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Ecology and Conservation of Sagebrush Steppe Wildlife
HIGHLIGHTS
Idaho National Laboratory
• 570,000 acres
• 890 square miles
Regional WCS Projects
• Wolverine Ecology and
Conservation
• Carnivore Connectivity
• Path of the Pronghorn
• Pronghorn, Coyote, and Wolf
Dynamics
• Setting Priorities for Wildlife
Conservation
• Corridor Conservation Initiative
Partners
• Stoller Corporation
• Department of Energy
This project will provide the information required for selecting the locations of future facilities that will have the least environmental impact while enabling the Department of Energy to move forward with their goals and mission.
Contact:
Jeff Burrell
jburrell@wcs.org
Support Our Work
Contributions can be sent to:
WCS Sagebrush Steppe
301 North Willson Avenue
Bozeman, MT 59715
To donate online, or for more information on supporting our work, click here.
Thank you for your support!
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Sagebrush steppe is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Habitats on most of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory site (INL) have been safeguarded from many disturbances for over 50 years. This project will gather critical wildlife and biodiversity information from the field that will contribute to a longer term conservation plan for the INL while at the same time help the DOE make decisions about the development of future facilities necessary for the pursuit of its mission and goals.
The Human Aspect
Sagebrush steppe habitats support a number of human activities such as mining, grazing, agriculture, and energy development that are important to regional economies. Wildlife and ecosystem inventories and research on the INL sagebrush ecosystem not only serve to document how the ecosystem and its wildlife populations function in the absence of many human disturbances, but will also provide an important foundation of information that will be used to develop a conservation management plan for the INL.
Threats
The development of facilities for nuclear energy and other research on the INL may fragment and degrade sagebrush steppe habitats by increasing road density. Sagebrush steppe habitats on the INL are also threatened by other land use activities. Overgrazing on the INL and adjacent public and private lands, is promoting invasion by exotic plants (e.g., cheatgrass) which, in turn, promote more frequent fires that overtime prevent native vegetation from regenerating.
WCS Activities
Over the next 3-4 years, WCS will be conducting a field-based assessment of the biodiversity of a development corridor where future DOE facilities will be located, and, in addition, conducting INL-wide surveys on the distribution and abundance of two at-risk sagebrush obligate species – sage grouse and pygmy rabbit. The projects are designed to determine the distribution of wildlife, critical use areas, and critical habitats on the INL. Studies on sage grouse and pygmy rabbits will increase our knowledge of how habitat characteristics influence the distribution of sagebrush steppe wildlife. WCS biologists will use the information gathered in the biodiversity assessment and wildlife studies to develop a conservation management plan for the INL. This conservation management plan will be an important tool for safeguarding the ecological integrity of the sagebrush ecosystem on the INL for the long term.
Important Next Steps
•Conduct a biodiversity assessment including plant community classification, rare
plant surveys, noxious weed surveys, and mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian
surveys on the development corridor of the INL.
•Document the distribution and abundance of sage grouse including the locations of
critical use areas and habitats across the entire INL.
•Document the distribution and abundance of pygmy rabbits including the locations
of critical use areas and habitats across the entire INL.
•Develop a conservation management plan for the INL.
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