Lesser Prairie Chicken

Through Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), the NRCS has created a win-win model of private lands conservation that benefits wildlife and people that now includes conservation efforts focused on 19 diverse landscapes in 48 states.

A new guide, produced through a partnership between public university extension programs in the Great Plains, the USDA-NRCS’s Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), the USDA-NRCS’s Central National Technology Support Center (CNTSC), and various other conservation partners, provides the first-ever framework for addressing woody encroachment, now recognized as one of the top two drivers of grassland loss in the Great Plains.

Sagebrush rangelands once covered nearly 250 million acres in western North America. Today, this landscape has been reduced to half its original size and is rapidly shrinking.

Rural Americans matter—a lot—to the fate of U.S. environmental policy. Not only do farmers, ranchers, and forest owners manage huge portions of American lands and watersheds, but rural voters also have an outsized impact on national policy.

For many years the Service has worked with partners to help them develop Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs). CCAs primarily have been developed by Federal agencies to cover Federal lands, and several have resulted in conservation efforts that made listing unnecessary.

In addition to the Colorado credit, landowners can receive an extra reward for conserving their land with a conservation easement. The current rules are not yet permanent, so please keep that in mind as you and your advisors make plans for your taxes.

This guide is meant to help you understand the steps that must be completed to conserve your property and the typical costs that are involved.

This paper analyzes surveys of private landowners to identify factors that determine landowner engagement in the conservation of endangered species.

The 2014 Farm Bill Field Guide to Fish and Wildlife Conservation was prepared as an introduction for fish and wildlife conservation providers – the on-the-ground biologists and conservation partners who help deliver Farm Bill conservation programs to landowners.

This Grassland Conservation Plan for Prairie Grouse, coordinated by the North American Grouse Partnership, represents the collective efforts and expertise of numerous grassland and prairie grouse experts in developing habitat prioritizations that are needed to sustain grouse and other grassland species into the future.

The Guide to Environmental Markets for Farmers and Ranchers, produced by the American Farmland Trust (AFT), provides an overview of available market opportunities for environmental credits and services, how farmers and ranchers can get involved in them, and ways to encourage their continued growth.

This document provides guidance on the establishment, use, and operation of conservation banks for the purpose of providing a tool for offset mitigating adverse impacts to species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.

Abstract.—Prescribed burning is used for many silvicultural and wildlife management objectives. However, the use of prescribed burning can be constrained due to difficulties in obtaining burning permits, concerns about liability, potential effects of scorch on growth and survival of crop trees, its sometimes ineffective results, limited burning days, and the costs of applying, controlling, and monitoring burns.