Rolling waves of sweet-smelling shrubs, often called the sagebrush sea, stretch on for miles across the Western US. But this important ecosystem is threatened by human alteration and invasive species. New federal investments aim to address these threats in Montana.
Sagebrush habitat spans 165 million acres across multiple states. It supports hundreds of species of wildlife, many of which aren’t found anywhere else in the world. Humans also use the land to ranch, hunt, and for oil and gas extraction.
In 2022, a group of researchers mapped the ecosystem and identified priority areas for conservation. Since then, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has been investing $50 million using that map as a guide.
This year, more than $1 million of that will fund projects in eastern and southwestern Montana, treating thousands of acres to remove invasive grasses, protect existing water resources for cattle and wildlife, and remove trees that have moved into sagebrush habitat.
Siva Sundaresan is the agency’s Deputy Director.
“Whether you're a rancher, whose cows are grazing in the sagebrush, whether you're a wildlife advocate who wants to see more sage grouse or you want to go out hunting for mule deer or pronghorn, you need that ecosystem to be resilient to climate and resilient to drought,” said Sundaresan
Removing invasive grasses reduces wildfire risk since grass can act like kindling on a fire, and an area that has burned is less likely to see sagebrush regrow.
These projects are also important for climate resiliency as intact ecosystems can better withstand climate change-impacts like increased drought and support more wildlife like birds.
