Great Basin Native Plant Project and
BLM Plant Conservation Program:
Its Role in Sage Grouse Conservation
Peggy Olwell
BLM Plant Conservation Program Lead
March 17, 2014
Overview
• Native Plant Materials Development
Program
• Sagebrush for Conserving Sage- Grouse
• Climate Change
• Interagency Seed Conference
• 3rd National Seed Conference (planning
stages)
FY2001 House Appropriations
Conference Report Language
“The managers direct the agencies to develop
a long-term program to manage and supply
native plant materials for use in various
Federal land management restoration and
rehabilitation needs. The managers
recommend that the interagency native plant
conservation initiative lead this effort.”
Native Plant Materials Development Program
Funding committed by DOI/BLM
FY2001 – FY2014 ~$70 Million
Native Plant Materials Development
Process
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BLM Field Offices
Chicago Botanic Garden Interns
USDA FS Bend Seed Extractory
USDA ARS Western Plant
Introduction Station
USDA ARS National Center for
Genetic Resources Preservation
Smithsonian Institution
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Great Basin Native Plant Project
USGS Colorado Plateau Research Station
USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station
University of Idaho
University of Nevada-Reno
OSU Malheur Experiment Station
University of Utah
Rio Mesa Center
University of Wyoming
NRCS Plant Materials Centers
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Palmer PMC (AK)
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Tucson PMC (AZ)
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Lockeford PMC (CA)
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Upper Colorado PMC
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Aberdeen PMC (ID)
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Bridger PMC (MT)
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Los Lunas PMC (NM)
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Great Basin PMC (NV)
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Corvallis PMC (OR)
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Pullman PMC (WA)
Growers
Special K Ranch
BLM Public Land
Institute for Applied
Ecology
Truax Company, Inc.
BLM Seed Warehouse System
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Boise Regional Seed Warehouse
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Ely Regional Seed Warehouse
Other Partner Seed Warehouses
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Growers
State Seed Certifying Agencies
Seeds of Success Collections
by REA 2001-2014
REA
Collection Count
Central Basin and Range
1546
Chihuahuan Desert
273
Colorado Plateau
789
Madrean Archipelago
170
Middle Rockies
114
Mojave Basin and Range
625
North Slope
45
Northern Great Basin
1104
Northwestern Great Plains
127
Seward Peninsula
123
Sonoran Desert
272
Southern Great Plains
240
Wyoming Basin
622
Seeds of Success Collections
By State 2001-2014
State
Collection Count
Alaska
614
Arizona
749
California
2277
Colorado
887
Idaho
623
Montana
94
Nevada
1528
New Mexico
367
Oregon
1974
Utah
1521
Washington
243
Wyoming
768
2012 Wildfires in Sage-Grouse Habitat
• 2 million acres of
Sage-Grouse habitat
burned
• Only 400,000 acres
rehabilitated
• 1.6 million acres
remain to be
rehabilitated
Wyoming Big Sagebrush from 13 Locations
Planted in Glenns Ferry, ID in 1987
From: Sands, Alan, and Ann Moser. 2013. ID Fish & Game Report
Seeds of Success Sage-Grouse Habitat
Collections 2001-2013
Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation &
Improvement Projects Across the BLM
• 99 Projects in Total Across 7 Western States in 41
Field Offices
- Native Seed Collection
- Propagation
- Monitoring
- Post-Fire Seeding
- Germination Studies
- Grow Out
• 29 Projects with Federal Partners
- USGS
- NRCS
- BIA
- Forest Service
- ARS
- Fish & Wildlife Service
• 62 Projects with NGO Partners
- Mule Deer Foundation
- University of WY
- Chicago Botanic Garden - Great Basin Institute
- NV Sagebrush Ecosystem Council
Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat with
State & Federal Correctional Facilities
National Fish, Wildlife & Plants
Climate Adaptation Strategy
• The Strategy identifies seven
goals to help fish, wildlife,
plants and ecosystems cope
with the impacts of climate
change.
• Goal 2: Manage species and
habitats to protect ecosystem
functions and provide
sustainable cultural,
subsistence, recreational, and
commercial use in a changing
climate.
– Strategy 2.3: Conserve genetic
diversity by protecting diverse
populations and genetic
material across the full range
of species occurrences.
Thank you
and
Questions