Sagebrush
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Decades of overgrazing and wildfire suppression have let juniper trees grow large and spread far across sagebrush country, reducing habitat for sage grouse and other wildlife, and creating conditions for catastrophic wildfires.
In areas where fire is no longer a safe treatment, many land managers are stepping up to fill the role once played by wildfire.
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This study found that fire frequency and a coarse measure of grazing use were not highly predictive of seed bank dynamics, with the exception that sites that burned <10 years ago had greater above-vs. below-ground similarity. Shrub cover predicted multiple below-ground characteristics: Ericameria nauseosa was associated with increased density of introduced species, Chrysothamus viscidiflorus was associated with increased densities of native annual species, and Artemisia tridentata was associated with increased richness of rare native species. Shrub cover estimates were predictive of seed bank composition, and suggest that areas dominated by A. tridentata would have the greatest restoration potential within their seed banks.
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This Rangelands on the Edge (ROTE) project improves our understanding of the fate of rangelands from historical, present day, and future perspectives by describing human modification, fragmentation, and future residential growth projections for rangeland-dominated vegetation. Since pre-European settlement, some 340 million acres (over 34 percent) of rangelands, particularly in the Great Plains, have been converted to alternative land uses, especially intensive agriculture (croplands, pastureland). Approximately 11 percent of private rangelands are likely to experience significant increases in housing development over the next 15 years.
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More than 135 conservation partners recently met in Boise, Idaho during the Sage Grouse Initiative’s 8th annual workshop. This year’s workshop focused on wildfire, weeds and rangeland restoration.
Over the course of two days we heard from ranchers, firefighters, researchers, local non-profits and public land managers about the amazing results that come from working together locally to achieve a shared vision: healthy sagebrush rangelands for people and wildlife.
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This webinar illuminated the challenges and opportunities posed by landscape-level species management in the desert southwest. Moderator: Matt McKinney, Director of the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy at the University of Montana. Panelists: Alexa Sandoval, Director, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish; John Swett, Program Manager, Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program; Jim deVos, Assistant Director, Wildlife Management, Arizona Game and Fish Department; Bill McDonald, Executive Director, Malpai Borderlands Group. This webinar is one in a series for the “Species Conservation and Endangered Species Act Initiative,” the Chairman’s Initiative of Wyoming Governor and Western Governors’ Association Chairman Matt Mead.
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This webinar highlighted the importance of private land in species conservation efforts, innovative ways to address conservation finance, and the incentives that work for private landowners. Moderator: Chris West, Director, Rocky Mountain Regional Office of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Panelists: Amos Eno, Executive Director/President, Resources First Foundation; Jeff Morgheim, Founder and Principal, Edge Strategic Consulting, LLC; Lesli Allison, Executive Director, Western Landowners Alliance. This webinar is one in a series for the “Species Conservation and Endangered Species Act Initiative,” the Chairman’s Initiative of Wyoming Governor and Western Governors’ Association Chairman Matt Mead.
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This study found that for sagebrush seasonal timing is at least as important as the amount of precipitation, and that responses to changes in precipitation timing occur through changes in carbon allocation more so than changes in leaf-level carbon gain.
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This Gap Report Update is the latest addition to the list of valuable products of the Working Group designed to help identify the challenges (gaps) and offer ideas to address those challenges. The Gap Report Update has something for every level, public and private, to consider helping address the fire and invasive threat. It is our hope that the leaders of the various state and federal agencies will review the recommendations in the report and determine if there are things they can affect directly to address the gaps. It took a multi-agency, multi-discipline Working Group to identify the problems and provide possible solutions to these conservation and management challenges, it will certainly take a broad-based coalition of agencies, and public and private groups working together to ensure a healthy Sagebrush Biome is available for generations to come.
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This year marks the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the most powerful and important bird-protection law ever passed. In honor of this milestone, nature lovers around the world are joining forces to celebrate the Year of the Bird and committing to protect birds for the next hundred years. As part of this yearlong celebration, March is dedicated to highlighting native plants and their importance to birds and other wildlife. With that in mind, we want to take this opportunity to feature Artemisia tridentata, or the sagebrush plant family.
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Abstracts of Recent Papers on Range Management in the West. Prepared by Charlie Clements, Rangeland Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Reno, NV.