Wet meadows and riparian areas in sagebrush shrublands provide important brood-rearing habitat for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, whose populations are declining and near-threatened. These habitats are also important for numerous other species, including neo-tropical migratory birds, elk, and mule deer, and 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 over the Labor Day weekend building rock structures to improve critical habitat for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse in Gunnison, Colorado, where WLV has worked for more than six years on a large collaborative.

Learn more and register here through WRV.

Photo: Evan Barrientos/Audubon Rockies