AMERICA'S GRASSLAND CONFERENCE 2025 IS ONLY A MONTH AWAY - Register by June 1 for the Early Bird Rate! Registration is now open for America’s Grasslands Conference, co-hosted by the National Wildlife Federation, the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, and the Center for Grassland Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. To find details and register, go to nwf.org/Our-Work/Our-Lands/Americas-Grasslands-Conference The hosts are excited to welcome folks to Kearney, Nebraska for the 7th biennial event. The 2025 theme is Grasslands Across Generations, with a focus on the modification of grasslands over time and the progression of grassland conservation. This emphasis will also help orient future endeavors and pave the way for the next generations to move this important work forward. Exciting plans for the three days include three field trips options allowing participants to experience the largest intact temperate grassland on earth, visit local ranches, and native prairies. An unprecedented number of presentation submissions were taken and an exciting lineup of speakers, posters, and roundtable talks has been developed for the second and third day of the conference. Another highlight to note is a visit to Nicolson Audubon Center for dinner featuring conservation ranching beef along with local beverages. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the grounds of Rowe Sanctuary along the Platte River. Go! Get your grasslands on - without grasslands, we have no prairie grouse! (fb)

PROTECTING THE LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN - A Webinar on June 6 by Southern Plains Land Trust and Great Plains Conservation Network Colorado listed the lesser prairie-chicken as a threatened species in 1973. However, since the early 1990’s Colorado has experienced further declines. Many of Colorado's remaining Prairie-Chickens are located in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands in southeast Colorado - primarily on private lands in Prowers County. Small populations are found in sand sage habitat on private lands in Cheyenne County as well as the Comanche National Grasslands and surrounding private lands in Baca County. In 2024, only 89 males were detected in the State of Colorado, indicating that this species needs more protection. Learn more about what the five-state conservation team is working on to conserve lesser prairie-chickens and their habitat over all of their currently-occupied range. This webinar will be presented by Jonathan Reitz, from Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Webinar Date and Time: June 6th, 2025, 7pm - 8pm (Mountain Time) Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScF-nlF-Sc7uRTf8VAq4nCBwo8vi1XJEB03-NF7zRSTZNRogA/viewform Learn more about the Southern Plains Land Trust at southernplains.org and the Great Plains Conservation Network at plainsconservation.org (fb)