Northern Great Plains

American Bison - Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 (PDF, 3.55MB)
The next 10 to 20 years will be extremely significant for restoring wild populations of bison to their original roaming grounds.  American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 offers important research and guidelines for future bison conservation in North America to ensure this restoration is carried out correctly.

New Directions for the Prairie Economy: Connecting Conservation and Rural Development in the Northern Great Plains (PDF, 4MB)
In New Directions for the Prairie Economy: Connecting Conservation and Rural Development in the Northern Great Plains, authors highlight difficulties facing Northern Great Plains’ rural communities and native prairies. Authors review economic, population and land use trends and identify emerging opportunities where rural development and prairie conservation can work together to build a new, more sustainable, prairie economy.

Northern Great Plains snapshot (PDF, 2MB)

Anticipating Climate Change in Montana (PDF, 154KB)
A report on the workshop with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks focused on the Sagebrush-Steppe and Yellowstone River systems. The workshop was held in Bozeman Montana on December 9-10, 2008. The report was compiled by Sterling Miller, National Wildlife Federation, Missoula, MT, with assistance from Molly Cross, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bozeman, MT, Anne Schrag, World Wildlife Fund, Bozeman MT, and staff from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Wind Power in Wyoming: Doing It Smart From the Start (PDF, 5.17MB)
Wyoming has world-class wildlife and wildland values that deserve protection, with some of the last intact and functioning ecosystems in the United States. At the same time, it has outstanding wind power resources that need to be developed so we can reduce our fossil fuel consumption. Wind power development offers a clean, renewable source of electricity that could help to replace fossil fuels, which contribute air pollution and exacerbate the problem of global climate change. This report maps the location of sensitive wildlife habitats and landscapes sensitive to wind developments.

Newsletters

    Northern Great Plains Fall 2010 Newsletter (PDF, 1MB)

    Northern Great Plains Spring 2010 Newsletter (PDF, 866 KB)

    Northern Great Plains Fall 2009 Newsletter (PDF, 1MB)    

    Northern Great Plains Spring 2009 Newsletter (PDF, 974KB)

    Northern Great Plains Fall 2008 Newsletter (PDF, 866KB)

    Northern Great Plains Spring 2008 Newsletter (PDF, 717KB)

Grasslands 2010 brochure (PDF, 1.5MB): WWF's Grasslands 2010 initiative is exploring innovative ways to link conservation practices on private lands to sustainable livelihoods. 

Ocean of Grass: A Conservation Assessment for the Northern Great Plains

Executive Summary, Table of Contents and Introduction (PDF, 1.42M)
Less than 2 percent of world's temperate grasslands are conserved in parks, reserves, and areas protected for biodiversity conservation. The Northern Great Plains, the largest grassland ecoregion in North America, is no exception. Despite huge reductions in intact grassland habitat and loss of native species, opportunities exist to conserve and restore remaining large blocks of intact prairie.

Chapter 2: The Northern Great Plains Ecoregion and Its Biodiversity Context (PDF, 3.5M)
The Northern Great Plains contains a unique assemblage of grassland-associated species adapted to life in this environment. Over 78 percent of vertebrates in the NGP are described as imperiled by one or more federal, state, or provincial governments.

Chapter 3: Threats to Northern Great Plains Ecological Integrity (PDF, 939k)
Sodbusting, oil, gas and coal development, invasive nonnative species, disease, habitat alteration, homogenous grazing practices, changes to aquatic regimes, and climate change top the list of threats to ecosystem species and processes.

Chapter 4: Ecoregional Conservation Planning and Chapter 5: Habitat Restoration at Ecologically Meaningful Scales (PDF, 1.22M)
Ecoregional conservation planning is an effective approach to incorporating the Northern Plains Conservation Network vision of ecosystem restoration with improved diversification of economies for rural Northern Great Plains communities. Northern Great Plains prairie species such prairie dogs, bison, grassland birds, and ecosystem processes such as fire, drought, and grazing, require conservation at large scales. Conservation landscapes on the order of 1-2 million acres or more may be needed to support the full expression of Northern Great Plains biodiversity.

Chapter 6: Restoration Opportunities: Seeds for Successful Conservation Action in the Northern Great Plains (PDF format, 983k)
While grasslands of the Northern Great Plains have been adversely affected by human activities, factors such as extant species assemblages, large blocks of public land, changing economies, increasing demand for recreational opportunities, and increasing levels of conservation funding make restoration of large areas in this grassland ecoregion feasible.

Chapter 7: The Northern Great Plains Conservation Landscape and Chapter 8: The Future of the Northern Great Plains (PDF, 2.97M) Using available information on extant biodiversity, potential biodiversity, and restoration potential, we identify 10 potential terrestrial core areas where large-scale conservation could take place and numerous rivers of conservation importance in the ecoregion. Strategies for improving and incorporating large-scale conservation in the Northern Great Plains include: a) increasing land designated for biodiversity conservation, b) promoting ecologically sustainable management, c) restoring populations of native species and securing their long-term viability, and d) ensuring improvements in flows and water quality in the Missouri River watershed.

Appendices (PDF, 461k) Listed by title.