NRCS’s Commitment to Protecting Sage Grouse Habitat

Sage grouse populations in the West and Northern Plains have declined 90 percent overall since 1985. Private lands comprise 28 percent, nearly 40 million acres, of the total acreage where populations occur.

NRCS recognizes that the primary threats to sage grouse are the conversion, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat. NRCS assists farmers and ranchers in reducing these threats. NRCS:

-- Provides technical assistance and financial resources to support management and habitat restoration efforts;
-- Helps farmers and ranchers maintain and improve habitat as part of larger management efforts that provide multiple benefits to the land;
-- Has a strategy to conserve sage grouse habitat; and
-- Has developed technical information to assist NRCS field staff with sage grouse considerations when working with private landowners.

Farm Bill programs, such as the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, also provide significant benefits to sage grouse habitat.