Bi-State Coordinator Hired to Support Local Area Working Group

The Bi-State Local Area Working Group (LAWG) works across jurisdictional boundaries to conserve Greater Sage-grouse and their habitats in the eastern Sierra region of California and Nevada. This working group is touted nationally as a model for conservation success. Established in 2000, the LAWG is now in need of someone to help the working group continue to grow and advance. Today, they are pleased to announce they have hired a Bi-State Coordinator. Please welcome, Amy Sturgill!

"The Bi-State LAWG is a model for shared, conservation stewardship that has achieved some incredible feats during our tenure," said Steve Nelson, Bureau of Land Management field office manager in Bishop, California. "We are now ready to take the next step by hiring a coordinator to build upon our partnership and continue our collaborative conservation work."

Sturgill is dedicated to the conservation of wild places and the species that depend on them. She has a strong interest in collaborative conservation. She practices an approach that grows diverse partnerships, works across landscapes, cultural and administrative boundaries and combines local knowledge, community participation and science to develop sustainable solutions to current conservation issues.

With an extensive background in wildlife conservation and management, scientific research, and environmental education and outreach, Sturgill has been employed as a wildlife biologist, a botanist, and a community and volunteer organizer. Her work experience with organizations such as the Great Basin Institute and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife have given her the opportunity to develop relationships with city, county, state and federal government agencies, as well as non-profit organizations, private landowners and a Native American tribal group. These jobs also provided her with experience researching threatened and endangered species as well as managing and analyzing data.

"We are very honored to be a partner with the LAWG that's supporting and hosting this position," said Jeff Gabriel, Executive Director, Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association. "With Amy Sturgill on board this August she will help us increase our accomplishment tracking, communications, and so much more."

The Bi-State coordinator has two primary duties: Data Management and Communication. Data management will involve coordinating with the LAWG members review and report what has been accomplished in the Bi-State Action Plan. In 2012, LAWG members developed a 10-year Action Plan for Bi-State sage-grouse conservation. This will also include creating a five-year summary that shows the progress that has been made in the Action plan and updating the Plan with any new actions. The second part of the position is to improve communication both internally and externally by updating the Bi-State website, developing success stories for the website, leading field trips and volunteer events, facilitating meetings and coordinating among partners about current projects.

"I am extremely inspired by the story of the Bi-State sage grouse," Sturgill said. "It's species that has brought a multitude of diverse stakeholders together to protect and sustain the sagebrush steppe ecosystem."

Support for the position comes from the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, Nevada Department of Wildlife, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Humboldt-Toiyabe and Inyo National Forests, Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office and Carson City District, and the Bi-State LAWG. Sturgill started work August 13th and you can contact her at: bistatesagegrouse@gmail.com