1. The greater sage-grouse conservation strategy comprises the largest landscape-level conservation effort in U.S. history. In 2017, it was officially removed from its designation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This was the direct result of the collaboration among Federal, state, and private entities. This success was only possible through close collaboration among western states, the Department of the Interior, USDA, and more than 1,100 ranchers across eleven states. The bipartisan leadership of many western governors, including Colorado Governor Hickenlooper, Wyoming Governor Mead, Nevada Governor Sandoval, and Montana Governor Bullock. This has included the development of nearly 100 resource management plans that protect the sage-grouse while also reducing the threat of wildfires. These collective conservation efforts achieve more than protecting one species. The sagebrush habitat is shared with more than 350 other wildlife species, including world-class populations of mule deer, elk, pronghorn and golden eagles. They also provide sustainable development benefits that help local communities and the U.S. economy.
For more information on the Sage Grouse Initiative, see here:
https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/
For this case study, I want you to first consider what made this effort successful. This should consider the need for a regional response to this issue. For a listing of all the partners, see the above link. Why do you think all of the partners are invested in protecting the sage-grouse? Why was a regional response needed to protect it? To help you answer these questions explore the website above and also watch the videos included. In addition to these questions, I want you to consider the possibilities of regional responses to other pressing issues. This will require you to explore some problems / issues that merit a response. This could be an issue based in preservation / conservation or another issue such as with the economy, the environment, national security, social welfare, or any issue that is of interest to you. This will require you to consider whether a regional response is necessary to address the issue. You should also consider which partners should be invested in addressing the issue. Use the sage-grouse issue as an example. In addition, you will need to evaluate whether a regional response would be possible. This evaluation should consider any complications in coordination and limits in cooperation between the partners.
This case study will have 2 major sections. The first section will focus on the sage-grouse case and your analysis of that case. The second section will focus on another problem / issue that you think not only merits a response, but a regional response in order to address it. Make sure you follow the rubric in identifying which parts need to be in the final case study. The rubric will be uploaded into Moodle as a guide for grading.
The entire assignment should be roughly 750 words of writing (roughly – this is about 3 pages double-spaced). Please follow the formatting guidelines outlined for the above assignments.
2. You will be reading Chapter 3 in the textbook (will be provided) about how states and local governments are investing in many of those developments linked with the quality of life. I would like you to consider how these developments are a causal force for attracting people to those states and communities and/or because of the influx of people there is a need for more of these investments. Which states are attracting more people i.e. they have population growth from greater levels of in-migration versus out-migration? Consider the role of the state’s economy as well as other factors that may be attracting more people to some states.
There are multiple approaches you can take here and I am open to any that you would like to focus on as long as you identify a connection to state in-migration. This connection does not have to be causal or statistical, but you should start to identify trends and make connections based on the class material (textbook, etc.). This should lead you to make recommendations for state governments since attracting new residents is of paramount concern since there are direct linkages to state tax systems and overall taxable resources.
Must answer all questions thoroughly and incorporated the readings.
