Baker LIT — SageCon

The Baker Local Implementation Team strives to Increase the quality and quantity of sage-grouse habitat and ultimately increase the Baker sage-grouse population. To achieve this goal, the Baker LIT is working from a strategic plan that includes partnering with landowners to reduce threats to sage-grouse and their habitat. The Baker LIT implements conservation on private and public land through collaborative efforts with landowners and other agencies. This effort is funded in part by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board’s (OWEB) Focused Investment Partnership (FIP).

LIT Partners

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Natural Resource Conservation Service
Bureau of Land Management
Baker County
Tri-County Cooperative Weed Management Area
Powder Basin Watershed Council
Private Landowners
Contributing partners:
U.S. Geological Survey
Oregon State University Sage-grouse/Raven Research Team
Oregon State University Extension

Upcoming Meeting and Events

Threat Reduction Plan Subcommittee Meeting: February 14th 2024
Baker LIT Spring Quarterly Meeting: April 2nd, 2024

Newsletters

Winter 2020 Spring 2020 Summer 2020 Fall 2020 Winter 2021 Spring 2021 Summer 2021 Fall 2021 Winter 2022 Spring 2022 Summer 2022 Winter 2023 Spring 2023 Fall 2023

OWEB FIP

The Baker Sage-grouse Focused Investment Partnership Grant (FIP) was awarded by OWEB in July 2019 and includes ~$6.1 million for Sage-grouse conservation to occur in Sage-grouse habitat in Baker and Union Counties. Funds are allocated over 6 years (3 bienniums).

$1.7 million first biennium (July 2019-July 2021)
$2.1 million second biennium (July 2021-July 2023).
$ 2.3 million third biennium (July 2023-July 2025)

FIP funds are released on a project by project basis as determined by the Baker LIT during two funding cycles per year. Project proposals will be accepted two times per year—October 15 and March 15—Private landowners are encouraged to contact any FIP partner agency (Baker County, Tri-County Weed Management Area, and Powder Basin Watershed Council) to initiate a project on their property. Projects must be located in the FIP geography (see map above) and promote sage-grouse habitat. Projects may include: invasive annual grass or noxious weed treatments, grazing management, fencing, seedings, riparian, spring or wet meadow protection/restoration, and wildfire risk reduction. Projects will be ranked based on proximity to priority sage-grouse lek complexes and the extent to which they expand previous treatment areas and ultimately suitable habitat for sage-grouse. Necessary follow-up treatments to promote the success and/or adaptive management of previously implemented projects will also be strongly supported.

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Summary of Work Completed

With the help of funding through the FIP and partner agencies such as NRCS, ODFW, BLM, Baker County, and USFWS, the Baker LIT has been able to implement conservation actions in core Sage-grouse habitat. Check out our January 2023 newsletter for a complete summarization of all work completed under the Baker LIT FIP:

RESTORATION

Invasive Annual Grass
- Treated 4,310 acres of invasive annual grasses.
- Inventoried 26,000 acres of rangeland to map infestations of invasive annual grasses and other noxious weeds.
- Acquired one loaner OHV herbicide spray unit.
Noxious Weeds
- 2,811 acres of broadleaf noxious weeds have been sprayed including white top, yellow starthistle, common crepina, russian thistle, etc.
Seeding
- Seeded 955 acres of previously treated ground with native and non-native species depending on site and use characteristics.
- Acquired one cooperatively shared rangeland seed drill.
OHV Site
- Preliminary plans have been developed to install a wash station near the Virtue Flats OHV Recreation site east of Baker City. One portable wash station has been
- Acquired one cooperatively shared portable OHV wash station.

FILLING INFORMATION GAPS

WNv Monitoring
- The Baker LIT has completed their fourth and final year of monitoring for West Nile virus (WNv) within the Baker PAC. West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease that when transmitted can cause high mortality rates in birds. Sage-grouse are highly susceptible to WNv, but the degree to which WNv may be impacting the local population in Baker County is largely unknown. In particular, because sage-grouse populations in Baker County are relatively small and isolated, even lower levels of mortality resulting from WNv may have a high impact. Baker LITs monitoring data combined with data collected by Baker Valley Vector Control has assisted the Baker LIT in quantifying the prevalence of WNv and assisted in identifying “hot spot” areas within the Baker PAC . For more information, see our Spring 2023 newsletter.

Mesic habitat restoration
- The Baker LIT and partners are working to use pre-collected field data and maps depicting brood habitat to identify and prioritize mesic areas for protection and restoration across both private and public lands. Through this process, we hope to better direct conservation efforts to areas beneficial to sage-grouse. See our Spring 2023 newsletter for more information.

Understory Enhancement
- To better understand best management practices for invasive annual grass restoration treatments in sage-grouse habitat, the Baker LIT and Oregon State University Extension’s research team in Burns is conducting a multi-year understory enhancement study. Multiple plots have been established in two types of sites where each side has been treated with herbicide and reseeded with a different combination of forb and/or grass mixes. Sites include “hotspot'“ sites dominated by medusahead and degraded sites with a depauperate bunch grass and forb community. For more information contact the Baker LIT Coordinator.