Assist the wyoming weed and pest council (WWPC) in controlling invasive annual grass in sagebrush landscapes

This Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (CFDA 15.631) provides $695,000 in funding to the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) to control invasive annual grasses in sagebrush landscapes. The project aims to enhance native plant communities and improve sage-steppe grassland habitat for a variety of wildlife species. Specifically, the funding will support 10-15 site-specific agreements with private landowners to treat approximately 9,134 acres, ultimately benefiting around 100,000 acres of the surrounding sage-steppe landscape. The long-term goal is to foster cooperative conservation between agricultural lands and the fish and wildlife resources that rely on these rural areas. The award is effective from January 20, 2025 through January 18, 2030.

The WWPC will provide the mechanism for treating invasive annual grasses on private lands to enhance native plant communities, which in turn will improve sage steppe grassland habitat for a variety of game and non-game species. Projects developed under this cooperative agreement are located within identified focal areas for habitat restoration and conservation under the partners for fish wildlife program 2022-2027 strategic plan. A long-term goal of this project is to foster a spirit of cooperative conservation, whereby agricultural lands and those fish and wildlife resources that rely on these rural lands are promoted hand-in-hand. The specific objective to be accomplished under this project will be on-the-ground habitat projects or treatments. The outcomes will be improved habitat for federal trust species, state fish and wildlife species of concern, and other conservation priority species of our partners, as well as improving the local human environment though economic benefits to area communities. We anticipate approximately ten to fifteen site-specific private landowner agreements will be administered under this project using sage bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL) funding. Specific invasive annual grass treatment areas will likely include approximately 9,134 acres, benefiting approximately 100,000 acres of the surrounding sage-steppe landscape.