National Wildlife Federation Outdoors
Sports:Wilderness
Western Roots - the Plants, People, and Critters of the "Big Empty" with Jeremy Maestas of the Sage Grouse Initiative
Jeremy Maestas joins the podcast to talk the sage brush sea, partnering with private landowners to conserve rangelands, sage grouse, and the critters that rely on the western range - "good for the bird, good for the herd". We also speak about the Sage Grouse Initiative's collaboration with Hunt to Eat dubbed "Western Roots" highlighting the importance of native plants in the West.
Hunt to Eat/Sage Grouse Initiative Collaboration
https://hunttoeat.com/products/western-roots
NRCS Sage Grouse Initiative: https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/
SGI’s Conserve our Western Roots: https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/roots/
NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/programs/initiatives/?cid=stelprdb1046975
Show notes:
4:30 – intro to “Rangelands”
7:39 – Jeremy’s love of mule deer
8:26 – Jeremy’s best sage country memories
10:17 - what is the Sage Grouse Initiative or SGI
13:45 – what are sage ands, rangelands and why are they so important
15:25 – the amazingness of sage grouse and sage grouse life
19:30 - what does “good for the bird, good for the herd” mean and the connection between wildlife health in the sagelands ecosystem
25:30 – the benefits of native plants over introduced and noxious species
28:19 – the nastiness of cheat grass
32:23 – soil is an under sung hero
34:02 – having cheatgrass on the land doubles the risk of wildfire
37:26 – restoration on the range
43:17 – How can average Joe or Jane hunter be part of the solution
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free