Check out the first episode of our new series “Map Chats” – where our Center for Conservation Innovation Mappers host a quick chat with our experts about our latest maps! This episode features Laura and Vera discussing our newest map, “Protecting the Disappearing Sagebrush Sea”.
Learn more at https://defenders.org/wild-places/sagebrush-sea
Video Transcript:
[Laura] Hi, mappers. I’m Laura Nunes from CCI here at Defenders of Wildlife.
We just published a new story map on the Sagebrush Sea.
So we’ve invited Vera Smith, our Senior Federal Lands Policy Analyst, to chat about this complex habitat system.
Hi, Vera. Can you tell us a little bit about why you wanted to map the Sagebrush Sea now?
[Vera] Hi, Laura. Yes, I’d absolutely be glad to. So this area that we call the Sagebrush Sea, it blankets most of the interior west, and it’s a haven for wildlife, including deer and eagles and falcons and wildlife that are more rare and even endangered, like the sage-grouse and the Pygmy Rabbit.
And while this area is expansive, it’s heavily used for grazing and energy development, and it’s losing its core integrity. So we wanted to share this information and ways to protect this really special place.
Laura. I’m curious. What’s something you learned by putting this story map together?
[Laura] That’s a great question. I think I learned that protecting the Sagebrush Sea is multifaceted and it takes coordinated action to be able to provide for all the species and address all the threats that impact the system.
Vera, what can people do to help protect this critical habitat?
[Vera] Well, there are actually a few opportunities right now. The Bureau of Land Management, which is our largest land management agency in this country, is revising its management plans for this vast area, the Sagebrush Sea.
We have proposed that they conserve a network of lands across the entire Sagebrush Sea for wildlife habitat and their movement. Also, the Bureau of Land Management has formally proposed what we call a rule that would reform how it manages the lands under its jurisdiction, and in particular, this rule would give more attention to conserving habitat, intact landscapes and important natural resources.
So people could support these two proposals by emailing their Members of Congress and also subscribing to Defenders of Wildlife Action Alerts, where we will post alerts about these two really important issues.
So go ahead, explore the map to learn more about this issue and visit our website to learn more about the Sagbebrush Sea.
[Laura] Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more Map Chats!
Defenders of Wildlife works on the ground, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill to protect and restore imperiled wildlife and habitats across North America.
