Landowners on the East Coast brought about a major success today with their voluntary conservation efforts for the New England cottontail. Partners announced that foresters and farmers have helped prevent the need to list the New England cottontail under the Endangered Species Act.

New research released as part of the Sage Grouse Initiative’s Science to Solutions series shows that restoring sagebrush ecosystems not only benefits ranching and sage grouse but other wildlife, too, including key songbirds.

A new bi-partisan commentary came out yesterday in Roll Call by Bruce Knight and Dave White, both former chiefs for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. These two conservation experts agree that voluntary programs–like the Sage Grouse Initiative–that improve water, soil, and wildlife habitat are programs that unite Republicans and Democrats.

This month, SGI and SWAT staff gathered together on the California-Nevada border to share notes, and learn from the unprecedented conservation efforts centered around the Bi-State distinct population of Greater sage-grouse. The highlight of the meeting was an award ceremony that recognized cooperative conservation leaders in the region.

Maintaining a resilient sagebrush steppe is job number one for sustaining sage grouse populations in the West. New tools are available to help conservationists better assess and manage vegetation to improve ecosystem resilience before and after wildfire.

The Sage Grouse Initiative has enrolled 1,129 ranchers to conserve 4.4 million acres. We plan to double those numbers by 2018 with a new investment strategy that invests another $211 of Farm Bill dollars in 11 western states.

High Country News senior editor Jodi Peterson does an excellent job of introducing readers to the conservation history of sage grouse, and the landscape-scale collaborative efforts underway to save this unique bird and its dwindling habitat.

The Department of Defense announced more than $2 million in funding from the Military Services’ Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program to protect prime greater sage-grouse habitat in Nevada, a collaborative project with diverse partners.