Wet meadows and riparian areas in sagebrush shrublands provide important brood-rearing habitat for the Greater Sage-Grouse, whose populations are declining and near-threatened across the American West. These habitats are also important for numerous other species, including neo-tropical migratory birds, elk, and mule deer, and to ranchers for livestock grazing. According to climate change prediction models, several wet meadows and riparian areas, already compromised by erosion and lowered water tables, are expected to be further harmed by drought and high-intensity rainstorms.

With the support of Audubon Watermolen funds, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) will continue work with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Colorado State Land Board (CSLB), as well as other local stakeholders, to restore wet meadow habitats in sagebrush shrublands in North Park, Colorado, near Walden.

Volunteers will spend three days building rock Zeedyk structures to restore eroded gullies on BLM and CSLB-managed lands to improve habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse. This project is a continuation of work begun in 2020 to improve habitat along a drainage co-managed by private ranches, the CSLB, and the BLM.

Learn more and register here through WRV.

Greater Sage-Grouse. Photo: Christopher Ciccone/Audubon Photography Awards