Ä¢¹½Av Conservation Ranching in the Rockies

Our Goals
Stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with farmers and ranchers.
What We’re Doing
Working with landowners to support better bird habitat.
Greater Sage-Grouse display at sunrise in front of a herd of cattle.

North America's grasslands are among the most imperiled ecosystems in the world. America’s grassland birds have declined more than any other bird group in the continent, some species by as much as 80 percent. Because the vast majority breed on private lands, working with ranchers is our best hope for conserving them.

A wildlife habitat initiative of the Ä¢¹½Av with a unique market connection, Ä¢¹½Av Conservation Ranching aims to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with farmers and ranchers. Ä¢¹½Av Conservation Ranching’s enrollment includes more than 100 ranches and nearly 3 million acres that have earned status as Ä¢¹½Av Certified Bird-Friendly Land. Incentivizing this habitat work for birds and biodiversity are consumers with an appetite for conservation, who support it by purchasing products grazed on these lands. Shoppers see a special package designation – the Ä¢¹½Av Certified Bird-Friendly seal – that sets these products apart. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching.

Conservation Ranching Staff at Ä¢¹½Av Rockies
Dusty Downey.

Dusty Downey

Director, Conservation Ranching, Ä¢¹½Av Rockies

Photo of Cidney Handy.

Cidney Handy

Range Ecologist

A portrait of Trish Kerner.

Trish Kerner

Range Ecologist

A portrait of Louisa Kimmel.

Louisa Kimmell

Range Ecologist

News
Newly Ä¢¹½Av Certified, Pathfinder Ensign Ranches Advances Grassland Bird Conservation in Wyoming
October 19, 2026 — Pathfinder Ensign Ranches achieves Ä¢¹½Av’s Bird-Friendly Land Certification, expanding a conservation network encompassing more than 1.4 million acres in Wyoming.
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2026 Ä¢¹½Av Conservation Ranching Bird Monitoring Results in the Rockies
September 30, 2026 — Scientists monitored nearly 500 locations across 12 certified bird-friendly ranches this year. Here’s what they saw.
Uplifting BIPOC Youth in Conservation Science, Regenerative Farming and Ranching
August 18, 2026 — Ä¢¹½Av joined FrontLine Farming’s Black Teen Cultivators in Denver for a two-day event centered on bird conservation and regenerative ranching.
The Ä¢¹½Av Rockies Conservation Ranching (ACR) team poses with the 2026 ACR Team of the Year awards.
Driving Cattle, Restoration, and Research
August 04, 2026 — In the Rockies, Ä¢¹½Av's Conservation Ranching team drives landscape-scale, science-based conservation on working lands.
A Lark Bunting perched on an annual sunflower.
2025 Conservation Ranching Bird Monitoring Results in the Rockies
November 20, 2025 — Scientists monitored 634 locations across 13 bird-friendly ranches this year. Here’s what they saw.