| In 2015 the Bureau of Land Management amended Resource Management Plans across the western US to improve conservation measures for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). This shift in policy paved the way for projects such as the multi-million dollar Vya greater sage-grouse habitat improvement project in northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. This collaborative project with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, and private land owners has removed more than 10,000 acres of juniper, adjusted grazing practices to improve a large brood-rearing meadow system, and is establishing protective enclosures around springs used during late brood-rearing. Results of this effort are beginning to manifest with sage grouse moving into recently cut areas that provide increased native grass and forb cover. Sage grouse movements and population fitness are being monitored in partnership with Oregon State University with satellite collars being deployed in 2017. In addition, 2017 marked the first year of an investigation into non-target impacts of juniper removal - monitoring changes in insect, reptile, small mammal, bird, and bat populations - being conducted by University of Nevada, Reno. Taken together, these efforts are providing for the persistence of this iconic species and would not be possible without a proactive policy for conservation. |