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>> My name is Jason [inaudible] with Fish and Wildlife Service and I work
on Sage-Grouse Lek conservation across the state of Idaho.
I'm here today with Nathan and Kerri
and if you guys would both introduce yourselves and who you represent.
>> Okay. My name's Kerri York [assumed spelling].
I work for the Wood River Land Trust which is based in Hailey, Idaho.
>> My name is Nathan Welch [assumed spelling] and I'm a GIS Analyst
with the Nature Conservancy here in Idaho.
>> Very good.
And both Nathan and Kerri have been working here in this part
of central Idaho on Sage-Grouse Lek conservation.
And I'd like each of you two to provide what you believe your organization's unique role
in Sage-Grouse Lek conservation is a little bit and how you guys have partnered as well to try
and work on the some more significant threats in this part of Idaho.
And I guess I'll start with you Kerri and your role.
>> Okay. So the Wood River Land Trust,
we're a local nonprofit land conservation land trust based in Hailey.
And we work all within central Idaho which a lot of that landscape is Sage-Grouse Lek.
So a lot of the conservation easements that we do with private land owners,
a lot of the land that we purchase and use for preserves, those --
a lot of those management plans do include management for improving
and protecting the Sage-Grouse Lek habitat.
The preserve that we're on right now - the Square Lake Preserve which is south of Hailey -
was protected specifically for the Sage-Grouse Lek that was here several years ago.
So we're also involved with local conservation efforts in the Pioneer Mountains.
We've partnered with several other nonprofit organizations including the Land Trust
with local landowners and with government agencies like the BOM and the NRCS
to do specifically Sage-Grouse Lek and landscape scale conservation in the Pioneer Mountains
and in the craters of the moon area.
>> Thanks.
That's great.
And Kerry I guess Nathan if you could provide your guy's role with the TNC
and more specifically maybe just hint on what some of the GIS has allowed us to be able to do.
>> So working in the science program with the Nature Conservancy in Idaho,
we use several different types of spatial information
to make decisions about conservation.
There are 3 primary types of information we use.
We have Lek data that goes back for at least a couple decades that's actually collected
and managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
We also have information about the distribution of Sage-Grouse and their habitat
around this state, especially priority areas.
And then lastly we have a lot of aerial imagery that we can use
for different purposes including some work we've been doing in Owyhee County tracking juniper
and how it has encroached over time into areas
and actually degrades the quality of the habitat for Sage-Grouse.
The Nature Conservancy is working to protect Sage-Grouse and Sage-Grouse habitat:
mainly Sage-Grouse [inaudible] habitat in 3 broad areas in the state of Idaho.
Southwestern Idaho in Owyhee County:
that's an area where we're actively working to reduce juniper.
We're also have been active in upper salmon watersheds - especially the Lemhi
and Persimaroy [phonetic] - which are some areas in Idaho sort
of the northern extent of Sage-Grouse.
And thirdly, we've been very active in the Pioneers
to Craters landscape here in central Idaho.
This is a landscape that includes sort of The National Forest,
a real mix of private land, state land and federal land.
And then a large chunk of land managed by The National Park Service and the BOM.
The Conservancy has been working with a number of nonprofit partners to do land conservation
in this Pioneers Craters landscape including having completed a number
of large conservation easements on private lands that will protect habitat for Sage-Grouse
as well as help working lands -- as well as helping farmers and ranchers stay on the land
over time and protecting these lands from development.
>> Perfect.
And Kerri if I could ask you I guess [inaudible] the most importance of bringing kids
into the picture in these school trips.
>> Yeah. Well it's very different for kids to be out in the landscape that we're talking about
and actually see the Sage-Grouse and be out and do some type of activity
and relate what they're learning about to what the natural environment is.
So I think for them to have this sort of experience to see different aspects
of the Sage-Grouse [inaudible] habitat and to talk about Sage-Grouse conservation,
it just really solidifies a lot of the ideas and a lot
of the theory behind what we've been talking about a lot more
than just talking about it in the classroom.