On July 13, the Sage Grouse Initiative released findings from a new study that suggest that in the northeastern portion of sage grouse range, 96 percent of leks are surrounded by less than 15 percent cropland. The researchers estimate that a 50 percent increase in conversion of sagebrush habitat to cropland could reduce the region's populations by 5 percent.

"Particularly striking to me is that one landowner converting a single square mile into new cropland negatively impacts sage grouse in a landscape twelve times that size," noted lead researcher, Joe Smith with the University of Montana.

The Nature Conservancy partnered with Smith to develop Crop Suitability Maps to predict the most likely areas for future cultivation based on soils, climate and topography. When compared with known sage grouse leks in priority habitats, partners can now better target conservation activities to the areas most at risk. The study estimates that a $146 million investment coupled with state and federal policies that disincentive cropland conversion could reduce the potential bird losses by 87 percent.