Performing Department
Ecosystem Science and Management
Non Technical Summary
The proposed project, in cooperation with the participant/landowners, is intended to increase the likelihood of private landowners' success with the voluntary Greater Sage-Grouse Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) agreement with US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The greater sage-grouse is a candidate species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and inhabits much of the sagebrush-steppe habitat in Wyoming. This type of habitat is abundant on many of Wyoming's ranching operations and a FWS decision to list the greater sage-grouse could have significant impacts on ranching and livestock production in the state.Although the Greater Sage-Grouse Umbrella CCAA for Wyoming Ranch Management was developed as a risk management tool for private landowners and provides assurances to them in the event the species is listed, it requires enrollees to develop a conservation plan and conduct biological monitoring. There is not a clear understanding by CCAA private landowner enrollees as to what is expected to meet the plan and monitoring requirements. Until a level of certainty and greater understanding of the requirements is presented, many potential enrollees are not willing to enter into a CCAA with FWS.This project is clearly distinctive and creative as there is not a single Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Conservation Plan or Monitoring Plan written to date although more than a dozen CCAA applications have been initiated by Wyoming landowners. Discussions have been held and there are outline drafts of expectations for what is needed in a greater sage-grouse conservation plan and habitat monitoring for a CCAA. So in theory landowners enrolling in a CCAA know what they are signing up for, but the on-the-ground reality of the work has not been tested. This project would work to move from untested outlines in the present infancy stage to ranch-tested outcome documents that would serve to guide the program in the future. The sooner these documents can be developed and tested, the greater the chance of success for the program and ultimately the greater the opportunity for private landowner assurances from FWS.The producers participating with the project are key partners in developing plans that will meet the needs of the CCAA and FWS, and that are not overly burdensome and onerous for landowners to implement. The outcomes from this project will provide tools that other landowners can utilize to streamline the process of developing a greater sage-grouse CCAA conservation and monitoring plan. Providing more information to producers before they enter into a CCAA agreement provides more transparency to the program. Having tested tools will:1. save considerable landowner time,2. save time for CCAA participating agencies when assisting landowners,3. provide credibility for the umbrella CCAA through consistency in plan content across the state, and4. reduce the number of unknown factors associated with a CCAA.Relevance, Benefits and Impacts to AgricultureGreater sage-grouse have been targeted for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for many years. They are identified as an indicator species for the quantity and quality of sagebrush habitat in the west. They have been and continue to be of importance to the future of agriculture and ranching in Wyoming and other western states. Although significant time, money, and effort has gone toward greater sage-grouse conservation, there is still much needing to be done in an attempt to keep the greater sage-grouse from being listed or at least provide private land owners assurances that their livestock operations could continue in the event the species was listed under the ESA.The Wyoming Governor's Office under Governor Freudenthal's administration and FWS in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S Forest Service (USFS), the Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA), Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), and the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts have developed an umbrella CCAA. The CCAA is voluntary risk management tool whereby private landowners agree to manage their lands to remove or reduce threats to species at risk of being listed under the ESA. Landowner commitments with a CCAA include conservation plan development and annual monitoring reporting. Although, information about monitoring is included in the umbrella CCAA document, FWS has acknowledged the information is very broad and inclusive and needs to be refined down to what is manageable and necessary on a case by case basis.A Landowner Guide to Sage-Grouse Conservation in Wyoming publication will be developed in close collaboration with the University of Wyoming, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and other natural resource organizations as may be identified as the project moves forward. The publication will be patterned after the Sage-Grouse Habitat in Idaho publication (Gillan and Strand 2010).Information developed through this project will assist private landowners in meeting the intent and requirements of the CCAA. Developing materials and identifying training needs will have an impact on ranches operating in sage-grouse habitat. The ability to continue to raise livestock at desired levels will be impacted by decisions made in implementing CCAA's.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
2%
Applied
75%
Developmental
23%
Goals / Objectives
The Advancing Landowner Tools for Use with the Greater-Sage Grouse Umbrella Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for Wyoming Ranch Management Agriculture Producer Research Grant Program (APRGP) project goals are to:1. Foster success in using the Greater Sage-Grouse Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for Wyoming Ranch Management as a risk management tool.2. Provide additional greater sage-grouse conservation tools and resources for private landowners and managers in Wyoming.
Project Methods
Because there are no examples of the conservation planning or monitoring planning to accomplish the goals of the CCAA on Wyoming ranches, this project will seek to document and conduct preliminary tests of different approaches. We intend to work with a small panel of ranches (at least 3 but no more than 5) to develop the planning tools and test the monitoring methods. Methods for each objective are outlined below.Objective 1. Develop an outline for a Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Conservation Plan.We will work with the FWS to develop a conservation plan outline. We will then convene a small panel of ranchers to discuss what is involved in each section of the conservation plan. The discussion will focus on information available, resources required to collect that information, and incorporation into overall ranch management. Results of those discussions will be summarized and further discussion with FWS and other natural resource agencies likely to be involved in developing and approving the plans will be conducted. These agencies may include NRCS, WDA, Conservation Districts, UW Extension, and others.Objective 2. Develop an outline for a Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Monitoring Plan.We will work with the FWS to develop a monitoring plan outline. We will then convene a small panel of ranchers to discuss what is involved in each section of the monitoring plan. The discussion will focus on methods available, resources required to collect and analyze monitoring information, and incorporation into overall ranch management. Results of those discussions will be summarized and further discussion with FWS and other natural resource agencies likely to be involved in developing and approving the plans will be conducted. These agencies may include NRCS, WDA, Conservation Districts, UW Extension, and others.Objective 3. Research information for the development of a sample Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Conservation Plan.We will work with FWS and our panel of ranchers to identify the information needed to complete a sample conservation plan. If ranchers provide feedback that a set of information is not readily available, we will work with FWS and other agencies to determine if it is reasonable to require such information based on time and expense of collecting it. Through such an iterative process we will identify and develop what a sample conservation plan may look like that meets the requirements of the CCAA and the ranchers.Objective 4. Research information for the development of a sample Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Monitoring Plan.We will work with FWS and our panel of ranchers to identify the information needed to complete a sample monitoring plan. If ranchers provide feedback that a set of information is not readily available, we will work with FWS and other agencies to determine if it is reasonable to require such information based on time and expense of collecting it. Through such an iterative process we will identify and develop what a sample monitoring plan may look like that meets the requirements of the CCAA and the ranchers.Objective 5. Work with project producers to research site-specific information and develop Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Conservation Plans and Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Monitoring Plans.Once the outlines and information needed are approved based upon activities in Objectives 1-4, we will work with our panel of ranchers to develop conservation and monitoring plans as required under the CCAA. These plans will be based on the templates, examples, and site-specific information gathered and developed with FWS using the specifics of the individual ranch. The process of developing the plans will be documented and written up as an additional output beyond the plans themselves.Objective 6. Refine outlines and examples of Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Conservation Plans and Greater Sage-Grouse CCAA Monitoring Plans.Information gathered and analyzed as part of Objective 5 will be used to refine the conservation and monitoring plans. Tools and methods used to develop the plans will be documented. In collaboration with the ranchers, FWS, NRCS, WDA, Conservation Districts, and UW Extension, the planning process will be refined based upon criteria such as ease of development, information available, resources required to develop the plans, and on-the-ground usability of the plans. The planning tools developed and reported as part of this project will make it easier for future enrollees to get their plans written and implemented.Objective 7. Develop a field guide for use by Wyoming landowners and managers.A published field guide that is based upon information gathered in Objectives 1-6 will be developed. At this point, the field guide will be based on the Sage-Grouse Habitat in Idaho publication and adapted to Wyoming-centric information and data. Other similar field guides will be evaluated and incorporated into the Wyoming version. Development of the field guide will be accomplished in collaboration with ranchers, FWS, NRCS, WDA, Conservation Districts, and UW Extension. The publication's proposed title is "Landowner Guide to Sage-Grouse Conservation in Wyoming." Objective 8. Develop short videos demonstrating how monitoring is to be done.We will work closely with ranchers and agencies on developing short videos that include selecting monitoring sites, alternative monitoring methods, and interpreting the data. These videos will be produced throughout the contract period and will be completed and posted on a website by the end of the contract period. This may be a section of Wyoming Rangelands website hosted by the University of Wyoming Extension. We will also work with Conservation Districts, UW Extension, and professional organizations such as the Wyoming Section of the Society for Range Management and the Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society to develop training modules for private landowners on the specific monitoring methods for greater sage-grouse habitat.