South Dakota

American Bird Conservancy
Providing Technical Assistance for Conservation Management on Private Working Lands (MT, ND, SD, WY)
Provide technical assistance to promote healthy grassland conservation to benefit grassland birds while meeting the economic bottom line for private landowners. Project will result in improved management on 6,500 acres through improved grazing rotations and fencing and water infrastructure and restore 350 acres by re-seeding annual cropland with native perennial grasses and forbs and 1,920 acres by removing windmills.
$345,588

Ducks Unlimited
Restoring Habitat through the Northern Grasslands Restoration Incentives Program (MT, ND, SD, WY)
Provide technical assistance through the Northern Grasslands Restoration Incentives Program to provide an additional set of conservation options for producers throughout the Northern Great Plains who provide habitat for declining grassland birds. Project will restore 2,000 acres of grassland habitat and place 16,000 acres under improved management.
$128,533

Ducks Unlimited
Increasing Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality with Soil Health Retention (SD)
Increase Ducks Unlimited’s technical assistance capacity to work with growers interested in expanding regenerative agriculture principles that improve water quality, benefit wildlife and improve profitability across eastern South Dakota. Project will implement 50 Best Management Practices to improve management on 50,000 acres of private working lands.
$137,463

Pheasants Forever
Using Decision-Support Tools to Deliver Grassland Bird Conservation (MT, SD, WY)
Implement a protocol to identify tracts on private land in western South Dakota, eastern Montana and eastern Wyoming with the highest value to grassland nesting passerines. Project will enroll 10,000 acres in grazing systems, integrate 50 ranchers with local stewardship resources, restore 5,000 acres of grassland habitat, improve 13 miles of fencing and restore 15 acres of riparian and wetland habitat.
$421,561

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory
Community-Led Conservation of Grassland Habitat on Private Working Lands (MT, NE, SD, WY)
Maintain grassland connectivity through community-led conservation efforts, supported by sound science from diverse knowledge sources and facilitated through habitat enhancement and restoration by qualified Private Lands Wildlife Biologists. Project will provide and deliver technical support for fish and wildlife habitat conservation, restoration and improved management on 5,000 acres of private lands.
$214,192

South Dakota Agricultural Land Trust
Increasing Technical Assistance Capacity for Grassland Conservation Easements (SD)
Significantly increase capacity to engage with private landowners and secure conservation easements in South Dakota. Project will place at least 2,000 acres of priority grassland habitat on private lands under conservation easement.
$393,282

World Wildlife Fund
Improving Grazing Management (MT, SD)
Improve grassland habitat on working lands by utilizing management agreements, prescribed grazing and changes in infrastructure to facilitate management in the Missouri-Milk River and Dakota Grasslands. Project will improve management on 90,000 acres to conserve grassland habitat and improve population trends for priority grassland songbirds, greater sage-grouse and pronghorn.
$451,155