Maintaining an “emerald island” in the middle of the desert is no small task. Here’s how the Fitzgeralds do it on their Oregon ranch.

Through the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI), private landowners across Eastern Oregon are volunteering to perform proactive conservation treatments on their rangeland to promote healthy habitat for sage grouse and other wildlife.

An economics study from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Oregon shows that the earlier ranchers treat cheatgrass, the greater their financial reward.

A new study funded in part by the NRCS-led Sage Grouse Initiative found that survival rates of both female sage grouse and their nests increased where encroaching juniper trees were removed.

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.

Rancher Mike Greeley uses conservation-minded management to sustain his working lands in eastern Oregon for wildlife and livestock. Check out this video of Mike on his ranch!

The Sage Grouse Initiative seeks a range and wildlife conservationist to work with agricultural producers on conservation programs in eastern Oregon.

by Rebecca Heisman,bioGraphic | When mature juniper cover reaches just 4 percent—picture taking a standard checkerboard and filling in just two and a half of the squares—sage-grouse abandon their leks. Read more about the conifers that are taking over sagebrush rangelands in the West.

Wildlife biologist Fozz Foster works on restoring and improving habitat in Oregon’s sagebrush sea. In this ‘Ask an Expert’ interview, he tells SGI about how he works collaboratively to address the problem of encroaching conifers — one of the main threats to sage grouse in the West.

“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.