Current Projects

Restoring Habitats

Canada’s greater sage-grouse population has dwindled to fewer than 100 individuals, spread across Alberta and Saskatchewan. A legacy of land use change and ongoing climate change is threatening the sagebrush habitat on which they depend — but there’s hope.

Our newly-completed sagebrush habitat restoration project supports climate adaptation planning for at-risk species like the iconic greater sage-grouse. We coupled vegetation and climate data with decision support analyses to prioritize climate-resilient sites for ongoing conservation actions. To visualize sagebrush change over time, see our short video or request access to our sagebrush change webviewer.

Several sage-grouse habitat restoration and population recovery activities are underway, including wet meadow restoration and infrastructure removal. We developed a suite of decision-support products to support restoration planning including a mesic spatial prioritization tool and a vegetation projection model. With are also supporting our NGO partners in testing the use of micro-sized rock dams to restore wet meadows that sage-grouse rely on.

Explore our materials below and contact us at info@ceg.group for additional info.

  • Video

    Sagebrush ecosystems are changing. What does this mean for the greater sage-grouse?

    Conservation in a changing climate demands innovative and climate-smart planning— and carefully considered spatial modeling can play a big role. In this video, we explore how scientists are using climate vulnerability analyses to assess where sagebrush ecosystems may thrive or decline over the next century.

    Discover how this information can empower land managers to plan for the long-term recovery of this endangered species.

    Check out our short video here.

  • Webviewer

    CEG’s sagebrush webviewer is an interactive tool designed to help users visualize and explore projected changes in the sagebrush ecosystem over time.

    The sagebrush webviewer is designed to support long-term ecosystem planning, by providing maps of historical sagebrush cover and projected changes in future cover in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana. The tool also includes a vulnerability map predicting areas where sagebrush may decline or thrive due to climate change by the year 2100.

    This ecosystem is crucial for the endangered greater sage-grouse and other species, but it faces threats due to land use change, industrial activity, and climate change. By using these maps in combination with other data, users can make climate-informed decisions on habitat conservation and restoration.  

    Contact us at info@ceg.group for more information or to try it out.

  • Prioritization Tool

    Mesic prioritization tool: What areas should we restore next?

    In collaboration with partners, CEG developed a tool to prioritize areas for sage-grouse wet meadow restoration and support the recovery of the endangered greater sage-grouse in southeastern Alberta. The tool focuses on mesic (moist) habitats, which are important for sage-grouse broods during summer. It considers factors such as mesic degradation, topography, levels of human disturbance, and several other factors. The tool allows users to customize restoration goals and strategies and modify how the factors are balanced to represent their local knowledge and priorities.  

    If you’re interested in better understanding the tool or using it yourself, please reach out to us at info@ceg.group.

  • Vegetation Projection Model

    Speaking of restoration, our state-and-transition model shows what actions can make the biggest difference.

    With support from partners, CEG designed a spatial vegetation projection model that forecasts the outcomes of a range of habitat restoration actions that are meant to improve habitats for the greater sage-grouse in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Specifically, we built a state-and-transition simulation model to evaluate the impact of restoring croplands and mesic areas, and removing infrastructure and trees removal on sage-grouse habitat. Our results indicate the largest habitat gains at local scales, when actions were taken in close proximity. This tool provides a framework for landscape and restoration planners to optimize restoration strategies and can guide future conservation efforts by simulating vegetation recovery under different restoration scenarios. 

    We anticipate expanding on this work in the near future. If you have questions about our methods or findings in the interim, please get in touch via info@ceg.group.