The new alliance is comprised of at least 15 ranchers, including two in western Oklahoma.
Thousands of acres of their ranchland across four states are meant to provide habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken, a species of grouse with a dwindling population.
“They seek to be paid fair market value for ecosystem services, including healthy soils, vegetation, clean air, clean water, healthy wildlife and carbon storage, all while ranching livestock in a mutually sustainable manner,” an LPCLA news release states
The gray grouse—known for its mating dance—is found in short-grass prairie and agricultural land.
Oklahoma is one of five states with populations of the lesser prairie-chicken. Grasslands of the southern Great Plains have dwindled quickly due to development and extreme weather, leading to habitat and biodiversity loss.
The landowners use conservation banking, according to spokesperson Michael Smith, to bolster their ranching businesses while preserving habitat. The system pays owners for selling conservation credits to developers of oil and gas or renewable projects to offset land disturbances.
“Rather than regulating these last best grasslands on the landscape, the goal is to value ranchers and other private landowners as a source of partnerships, not as a target for species protection and recovery related regulations,” the group states.
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