Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0, Investment Strategy, FY2015-2018

SGI 2.0 will build on successful public and private conservation efforts made since 2010 to improve sage grouse habitat.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a new four-year strategy that will invest approximately $211 million through 2018 in conservation efforts to benefit the greater sage-grouse.

The strategy, known as Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0, will build on successful public and private conservation efforts made since 2010 to improve sage grouse habitat. The new plan will provide additional assistance for ranchers to make conservation improvements to their land that support the iconic bird, strengthen ranching operations, and bolster the Western way of life.

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USDA, Montana enter public-private agreement to enhance Montana’s sage grouse conservation efforts

 

 

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Kaveh Sadeghzadeh
202-720-3210

HELENA, Mont., July 20, 2015 –A new agreement signed today by local, state and federal leaders will streamline and coordinate sage grouse conservation efforts on private lands in Montana.  USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the state of Montana and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Montana, Inc. (SWCDMI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance joint efforts to conserve privately owned working rangelands that provide habitat for sage grouse.

NRCS Chief Jason Weller, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and SWCDMI President Jeff Wivholm signed the agreement at Montana’s capitol.

“Almost two-thirds of Montana’s sage grouse habitat is on private lands, which is why voluntary, targeted conservation efforts are so critical,” said NRCS Chief Weller. “Today’s agreement builds on the Sage Grouse Initiative partnership, which is living proof that wildlife and agriculture can coexist and thrive in harmony. The steps we’re taking to improve habitats and outcomes for sage grouse and other wildlife are good for cattle, good for ranching operations, and good for America’s rural economy.”

The agreement provides the necessary framework for cooperation, streamlining protection and enhancement of sage grouse habitat on privately-owned working rangelands.  Through the MOU, partners will be able to better explore innovative approaches to sage grouse habitat conservation and management, promote voluntary and incentive-based approaches for delivery, and strategically align their collective resources to alleviate threats facing sage grouse and ranching.

Gov. Bullock’s sage grouse plan provides a comprehensive approach for conserving sage grouse in Montana. NRCS will use this plan to invest technical and financial assistance through the Sage Grouse Initiative  (SGI) to strategically implement identified conservation measures on private rangelands. Conservation districts provide dedicated human resources to create SGI conservation plans that ensure maximum benefits for both working rangelands and sage grouse.

While in Montana, Weller also met with ranchers at a roundtable hosted by Partners for Conservation where they told him first-hand about the power of conservation work on private lands.

“SGI is making a difference because private landowners voluntarily work with us to produce results on the ground,” Weller said. “The decisions Western ranchers and other private landowners make every day about what to do on their land will continue to have a critical impact on sage grouse.”

Since 2010, more than 1,100 ranchers have enrolled in the NRCS-led SGI, conserving more than 4.4 million acres of sage grouse habitat across 11 Western states. So far, NRCS has invested $296.5 million in conservation through SGI. SGI’s successes are best captured in its new publication, “Success on the Range,” which was also unveiled today in Montana. This publication highlights how SGI conserves an at-risk species through voluntary cooperation, incentives and community support.

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MRCDC Travels to Denver to Visit with US Fish and Wildlife Service Officials

It’s hard to fit a cowboy hat into an airplane seat. Just ask Missouri River Conservation Districts Council (MRCDC) members Dean Rogge and Steve Wanderaas, who traveled to Denver with MRCDC Coordinator Rachel Frost, to meet with US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) personnel at the Regional Offices. The reason for the meeting was 1,100,000 acres in the heart of Montana, better known as the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR NWR). The retirement of former Refuge Manager, Rick Potts, has left the Refuge and the surrounding communities wondering who the new project leader will be and what direction they will choose for the Refuge. As founders of the Charles M. Russell NWR Community Working Group (CMR CWG), the MRCDC has a vested interest in the new Project Leader and high hopes for their desire to work with the surrounding landowners and community.

The visit was intended to convey the interest landowners have in leveraging conservation in partnership with the Refuge. Despite the large size of the CMR, it is not capable of supporting the desired populations of wildlife that make Montana special. However, when private landowners and public land managers communicate and work toward common goals while protecting the economic viability of a region, amazing things can be accomplished in the name of conservation. Rogge and Wanderaas, both ranchers from the area, expressed these convictions to Mike Blenden, Regional Refuge Manager for Montana, Wyoming, and Nevada at his office in Denver. The ranchers described the CMR Community Working Group and its diverse members ranging from landowners, Conservation District (CD) supervisors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), agencies and interested citizens, and the importance of the CMR staff maintaining involvement with the group. Then they briefed Blenden on current cooperative conservation efforts spearheaded by the CDs that involved the Refuge as a partner, such as the Montana Saltcedar Team and the Montana Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) program. Blenden was understandably impressed by the extent of positive activities initiated by the local CDs and intrigued at the extent to which districts have reached out to the Refuge as partners.

“For any conservation effort to be successful, it has to have local buy-in and support”, Dean Rogge advocated. Mike Blenden agreed and conveyed that the new era for Refuge management was to work in cooperation with the local community, and not operate as an island of federal land with a completely different management objective. Mr. Blenden expressed his interest in attending a CMR CWG meeting in person and a new-found appreciation for the local communities and their potential to enhance the overall experience of the CMR. MRCDC believes the meeting set the stage for a positive relationship between CDs and the new Refuge Manager, who should be on the job sometime early in 2015.

The trip to Denver concluded with a short meeting with Michael Thabault, Assistant Regional Director of Ecological Services. Mr. Thabault is leading the Service’s efforts to determine if the Greater Sage Grouse should be listed as endangered. Rogge and Wanderaas conveyed the interest of Montana landowners to creating a similar success story for sage grouse as the story of Arctic Graying in the Big Hole Valley, where it was recently determined that the species did not warrant federal protection. Thabault provided insight on the decision making process employed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and educational opportunities for landowners to understand the implications of having an endangered species on their land. MRCDC will work with the Montana Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) and other groups to bring these educational opportunities to Montana landowners.