New research shows that — done right — livestock grazing may help conserve sage grouse habitat by keeping working ranches profitable and sustainable.

New science shows that keeping big landscapes healthy and connected is essential for maintaining bigger-than-expected sage grouse movements.

New research shows that 86% of hens avoided nesting in sagebrush habitat invaded by conifers. Luckily, the studies also show that removing conifers in otherwise high-quality habitat is a boon to nesting sage grouse.

Learn how elk use sagebrush habitat — and how much their range overlaps with sage grouse — from expert Tom Roman of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

“Collaboration is the key to pulling off the largest conservation success story in the West, ” says Virgil Moore, Director of Idaho Fish and Game and Chairman of WAFWA’s Sagebrush Executive Oversight Committee. Read more about WAFWA.

In Oregon’s largest county — where cattle outnumber people 14 to 1 — the local soil and water conservation district has a recipe for collaborative conservation that’s improving the odds for both sage grouse and ranchers.

The NRCS-led Sage Grouse Initiative partners with the Dept. of Defense and others to conserve the Smith Creek Ranch in the heart of Nevada’s sagebrush sea.

by Brianna Randall | Bill Zeedyk teaches Westerners how to “think like water” to restore precious wet habitat in the sagebrush desert.

by Jodi Stemler | Check out this multimedia story about how an SGI-enrolled rancher is leading the way in stewarding working lands and wildlife on his ranch in Colorado’s Gunnison Basin.