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America’s grasslands and shrublands are best known in the sagebrush steppes of the Rockies and in the prairies of the Midwest and Great Plains. However, the full system stretches from Florida’s scrubs to Alaska’s tundra. At 683 million acres, grasslands and shrublands comprise the largest ecosystem type in the U.S., and the most mistreated. At least one-third of the country’s rangelands have been converted to urban or agricultural uses since European settlement; 11 million acres between 1982 and 1997 alone.⁹ This reduction in habitat has led to a decline in many species, including grassland birds, the prairie dog, burrowing owl, swift fox, and ferruginous hawk.

In order to preserve large tracts of prairie, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), and The Nature Conservancy of Colorado (TNC) developed the Shortgrass Prairie Initiative. Anticipating further impacts caused by the 20-year state transportation plan, the initiative seeks to mitigate in advance of expected impacts and protect a highly vulnerable system. Rather than mitigating for each CDOT project in a piecemeal fashion, this initiative takes a large-scale and more ecologically meaningful approach. CDOT and FHWA will develop land-management plans that meet mitigation requirements, as well as incorporate the support and concerns of private landowners, who are integral to making the effort succeed.

Partners signed a memorandum of agreement which outlines the project’s objectives. The Nature Conservancy will acquire some of the targeted lands in order to ensure proper management and oversight and CDOT will seek other bankers to host selected land and easements. In order to receive mitigation credits, the project partners must develop management plans that will benefit the species that are included in the planning efforts.

This mitigation approach serves as a model for addressing environmental concerns well in advance of adverse impacts. Conservation banking can save time and money for the transportation agency, encourage better habitat management and habitat connectivity, and provide an economic incentive to private landowners.

Endnotes

9. The State of the Nation’s Ecosystems. The Heinz Center. Cambridge University Press. 2002