Rangeland Ecology & Management

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SAGE GROUSE CONSERVATION THROUGH PRIORITIZATION AND COLLABORATION IN NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA
Author
Russell, Tiffany M.
Johnson, Andrew
Abele, Susan
Ramsey, Heidi
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2015
Body

The Greater Sage-Grouse's decline and potential listing under the Endangered Species Act has created a flurry of conservation activity across western rangelands. However, with such large areas in need for restoration, and with multiple threats affecting the habitat, it can be difficult to know how to prioritize these conservation actions. In Northeast California, the Buffalo Skedaddle Population Management Unit Working Group is attempting to sort through the cacophony and develop specific conservation projects that will provide real on the ground benefit for the Greater Sage-Grouse and the sagebrush ecosystem. With the recently published General Technical Report 326, Using Resistance and Resilience Concepts to Reduce Impacts of Invasive Annual Grasses and Altered Fire Regimes on the Sagebrush Ecosystem and Greater Sage-Grouse: A Strategic Multi-Scale Approach and the BLM's Wildfire and Invasives Annual Assessment process, the working group is analyzing their region of interest at multiple scales with soil moisture and temperature, existing sagebrush, threat of juniper encroachment, and existing sage grouse breeding bird densities. Once priority areas and probable actions have been developed through this model, groups of landowners, natural resource professionals, and other interested community members will use local knowledge to analyze the limiting factors for each population in these priority areas. Some practices the group plans to use include fire breaks, green stripping, juniper removal, and grazing management. Funding will be sought for restoration actions through NRCS's Sage Grouse Initiative, the BLM, USFWS Partners for Wildlife program, and other private and public sources. Monitoring of projects after implementation will occur to adaptively manage the plans and ensure success criteria is met. Through this approach, the Buffalo Skedaddle Group believes they will cooperatively improve habitat in key areas that will produce Sage-Grouse population effects across public and private lands.  

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Sacramento, CA