Greater Sage-Grouse Reference Layer
Important! The data displayed in IFTDSS are intended for strategic use only. Always verify the positional accuracy of the data with local knowledge.
Overview
This dataset represents Greater Sage-Grouse key habitat. The dataset includes the following categories:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Greater Sage-Grouse Priority Habitat Management Areas (PHMA) | Areas identified as having the highest habitat value for maintaining sustainable Greater Sage-Grouse (GRSG) populations and include breeding, late brood-rearing, and winter concentration areas. |
| Greater Sage-Grouse General Habitat Management Areas (GHMA) | Areas that are occupied seasonally or year-round and are outside of PHMAs. |
| Greater Sage-Grouse Important Habitat Management Areas (IHMA) | Areas in Idaho that provide a management buffer for and that connect patches of PHMAs. IHMAs encompass important areas of generally moderate to high habitat value habitat or populations but that are not as important as PHMAs. |
| Connectivity Habitat Management Area (CHMA) | Part of the Unique Habitat Management Area (UHMA) as identified in the Montana/Dakotas (MT/DK) 2025 GRSG Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment/Record of Decision (ROD). Connectivity HMA (CHMA) are areas that provide regions of connectivity important to facilitate long-distance movements of GRSG and maintain ecological processes, including between priority populations, adjacent states, and across international borders, including but not limited to Montana Connectivity areas. This Habitat Management Area (HMA) boundary represents where stopover sites may exist, likely within a matrix of degraded or converted habitat or non-habitat (such as in Montana general habitat within the HiLine). Areas are delineated using results from analyses of seasonal migratory movements and habitat characteristics conducive to movements, particularly between silver sagebrush and big sagebrush habitats. |
| Linkage and Connectivity Habitat Management Area (LCHMA) | Areas in Colorado that have been identified as broader regions of linkage connectivity important to facilitate the movement of GRSG and maintain ecological processes. |
| Little Missouri Habitat Management Area (LMHMA) | Part of the Unique Habitat Management Area (UHMA) as identified in the MT/DK 2025 GRSG Approved RMP Amendment/ROD. Little Missouri HMA (LMHMA) is an identified core area by the states of Montana and North Dakota. This area contains high-quality GRSG habitat in Montana and encompasses the remaining GRSG habitat in North Dakota. A substantial portion of the area is the Cedar Creek Anticline unitized oil and gas field. Formerly occupied habitat has been converted or degraded, an outbreak of West Nile Virus impacted bird numbers, and GRSG are challenged by being on the periphery of their range. Unique management and a focus on restoration efforts is needed to maintain connectivity of sagebrush and GRSG habitat between Montana and North Dakota. |
| Other Habitat Management Areas (OHMA) | Areas in Nevada and Northeastern California, identified as other unmapped habitat in the Proposed RMP/Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), that are within the Planning Area and contain seasonal or connectivity habitat areas. |
| South Carter Habitat Management Area (SCHMA) | Part of the Unique Habitat Management Area (UHMA) as identified in the MT/DK 2025 GRSG Approved RMP Amendment/ROD. South Carter HMA (SCHMA) is an identified core area by the state of Montana. This area has a high density of bentonite mining. Unique management is needed to balance GRSG habitat and mineral development in the short term, while planning for longer-term reclamation. |
| Stewardship Habitat Management Areas (SHMA) | GRSG stewardship habitat areas in Wyoming that are generally characterized by large percentages of private land, existing disturbance and prior and existing rights, and fragmented landscapes that continue to support substantial populations of GRSG, provide important connections between populations, and are important for maintaining GRSG populations. |
Metadata
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Source | |
| Data Currency | February 2026 |
| Extent | West and Midwest Regions of the US |
| Projection/Datum | GCS NAD 1983 |
| Contact(s) | Bureau of Land Management Idaho State Office, blm_id_infoaccesscenter@blm.gov |
Terms of Use
Terms of Use: Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Interagency Fire Center, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, shall be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (i.e. GIF or JPG format files) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived. It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of geospatial data in general and these data in particular. Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Interagency Fire Center, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any data described and/or contained herein. No warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on other systems for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data.