Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU

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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center (GLSC) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research to support refinement, collection and processing of Greater Sage-grouse population and sagebrush habitat information into integrated modeling and assessment to directly inform conservation and management of populations and habitats. The recent listing decision by Fish and Wildlife Service regarding Greater Sage-grouse, associated land-management plans (federal agencies) and wildlife management plans (state agencies), and pending re-evaluation of the speciesâ¿¿ status in 2021, has elevated the information needs of planners and managers for improved, practical information regarding the ecology and management of the sagebrush ecosystem and focal wildlife populations which utilize this resource. Extensive annual monitoring of sage-grouse populations has been conducted by multiple entities across the speciesâ¿¿ range, and assembling this information for consistent interpretation and application across the speciesâ¿¿ range is essential for long-term conservation success. Further, Federal and State agencies have expressed concerns regarding the population status and potential legal protections for other wildlife endemic to shrubland ecosystems, including songbirds, ungulates and small mammals, and expansion of monitoring and modeling to include additional species is desired.

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