Working from Ellensburg, Rose uses her extensive experience as a wildlife biologist to support our work to maintain, restore and connect shrub-steppe landscapes for the good of both wildlife and people. By Rose Piccinini, Sagelands Contractor When I started my career as a general wildlife biologist, I expected a moment of clarity that would solidify … Continued
Based in Omak and working with local groups and leaders, Jay Kehne shares why Highway 97 wildlife crossings are so important for his community. By Jay Kehne, Sagelands Program Lead Just north of my home outside the city of Omak, there’s a stretch of highway where my wife and many of my neighbors have been … Continued
With fires burning in the shrub-steppe of Central Washington this summer, we want to highlight the different roles fire plays in grasslands and forests. By Jay Kehne, Sagelands Program Lead We have learned a lot about the beneficial aspects of prescribed or controlled fires in forested environments, but recent wildfires in the sagebrush country of … Continued
Our staff and a supporter recently joined the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on a pygmy rabbit conservation project in Douglas County. By Chase Gunnell, Communications Director In 2001, as few as 16 pygmy rabbits remained in Washington, teetering on the brink of local extinction due to habitat loss and fragmentation. They are still … Continued
Collaborative effort works to restore the Okanogan’s wildlife heritage By Chase Gunnell, Communications Director Earlier this month, our staff were lucky to join and assist with the release of sharp-tailed grouse in the Tunk Valley, a key habitat corridor connecting to north-central Washington’s Okanogan Valley. A smaller cousin of the more well-known sage grouse, sharp-tailed … Continued
An update on our new Sagelands Heritage Program in Central Washington and southern British Columbia BY JAY KEHNE, SAGELANDS PROGRAM LEAD The northernmost extent of a “Sagebrush Sea” that extends from the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains to the Inland Northwest, our region’s arid steppe is often overlooked compared to the rugged splendor of … Continued
Perspectives after a trip to Eastern Washington’s sagelands By Chase Gunnell, Communications Director Vital habitat for sage grouse, pygmy rabbits, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and dozens of other bird and animal species, the Sagebrush Sea is a sprawling shrub-steppe ecosystem stretching from the eastern flanks of the Rocky Mountains in Montana and Wyoming through the Great … Continued