Ranchers crucial to saving sage grouse -- USDA

Federal partnerships with private landowners across the West have resulted in protecting millions of acres of greater sage grouse habitat, according to a new report that underscores the critical role ranchers play in ongoing efforts to save the imperiled bird. The report released today by the Agriculture Department's Natural Resources Conservation Service shows that since 2010, NRCS has spent $296 million on programs partnering with ranchers and other private landowners that have resulted in restoring 4.4 million acres of sage grouse habitat. The report notes that the Sage Grouse Initiative -- a partnership led by NRCS that includes ranchers, academicians and representatives from state and federal agencies -- has secured an additional $128 million from private landowners and other partnerships, underscoring the commitment to keeping the bird off the ESA list. Tim Griffiths, NRCS's coordinator for the Sage Grouse Initiative, said that money has been used to purchase conservation easements on private lands covering 451,884 acres, according to the report. More than a third of those easements are in Wyoming, which is home to nearly half the remaining grouse population.  The money also has been used for numerous projects, such as removing conifer trees that can harm sagebrush steppe and attract grouse predators. In Oregon, for example, NRCS has invested $18.4 million through the Sage Grouse Initiative to help more than 100 ranchers remove conifers from 200,000 acres of key nesting and wintering habitats...more