Checking in Amidst Federal Cuts - A Note from Our Director
Plus, meet our newest team member, check out the latest state of the birds, apply for free native plants, and more!
At Sageland Collaborative, our team is driven by a shared passion for conservation—ecologists, restoration experts, and outreach specialists all united in our pursuit to protect and restore the landscapes we love.
We have always worked from a foundation of collaboration—finding common ground with people from all walks of life and celebrating shared wins in our conservation initiatives. While we entered 2025 anticipating the changes in federal funding programs, we didn’t foresee the avalanche of Executive Orders that have frozen or canceled federal grant contracts, severely impacting our ability to fund key programs.
Just as impactful are the layoffs and the chaos that has been sowed in federal agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The biologists and habitat managers in these agencies are invaluable in bringing expertise and in-kind resources to our programs. We feel these losses deeply.
A pronghorn overlooks a grassy Western landscape. Photo by Janice Gardner.
The recent federal funding cuts and layoffs of our federal agency partners are part of a larger, ongoing attack on policies that have protected our natural resources for decades. These policies, including the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act have been cornerstones of wildlife conservation and are now at risk.
Despite these threats, we will continue to create lasting and impactful change for wildlife and the environment. In my leadership role at Sageland Collaborative, I am focused on sustaining a resilient team that is able to serve the needs of wildlife and our conservation community.
The need for Sageland Collaborative’s work is more important than ever but we also need you. Thank you for being part of a community that cares about the wildlife and landscapes that unite us.
Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!
For the love of wildlife, lands, and the West—
Janice Gardner
Executive Director
Welcoming our new Development Director!
We are thrilled to welcome Kim Howes back to the Sageland Collaborative team as our Development Director! Kim brings an impressive amount of development expertise and passion for Western wildlife to this work.
Field Season is Coming Up!
Field season is just around the corner! We have several project trainings coming up in the next few months—check out our current projects to see how you can get involved in wildlife and land conservation this year!
Utah HerpSearch: Help us put Utah's amphibians and reptiles on the map! Tune into the training webinar on March 20, 2025.
Western Toad Project: Scour Utah's high alpine wetlands this summer to document populations of this mysterious toad.
Visit our project pages below to learn how to get involved. ¡También tenemos materiales del proyecto disponibles en español!
Shorebird Species at the Tipping Point
Graph courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The recently released 2025 State of the Birds report delivers a stark warning: without immediate action to protect birds and their habitats, we risk losing them forever. Even duck populations—once a bright spot in past reports—have recently trended downward.
Among the birds in peril are shorebirds, with 19 species identified as Tipping Point species, having lost over 50% of their populations in the past 50 years. This includes many that rely on the Great Salt Lake like yellowlegs, dowitchers, plovers, and more.
This report shows us that our work on the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey is more important than ever. We must continue to gain insight into shorebirds’ needs so we protect both the species and their habitat in the Great Salt Lake and beyond.
Birds are a powerful indicator of environmental health, and they are telling us that change must happen now—for the sake of their future and for all of ours.
Applications are Now Open!
Applications for the 2025 Utah Pollinator Habitat Program are open through April 15, 2025!
This is a great opportunity for Utahns to get free, high quality native plants to increase pollinator habitat across the state. Applicants should have 900+ square feet of land that they own or manage and be able to install plants in fall 2025.
Tune into this webinar on March 26 for tips on submitting a successful application from the program team.
Did you miss Dr. Doug Tallamy's Nature's Best Hope in Utah webinar? Check out the recording and get inspired to kickstart your pollinator habitat journey!
Celebrating Women in Conservation
Sageland Collaborative’s Frances Ngo, Mary Pendergast, Janice Gardner, and Sierra Hastings at the 2025 Utah HerpSearch training.
In celebration of Women's History Month, our latest blog post highlights the incredible women on the Sageland Collaborative team who bring our work to life! Learn more about our team in our interviews with them at the link below.
Now Hiring: Seasonal Positions!
We are currently hiring for a Summer Communications & Outreach Intern and a Seasonal Riverscape Restoration Technician!
Applications for these positions close on Friday, March 21, so don't delay—apply today!
The unmistakable "conk-la-ree" call of the male red-winged blackbird ushers us into spring across Utah's wetlands. Photo by Erika Berry.
Thank you for loving wildlife and lands in the West!
Visit the project page on our website, check out our Impact Report, or connect with us on social media (see links below) to learn more about our conservation work. Please feel free to contact us any time to share your volunteer stories, questions, or suggestions.