"The really comforting thought for me is that when I'm gone, this place will still stay a ranch and will still be a haven for wildlife and be protected."- Maggie Miller, Wyoming Rancher
The subdivision and conversion of large and intact ranches to small, isolated parcels remains a primary threat facing sage-grouse populations. Conservation easements are voluntary agreements that allow a landowner to limit the type and amount of development on their property while retaining private ownership - providing another way to keep ranchers ranching on working lands in the West.
Easements are typically perpetual in nature, but can also be written for shorter periods of time. They are considered the primary mechanism that help keep large ranches intact in some of the areas of highest sage grouse abundance and reduce the threat of fragmentation, the overarching reason cited by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for potential listing of the sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.
