Wyoming sage-grouse working groups: lessons learned

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) has been the subject of multiple status reviews under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Wyoming accounts for approximately 38% of the species' rangewide population. Since 2000, 2 statewide and 8 local citizen working groups have been established in Wyoming to develop conservation plans and advise state policy. A statewide plan for the conservation of sage-grouse was formally adopted in 2003 that established local sage-grouse working groups (LWGs) charged with developing and facilitating implementation of local conservation plans. Those plans were completed in 2007. From 2005-2017, the local working groups allocated nearly $7 million in legislatively appropriated funds to support conservation projects. In 2007, a statewide Sage-Grouse Implementation Team (SGIT) was appointed to advise the governor of Wyoming on all matters related to the Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Core Area Protection Policy. The Core Area Policy was established by a governors' executive order and provided mechanisms for limiting human disturbance in the most important sage-grouse habitats. Federal land management agencies have incorporated most aspects of the Core Area Policy into their land use planning decisions. Effectiveness of local and statewide collaborative conservation has been evaluated independently through assessments of LWG accomplishments, research on policy effectiveness, sage-grouse population monitoring, and ESA status reviews. Wyoming groups reported consistently higher results on a variety of success measures. Factors contributing to this success include targeted LWG member selection, trained neutral facilitators, the consensus decision-making process, providing training early in the process, LWG and agency support for science, the longevity of LWG membership, and substantial funding of both the LWG process and project implementation. Successes at the statewide scale are largely the product of sound science used to inform policy making and effective leadership. Challenges to LWG success include maintaining funding and member enthusiasm and commitment long-term, adequately determining project and policy effectiveness, truly implementing adaptive management as conditions change and new knowledge is gained, and important decisions being made outside of group processes.