands, we’re expanding the footprint of prime sage-grouse habitat while supporting sustainable ranching and working lands.”
For more on technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or a local USDA service center.
Download Report: Outcomes in Conservation, Sage Grouse Initiative, 2015
Letter from NRCS Chief Jason Weller to USFWS Director Dan Ashe, Feb. 11, 2015
Sage Grouse Initiative 2015: The Untold Story FACT SHEET
SOURCE: Sage Grouse Initiative
