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Priority Landscapes

Sagebrush Sea

Landscape view looking across flat land covered with golden grasses and sagebrush, with mountains in the distance.
Rinker Rock Creek Ranch Idaho. © John Finnell

Protecting the Sagebrush Sea

The Nature Conservancy is working across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon to protect this iconic western landscape.

Aerial view looking across a vast green landscape with streams running through it and mountains in the distance.

Project Overview

The Sagebrush Sea

Immerse yourself in its beauty and learn more about this remarkable region.

Watch Video
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A large meadow of sagebrush with red mountains in the background.
Tensleep Preserve Verdant sagebrush at the Tensleep Preserve in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. © Chip Carroon

Feature

The Sagebrush Sea Is Vanishing

Learn what The Nature Conservancy and stakeholders are doing to preserve one of the largest natural systems in North America.

Explore the Sagebrush Sea
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Conifer trees growing in sagebrush landscape.
Forest Encroaching Sagebrush Without fire, Douglas fir and juniper trees outcompete the native shrubs and grasses. © Sean Claffey/TNC

Feature

Holding the Line

To protect the Sagebrush Sea, we have to keep forests in check.

Read About Our Methods
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Two cows graze in a field while a herd of cows graze along rolling hills in the distance.
Cows Grazing Cows grazing on the Matador Ranch.. © Brett Kuxhausen

Conservation Update

Banking on Grassbanks

In Montana, collaborative grazing benefits ranchers and wildlife.

Learn About Grassbanks
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A man on horseback swings a rope over his head as he attempts to rope cattle in a corral.
Roping Calves Roping calves at TNC’s Dugout Ranch in Utah. Ranching is an important economic activity across the sagebrush sea. © Ted Wood

Science

Sagebrush Conservation Gateway

Explore peer-reviewed articles published in Rangeland Ecology & Management that dive into the science behind the Sagebrush Conservation Design, highlighting how, where and why we’re working to conserve the sagebrush biome.

Explore the Research
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Matt Cahill headshot.
Matt Cahill Matt is the Sagebrush Sea program director for The Nature Conservancy. © Courtesy of Matt Cahill/TNC

Audio

Matt Cahill—A Deep Dive into the Sagebrush Sea

Listen to an episode of the Mountain and Prairie podcast featuring TNC’s Sagebrush Sea program director Matt Cahill.

Listen Here
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Aerial view of a wet meadow with several people working in and around a stream.
Wet Meadows An aerial view of stream restoration work in the High Divide Headwaters area, Montana. © Jeremy Roberts

Feature

Restoring Streams Within the Sagebrush Sea

Simple to build, rock and brush structures can have outsized benefits for wildlife and groundwater supplies.

Find Out More
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Sagebrush Sea Stories

Two Youth Employment Program crew members place rocks in a grassy field to create a wet meadow.

Nature’s Next Leaders Start Out on the Sage

Jobs program employs teens and young adults from local communities while teaching a range of conservation skills.

A small brown bird perches on top of a bush.

Cool and Overlooked Critters of the Sagebrush Sea

Move over sage grouse: here are nine other cool critters of the sagebrush-steppe.

Several people use large bolt cutters to remove barbed wire fencing in a scrubby landscape.

Southwestern Montana Partner Program

The Impact of the Youth Employment Program in Southwestern Montana

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