Wyoming Basin
(Area - 14,552,900 ha)
Description - As its name suggests, the Wyoming Basin is primarily in
Wyoming but also extends into northern Colorado, southern Montana, and very small parts of
northeast Utah and southeast Idaho. The area consists of broad intermountain basins
interrupted by isolated hills and low mountains that merge to the south into a dissected
plateau. It is basically a shrubsteppe, dominated by sagebrush and shadscale, interspersed
with areas of shortgrass prairie. Higher elevations are in mountain shrub vegetation, with
coniferous forest atop the highest areas.
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Conservation recommendations and needs - A very large percentage of the land is in public ownership, with BLM owning much of the lower elevation shrubsteppe and grassland and the US Forest Service owning a great deal of the higher elevation wooded land. A checkerboard pattern of land ownership is a subtle problem that affects the consistency of land management over large areas. The primary land use in the Wyoming Basin has been for many years and continues to be grazing, although conversion to agriculture is also an issue. The effects of overgrazing and non-native plant invasion should be mitigated to improve conditions for breeding birds. Maintenance of springs and riparian habitat may be crucial, particularly to Sage Grouse. Fencing and/or changing grazing systems may be effective in maintaining water flow. Oil and gas extraction and hard rock mining are relatively recent factors that may negatively affect landscape needs of Sage Grouse.
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