Minnesota Sharp-Tailed Grouse Society

08/15/2025

08/15/2025

https://www.trcp.org/2025/08/08/senators-introduce-legislation-to-strengthen-the-conservation-reserve-program/?emci=6e06e3d8-7178-f011-b481-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=b57b87e4-f079-f011-b481-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=6535299

Landowners can now enroll in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, a unique opportunity to enhance habitat and water quality.

08/01/2025

This article from August 2021. The demise it portends is even more poignant today!

Sharp-tailed grouse are vanishing from most of eastern Minnesota.

07/27/2025

07/25/2025

... here is yet another very important "Citizen Conservation Biologist Survey" collecting much needed data ... for your consideration.

Every summer thousands of expert birders hit the road—not just for fun, but for science! 🚗📊

Over 2,500 volunteer birders take part in the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)—a massive, continent-wide effort led by the U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center, in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity, to monitor bird populations across North America.

Here’s how it works:
🌄 Volunteers skilled in bird ID spend five early-morning hours driving a 25-mile route.
🛑 They stop roughly every ½ mile, or 50 times along the way.
⏰ At each stop, they count every bird they see or hear for exactly 3 minutes.
📍Each route is surveyed once per year—rain or shine, bugs or… bugs!

These data points might sound small, but together they build BIG science. With over 4,800 survey routes located across the continental U.S, Canada and northern Mexico, these BBS data have:
📉 Revealed major declines in North American birds: data from BBS helped document the loss of 3 billion birds in North America since 1970 and are used extensively in the State of the Birds Reports.

🌳 Informed national conservation policy and land-use planning.
📚 Fueled 800+ scientific publications.

A huge thank-you to the dedicated volunteers who help us understand and protect North America’s bird populations. Your commitment makes all the difference. 👏

📸 USFWS migratory bird biologist conducting a BBS route in Delta Junction, AK. Photo by Zak Pohlen/USFWS

07/25/2025

Sharp-tailed grouse nation -- please be sure to report your sharpie sightings (as well as other wild game bird) Your information is vital data needed for targeting sharp-tailed grouse habitat and population management.

We want your reports of wild gamebird chicks! 🪶

🦃 Minnesota DNR is accepting sightings of wild turkey and pheasant broods across Minnesota. This data helps biologists continue to track trends in distribution and abundance in addition to other DNR research.

If you’ve seen young wild turkeys or pheasants, submit a report online: https://ow.ly/qGNO50WpzE8

07/25/2025

We want your reports of wild gamebird chicks! 🪶

🦃 Minnesota DNR is accepting sightings of wild turkey and pheasant broods across Minnesota. This data helps biologists continue to track trends in distribution and abundance in addition to other DNR research.

If you’ve seen young wild turkeys or pheasants, submit a report online: https://ow.ly/qGNO50WpzE8

07/23/2025

Check this out! Website for landowners in Pine County to learn about the different habitat opportunities available.

https://pinecountywildlife.my.canva.site

07/23/2025

Among the most at-risk ecosystems on Earth, grasslands offer climate solutions, vital habitat and a way of life.