Located on the Oregon-Nevada border, the Greater Hart-Sheldon is one of the six most important habitats remaining for greater sage-grouse in the American West.
This charismatic ambassador of the Sagebrush Sea is an indicator species, meaning that their population status also represents the overall health of the sagebrush ecosystems they inhabit. Unfortunately, the sage-grouse population in the Greater Hart-Sheldon declined 22 percent in 2022, signaling that more must be done to conserve and restore this habitat stronghold for the species.
The U.S. Geological Survey recently published a new report and data confirming the importance of this landscape to sage-grouse and other wildlife. ONDA used this information, as well as data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, to create the map below depicting the extensive sage-grouse habitat cores and connectivity across the entire region.
