North American grasslands, sagebrush targeted for protection, investments
Intact native grasslands have continued to decline across North America with 1.9 million acres converted to croplands in 2022 alone, according to a recently published World Wildlife Fund study .
A separate 2020 study in the journal Nature Communications found that Montana was the only state with greater conversion to cropland after 2012 than before.
The study also found that many of the marginal lands converted to cropland had lower yields since they are typically less productive soils.
"With just over half of the Great Plains grasslands remaining, every cut from the plow has significant consequences for wildlife, carbon storage and clean water," said Martha Kauffman, vice president for WWF's Northern Great Plains program. "The last 10 years have been a rollercoaster ride of improvements and setbacks. With appreciation for grasslands on the rise, now is the time for increased investment and policies to save what is left."
Four main crops were planted on the converted Great Plains acres: wheat (37%), corn (11%), canola (11%) and soy (9%). An additional 220,000 acres of cropland were lost to development in 2022, an increase from the 10-year average of 175,000 acres annually.
In Congress, the North American Grasslands Conservation Act has been introduced in the House to increase resources to conserve, restore and revitalize grasslands across the nation.
Federal funding
The information comes as federal agencies and conservation groups continue to make investments in the Great Plains, the northern portion of which extends into the Dakotas, northeastern Wyoming and Montana. These regions are prime habitat for waterfowl, songbirds, sage grouse, mule deer and hundreds of other species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced earlier this month it is investing nearly $10 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law into 53 projects across the West focusing on habitat restoration. Of that amount, $439,735 will go toward invasive grass treatments in the Charles M. Russell and U.L. Bend national wildlife refuges near Fort Peck Reservoir. The funding will treat about 5,000 acres of invasive grasses in core sagebrush areas.
Other fiscal year 2025 projects funded through the program in Montana include: more than $135,000 for Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances in Fergus, Garfield, Petroleum, Musselshell, Golden Valley, Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties; more than $41,000 for "defending the core" of southwestern Montana's sagebrush habitat in Beaverhead County; $162,000 for livestock water infrastructure in northern Montana's Valley County; more than $351,700 in southwestern Montana's Sage Steppe Resiliency Project in Beaverhead County; and matching amounts of $87,900 in ranch and climate resilience in Valley, Garfield, Rosebud, Carter and Treasure counties and sagebrush conservation in Phillips, Valley and Blaine counties.
"It's more important than ever to improve landscape resilience by managing invasive annual grasses and safeguarding water resources throughout sagebrush country to address impacts from climate change and increased wildfires," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. "These shovel-ready projects are addressing the highest priority threats to sagebrush ecosystem health and improving watershed integrity both in this arid landscape and downstream to support the people and wildlife who call this area home."
Conservation wish list
American Wildlife Conservation Partners have also outlined their wish list in the latest volume of " Wildlife for the 21st Century ."
The coalition, which includes such Montana-based groups as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Boone and Crockett Club as well as 50 other organizations, listed its number one priority as protecting and securing permanent and dedicated conservation funding. That includes ensuring the Land and Water Conservation Fund remains fully funded with dollars going to make public lands accessible.
Other themes the coalition stressed as important included: enhancing access for hunters, recreationists and recreational shooters; institutionalizing and supporting wildlife migration corridors and habitats; and incentivizing private landowners to conserve wildlife and habitat.
This last priority includes reauthorizing the Farm Bill and its conservation programs and supporting grassland and wetland ecosystem conservation.
"Collectively, these recommendations will bolster fish and wildlife populations, enhance the conservation of America's lands and waters, and provide crucial access opportunities for America's tens of millions of sportsmen and sportswomen," wrote Taylor Schmitz, the 2024 chair of the conservation partners.
The report noted that sportsmen and women contributed more than $3.3 billion last year alone by paying taxes on hunting and fishing gear. This federal source of funding provides up to 60% of the money that goes to state fish and wildlife agencies.
Outdoor Editor
