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Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative
The Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative (CSI) is an organization that is representing a broad coalition of western land users as the nation seeks to balance conservation of sagebrush habitats with other regional and national priorities. This group has developed an innovative agenda for implementing cooperative conservation through partnerships, good science, and incentives. Building from the credibility of its membership, linked to expertise in land management, industrial development, and policy, CSI is advancing a better way of doing business in the sagebrush biome. It is time that you and your organizations joined with us.
The CSI Opportunity
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CSI is the organization providing the Leadership, Coordination, and Funding Mechanisms to achieve compatibility among land uses across 66 million acres of public and private land in the U.S. West
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CSI has formulated conservation strategies that address the needs of landowners, public ranchers, oil & gas companies, mining concerns, western states, conservation groups, and many others.
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CSI identifies and provides credible support for landscape scale demonstration projects that advance the scientific understanding of restoration.
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CSI is facilitates communication and awareness of funding, partnerships, and technical assistance among local working groups throughout the west.
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CSI is leading the way toward functional regulatory assurances for landowners, states, and industry.
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CSI is actively testing a sagebrush credit system that will reward verifiable conservation practices and provide a reliable bank of mitigation opportunities for landowners, industry, states, and others.
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CSI has been endorsed by national agriculture groups, the Western Governors Association, highlighted as a top collaborative effort in a GAO report, and awarded the 2007 Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commissions environmental stewardship award.
Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative Approved for $2 Million Project for Critical Wildlife Habitat
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) this week announced approval of a $2 million project by the Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative (CSI) to develop a market-based approach for restoring rangelands and critical wildlife habitat in the sagebrush region of the western U.S. The $1 million Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) will be matched by $1 million non-federal funds to pilot test a sagebrush habitat credit banking system on large landscapes in four western states: California, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming. This project seeks to greatly expand incentives for private sector investment in conserving and restoring habitat for many at-risk sagebrush dependent species. (Full Press Release)
GAO Report Highlights CSI
 The Government Accountability Office has released a report entitled: "Natural Resource Management: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Federal Participation in Collaborative Efforts to Reduce Conflicts and Improve Natural Resource Conditions."
The report cites seven cooperative efforts around the nation, and evaluates accomplishments and barriers for each. The report recognizes the growth of cooperative conservation in the 1990s and  analyzes the expansion of public-private partnerships in light of a 2004 Executive Order on Cooperative Conservation which further encouraged such efforts.
EnCana Launches Sagebrush Project in Wyoming
 EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. has funded a project through the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of Wyoming for an integrated approach to wildlife and livestock habitat management within the Frenchie Draw Field in Fremont County, Wyo. The project will design and implement habitat enhancements and strategies to maintain wildlife and livestock habitat use in an oil and gas production field.
Murphy Fire Burns more than 650,000 acres of ID Sagebrush Habitat
 CSI has responded to a request from Idaho Governor Butch Otter to help stabilize and restore sagebrush habitat that burned in the 2007 Murphy Complex in Southern Idaho. This multi-state, multi-agency effort is a critical test of CSI's ability to work across the sagebrush range in core habitat areas.
The Murphy Fire burned more than 650,000 acres of sagebrush steppe in southern Idaho and northern Nevada. Of 75 sage-grouse leks within the fire perimeter, 39 were known to be active in the past five years. This part of Idaho and Nevada is one of the few remaining places with large areas of unfragmented sagebrush habitat. Seeding sagebrush within the burned area will speed the return of suitable habitat for sage grouse and other wildlife dependant on sagebrush. (Click here for information and upcoming events)
Idaho Contingent Visits California Sagebrush Steppe Partners
 In mid-October John Romero (Idaho Sage-grouse Advisory Committee) brought a group from Idaho to view the Butte Creek Cooperative Sagebrush Steppe Restoration Initiative's (CSSRI) project in northeastern California. The Butte Creek project is both a sagebrush steppe and eastside forest restoration project. Juniper is removed and processed for use as biomass fuel in the production of electricity at the Burney Forest Power generating facility. The $200,000 project is funded by the California Fire Safe Council/USFS, Lassen County Resource Advisory Committee, NRCS/Conservation Innovative Grant, Lassen County Fire Safe Council, Pit Resource Conservation District, Susanville Indian Rancheria, Lassen County and CalFire. The work is being implemented on both private and BLM managed lands. (Photos and descriptions from tour.)
The Whitehouse Supports Recovery Credit Policy for Species Conservation
 CSI's sagebrush conservation credit concept gained traction on October 19, 2007 when the Whitehouse announced that the Administration will put forward a policy called recovery credit trading. With this policy, landowners who improve habitat for birds and other species will earn recovery credits that they can sell. The concept was developed among landowners, conservation groups, Texas A&M University, and the Departments of Army and Defense around Fort Hood in central Texas who established a voluntary recovery credit pilot project for the endangered golden cheeked warbler. This new policy will formalize this practice for recovering species. It is not clear how this system would function for non-listed species, such as sage-grouse or mule deer.
CSI Wins IOGCC Environmental Partnership Award
 In only its first year of existence, CSI has been recognized for outstanding conservation achievement by the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. CSI representatives were presented with the 2007 IOGCC Chairman's award for environmental partnership at a ceremony in New Orleans on September 24th.
CSI Calls for First Round of Project Proposals
On May 1, 2007 CSI issued its first round of Request for Proposals calling for sagebrush conservation projects. Three landscape-scale projects were selected by CSI for support. Information about those projects will be available soon. The 2007 RFP can be viewed at: CSI Demonstration Project RFP (pdf) . The 2008 RFP will be available later this year.
The Sagebrush Steward - May 2007
The Sagebrush Steward - April 2007
Western Governors' Association Joins CSI
On behalf of the Western Governors' Association, South Dakota Governor, M. Michael Rounds (Chairman), and Wyoming Governor, Dave Freudenthal (Vice Chairman), expressed support and encouragement for CSI in a March 20, 2007 letter. The Governors also committed to appoint a representative to the CSI Partnership Council.
American Sheep Industry Endorses CSI
At their January 2007 annual meeting, the American Sheep Industry (ASI) passed a resolution to be involved in and work with CSI. ASI's leadership expressed support for CSI and a desire to remain closely involved in its development.
Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative - Slide Show (2.28 MB PDF)
This presentation was recently updated by Mr. Ed Warner and may be downloaded and used for providing audiences with an overview and status report on CSI.
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