Prairie Partners is a program developed by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory to address prairie conservation issues through voluntary, working partnerships with landowners, managers and resource professionals throughout the Great Plains.

The ultimate goal of Prairie Partners is to build a coalition of landowners and land managers who are actively involved in the conservation of lands important to prairie birds. To accomplish this goal, Prairie Partners works with state and federal agencies, other conservation organizations, and most importantly private landowners, to engage these entities in conservation efforts that benefit prairie birds.

Prairie Partners has created several tools to increase awareness and understanding of prairie birds and their habitat requirements. We feel awareness is that first critical step toward conservation. Tools for awareness include our “Sharing Your Land with Shortgrass Prairie Birds” manual, “Stewardship Resource Guide for Private Lands in eastern Colorado,” “Pocket Guide to Prairie Birds,” and “Mountain Plover Conservation Video.”

We are also working closely with agencies and landowners to develop habitat management plans and secure funding to conserve and maintain habitat. We have been working with landowners on the Great Plains for several years now and have developed partnerships with landowners and agencies that are allowing us to initiate on-the-ground habitat management for species conservation. We have received several Private Stewardship Grants 2003-2007 to work with landowners in Colorado and Wyoming. We are also working with several landowners within the panhandle of Nebraska on habitat conservation projects through Landowner Incentive Program funding.