Our team of dedicated and enthusiastic range conservationists, wildlife biologists, and natural resource specialists make a difference for landowners and for wildlife across the West. Read the impressive tally of on-the-ground results from the SGI field team.

“My neighbors have all been getting on board one by one, now that they are seeing how well it’s working,” says Oregon rancher John O’Keeffe. Read this opinion piece by O’Keeffe describing why SGI is a good investment for the land, livestock, and sage grouse.

By Tiffany Russell | This blog is about connecting people to talk about how wildlife and humans can thrive together. It describes a recent Ranch Conservation Tour, co-hosted by two partners in the Sage Grouse Initiative: Point Blue and the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition.

By Brianna Randall. Stamping my feet on the frozen ground, I waited impatiently for an elusive football-sized bird to appear in the murky pre-dawn light. A spotting scope stood at the ready, my tool to count sage grouse during their annual quirky courtship dance.

In recent years, a new appreciation is taking hold in the West about the role and benefits of sustainable ranching. The article below captures the essence of why we believe that sage grouse conservation is best achieved through working cooperatively on private lands

Two national conservation leaders from the USDA-NRCS and the National Audubon Society co-wrote this recent editorial about how targeted, proactive conservation on agricultural lands by private landowners is leading the way in restoring habitat for threatened wildlife species in the West.

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.

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.

We are pleased to announce a few staff changes within SGI, which will build our capacity and allow us to deliver even more voluntary conservation programs to landowners throughout the West.

This story on Colorado rancher Wes McStay’s conservation practices comes from “Where the sage grouse roam” by Lauren Blair. This 3-part series appeared in the Craig Daily Press in June 2015.