Working Lands for Wildlife

What's the value of keeping it in grass? We're glad you asked. Meet the Burke Family! Their long partnership with NRCS has led to better forage for livestock and wildlife and, in 2017, their ranch was protected in perpetuity through a NRCS-supported conservation easement. Read their full success story here: https://buff.ly/3NEcsos

Spread your wings and fly! 🪽 One by one these nestlings become fledglings and leave the nest. The Vesper Sparrows have a nestling period between 7-14 days. Our research shows that Vesper Sparrows produce more fledglings in areas that are not encroached by trees. #WildlifeWednesday

Fences are a pervasive feature of western working landscapes and a useful management tool, but they also have serious potential to impact wildlife, with some acting as movement barriers and others causing injury or even death. They are of particular concern for migratory populations of big game in the western United States, where herds often move hundreds of miles between seasonal ranges. Check out our new technical note: https://buff.ly/4a0GiMb The note covers a variety of topics from inventory to monitoring and presents design alternatives from avoiding fence impacts altogether to minimizing and mitigating impacts through “wildlife-friendlier” fence options.

At WLFW, we provide scientific reports, project profiles, technical tools, videos, photos, field guides, links, and more that tell how collaborative conservation is making a difference for working lands and wildlife across the West. One of our favorite resources is podcasts! 🎧 Check out this page of podcast episodes featuring our team. Listen here: http://buff.ly/3A8Dqjn

The Vesper Sparrow inhabits sagebrush rangelands, singing a sweet tinkling song during the day as well as into the evening hours. 🎶 In this video, the Vesper Sparrow adult feeds its nestlings who are nested under a sagebrush. Vesper Sparrows are more abundant and produce more fledglings in areas that are not encroached by trees. #WildlifeWednesday

Calling all Conservation Professionals! This is your week! 🎉 To celebrate #ConservationProfessionalsWeek, we're sharing the faces of conservation in Green River Valley, Wyoming. In southwest Wyoming, landowners have protected 212 square-miles of intact sagebrush rangelands through conservation easements, funded in part by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Wildlife and ranchers are thriving here, and the rest of the West is taking note of ways to replicate their success. Read more about this and the profiles of each conservation professional here: https://lnkd.in/gctem9fW

Conservation with Impact 👊🏻 In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that listing the greater sage-grouse on the Endangered Species Act was not warranted. According to the press release issued for the decision, the Service noted that proactive, landscape-scale conservation partnerships, like SGI, had significantly reduced threats across 90% of the species' breeding habitat. This decision showed that diverse partners committed to a shared vision can achieve remarkable gains for wildlife. Read more about the No-List Decision here: https://buff.ly/46yyi4d Photo: Tatiana Gettelman, USGS

Vesper Sparrows are a “generalist” species, and they live in sagebrush rangelands even if trees are present. However, this research from WLFW in southwest Montana found that Vesper Sparrows are more abundant and have greater reproductive success in areas where encroaching conifers were removed compared to areas where the trees remained. Want to learn more about sagebrush songbirds? Check out WLFW’s four years of dedicated research that demonstrates sagebrush-obligates have higher reproductive success when trees are removed for sage grouse. Learn more: https://buff.ly/4e4h2at #WildlifeWednesday

Join Envu’s online webinar on invasive annual grasses today, August 20, at 10:00 a.m. (M.T.). You’ll hear from speakers like Derek Sebastian, Government Stewardship Manager, Dan Tekiela, R2 Invasive Plant Program Manager and Pesticide Use Coordinator, Jeremy Maestas, National Sagebrush Ecosystem Specialist and Reese Irvine, Carbon County Weed and Pest Supervisor. Learn more about the webinar at https://buff.ly/4doinIq

America’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are the key to wildlife conservation. 🔑 Learn more about the specific biomes where WLFW works with producers to protect every day, including the sagebrush steppe and the Great Plains grasslands, here: https://buff.ly/3WqQGr2