The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Landscapes project is the first study to comprehensively map resilient lands and significant climate corridors across Eastern North America. Released in October 2016, the study took eight years to complete, involved 60 scientists, and developed innovative new techniques for mapping climate-driven movements.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced approximately $4 million in available funding to develop partnerships to leverage USDA and local, state, and private sector resources to address challenges for limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, and communities.

The rapid spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a sharp reminder about how closely connected we are to each other and our environment.

We see a bright future for America’s grasslands. A future where ranchers can pursue success in their enterprises and known for the good they do to protect lands and waters and the improvements they seek. A future where wildlife thrives and we continue to feed the world. A future where all our verdant grasslands are celebrated and protected so they will always meet the needs of nature and people. Read More …

from the USDA NRCS South Dakota

This profile in Soil Health follows the journey of the Neuharth Family as they have worked to build soil health and increase diversity in both the plants they grow and the animals they raise, near Fort Pierre, SD. Levi Neuharth’s father David, began by transitioning the farm to no-till and the family has since worked together to increase diversity in their crop rotation, plant full season and after harvest cover crops, integrate livestock onto cropland, as well as to utilize various grazing management practices. With an overarching goal of preserving and enhancing the land for the future, all generations continue to learn and work together to increase the diversity and health of the entire operation. View our playlist of this series.

from Drovers News Source

As global demand for protein increases, ranchers, agribusinesses, restaurants and conservation partners are coming together to feed a growing population, address climate change and protect the planet. Burger King® restaurants and Cargill are teaming up with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and ranchers within the Northern Great Plains to launch a three-year grasslands restoration program. This initiative brings together two major companies who deliver beef to Americans to support the rehabilitation of less productive soil into thriving ecosystems– with cattle playing a critical role. Read more …

As a convener of corporations, conservation organizations, and conservation-interested individuals, the Wildlife Habitat Council specializes in restoring undisturbed lands for the benefit of wildlife. The WHC’s “Native Grasslands Conservation” report includes seven case studies detailing specific conservation approaches led by corporations such as Boeing, BP Energy, and General Motors.

By Dr. Silke Nebel, Vice-President, Conservation and Science, Birds Canada

The State of Canada Birds, 2019 confirmed that Canada has lost nearly 60% of our grassland birds since 1970. This is crisis for bird life and sounds an alarm for our broader biodiversity as well. But, there is hope thanks to an inspiring new project. Read more …

A 5-year special Initiative by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Working Grasslands Initiative delineates Montana’s role in the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Business Plan for the Northern Great Plains. The state program aims to institute a non-regulatory, incentive based strategy to grassland conservation, partnering with private landowners and other cooperators.

It is undeniable that native grasslands and wetlands are the most endangered ecosystem, along with its birds and range of ecosystem services. However, the tangibility of consumer effects on the loss of these lands is sometimes lost on both conservationists and consumers themselves. In his TEDx talk, Marshall Johnson speaks on the power of consumer decisions to save the world’s “most endangered ecosystem.”

The Lesser-Prairie Chicken (LPC) was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 2014, but was subsequently considered for removal from the in 2015 after a significant interstate push for the conservation of its habitat and the survival of the species. Some of the main proponents of the prompt response were the five WAFWA directors of the five states identified as providing habitat to the LPC.

The Intermountain West Joint Venture and the Bureau of Land Management have collaborated to organize a series of newsletters that include a diverse collection of “compelling sagebrush conservation stories.”

In September 2016, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation published its long-term conservation plan for the Northern Great Plains with the desired outcome of 1 million acres of “focal area” grasslands improved or maintained. The business plan is intended to be a “concise blueprint” of the resources and strategies needed to achieve the NFWF’s desired conservation outcomes.

A diverse range of parties including private landowners, businesses, governmental agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions gathered for the Center for Collaborative Conservation’s “Confluence 2020” conference this March 10-12th. The annual event aims to “Connect, Convene, and Catalyze” members of the Western Collaborative Conservation Network to create and sustain collaborative, community-based conservation efforts.