In Idaho’s sage grouse country, unique partnerships are protecting precious open spaces. The Wood River Land Trust is spearheading collaborative and creative projects that benefit birds as well as a host of sagebrush-dependent wildlife.

The Sage Grouse Initiative is seeking a range and wildlife conservationist. This position, based in Marsing, Idaho, will be an employee of Pheasants Forever. Applications due September 16, 2016.

A new report released by the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies — and funded by an NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant — is the first study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of using different fence markers to prevent birds from colliding with fences in sagebrush country.

In northeastern Utah, the Kennedy family’s land ethic and commitment to improving natural resources has led them to expand their ranch. Learn how SGI helped them install water delivery systems and adopt rotational grazing to improve agricultural operations.

by Rebecca Heisman,bioGraphic | When mature juniper cover reaches just 4 percent—picture taking a standard checkerboard and filling in just two and a half of the squares—sage-grouse abandon their leks. Read more about the conifers that are taking over sagebrush rangelands in the West.

The Sagebrush Project, part of the Sustainability in Prisons Project, expands the opportunities for 175 inmates in 11 prisons across 6 states by teaching them to grow sagebrush seedlings. In turn, these seedlings restore vital habitat for sage grouse and other wildlife on BLM lands across the West.

This latest report chronicles the results from April through June across 11 western states, including collaborative efforts to conserve over 2.8 million acres of habitat for sage grouse by: 1) improving rangeland, 2) reducing bird moralities from fence collisions, and 3) removing encroaching conifers.

by Justin Fritscher | Removing invading conifer trees improves the health of sagebrush ecosystems, providing better habitat for wildlife and better forage for livestock. And now, new science shows these efforts may also help improve late-season water availability, which is crucial for ecosystems in the arid West.