- Home
-
Welcome to Region 6
The Mountain-Prairie Region consists of 8 states in the heart of the American west including Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Regional Leadership
- FOIA Reading Room
- USFWS FOIA
-
-
Science
-
Science
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a long tradition of scientific excellence and always uses the best-available science to inform its work to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitat for the benefit of the American public.
- Climate Change
- Landscape Conservation
- Peer Review
- Surrogate Species
- Greater Sage Grouse Research
- Contact Us
-
- Refuges
-
National Wildlife Refuges
Where Wildlife Comes First
Created in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, today's National Wildlife Refuge System protects habitats and wildlife across the country, from the Alaskan tundra to subtropical wetlands. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Refuge System's 560-plus refuges cover more than 150 million acres and protect nearly 1,400 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
While national wildlife refuges were created to protect wildlife, they are for people too. Refuges are ideal places for people of all ages to explore and connect with the natural world. We invite you to learn more about and visit the national wildlife refuges and wetland management districts in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
- Visit a Refuge or District
- Cultural Resources
- Fire Management
- Refuge Planning
- Realty
- Habitat and Population Evaluation Team (HAPET)
- Biological Resources
- Law Enforcement
- Partners for Fish and Wildlife
-
- Ecological Services
-
Ecological Services
The Mountain-Prairie Region's Office of Ecological Services (ES) works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, ES personnel work with Federal, State, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to avoid, minimize, and mitigate threats to our Nation's natural resources.
- Field Offices »
- Endangered Species
- Energy
- Environmental Contaminants
- Natural Resource Damage Assessment & Restoration
- National Wetlands Inventory
- Conservation Planning
- Contact Us
-
- Migratory Birds
-
Migratory Birds
Providing leadership in the conservation of migratory bird habitat through partnerships, grants, and outreach for present and future generations. The Migratory Bird Program is responsible for maintaining healthy migratory bird populations for the benefit of the American people.
- Regional Priority Species
- Focal Species
- Duck Stamps
- Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial
- Joint Ventures
- Permits
- WSFR
-
- Fish & Aquatic
-
Fish and Aquatic Conservation
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program in the Mountain-Prairie Region helps conserve, protect, and enhance aquatic resources and provides economically valuable recreational fishing to anglers across the country. The program comprises 12 National Fish Hatcheries.
- Home
- Offices & Hatcheries
- Fish & Aquatic Species
- Aquatic Invasive Species
- Programs
- Resources
- Contact Us
-
- Law Enforcement
-
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement is essential to virtually every aspect of wildlife conservation. The Office of Law Enforcement contributes to Service efforts to manage ecosystems, save endangered species, conserve migratory birds, preserve wildlife habitat, restore fisheries, combat invasive species, and promote international wildlife conservation.
- Laws Enforced
- Import/Exports
- Permits
- OLE Regional Offices
- OLE National HQ
- Contact Us
-
- External Affairs
-
External Affairs
External Affairs staff in the Mountain-Prairie Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides support to the regional office and field stations to communicate and faciliate information about the Service's programs to the public, media, Congress, Tribes, partners, and other stakeholders in the 8-state region.
- News & Releases
- Campaigns
- Social Media
- Tribal
- Fact Sheets
- Imagery
- Contact Us
-
Greater sage-grouse Research
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Advance sage-grouse conservation through funding for science projects
The Western Association of Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) have collaborated to fund four projects to address threats and improve the scientific basis for Greater sage-grouse management. These projects also seek to improve coordination between western states and the Service in relation to sage-grouse management. Although states are responsible for managing the species the bird’s habitat is largely on federal lands.
WAFWA administered solicitation of proposals and engaged the western states and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives to help evaluate proposals. This is the first time that a landscape-scale, highly collaborative process has been used to solicit science-based proposals to further sage-grouse management. This has been an exciting development, as evidenced by the broad range of proposals received from a diverse group of state, federal, University and NGO scientists that address myriad issues facing sage-grouse.
Project Information
The four projects chosen for funding were selected from forty-two submitted proposals because they were judged most likely to impact sage-grouse conservation at landscape scales. The selected projects are:
Awardee |
Project Title |
Dr. Paul Lukacs University of Montana $ 147,177 |
Range-wide sampling design for population size and trend estimation in greater sage-grouse. |
Dr. David Naugle SGI and U of MT $ 150,000 |
Sage-grouse hate trees: A range-wide solution for increasing bird benefits through accelerated conifer removal. |
Dr. Louis Provencher The Nature Conservancy $ 99,938 |
Designing regional fuel breaks to protect large remnant tracts of sage-grouse habitat in NV, ID, OR, and UT |
Mike Gregg U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service $ 62,740 |
Using cheatgrass suppressive soil bacteria to break the fire cycle and proactively maintain greater sage-grouse habitats. |
Collectively, these projects leverage almost $800,000 in partner funding from the Joint Fire Science Program, Bureau of Land Management, and Natural Resource Conservation Service. They address threats and critical information needs identified in the WAFWA Sage-Grouse Conservation Strategy. Development of a technique to control and eradicate cheatgrass, and designing fuel breaks to protect core sage-grouse habitats from fire could be vital to better manage the largest threat in the western (and potentially eastern) portion of the range. Completing mapping juniper encroachment phases across their entire range, coupled with state and federal funding sources for removal represents a unique opportunity to prevent additional loss of functional habitats and restore sage-grouse to formerly occupied habitats at landscape scales. Development of a range-wide methodology to estimate sage-grouse population size and trends is critical to understanding the conservation status of sage-grouse now and in the future, and to monitoring grouse response to management practices.
Collaboration among land management entities at a range-wide scale helps to coordinate planning, reduce redundancy, increase efficiencies and assures shared priorities. The selected projects seek to create science-based decision support tools and assist in the access and transfer of sage-grouse research data. By working in partnership and providing project funding, the Service has created a strong alliance of people dedicated to sustainable healthy landscapes and natural resource priorities in support of sage-grouse conservation.
Department of the Interior
USA.gov
About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Accessibility
Privacy
Notices
Disclaimer
FOIA