Cultivating Tomorrow: Wyoming Students Lead Sagebrush Restoration

In the heart of Wyoming, where nearly half the world’s sagebrush rangelands are located, an ambitious restoration effort is underway, Casper Star Tribune reports.

Faced with threats such as wildfires, invasive species, and overgrazing that degrade 1.3 million acres of sagebrush habitat annually, students from Lander and Fort Washakie middle schools are stepping in to make a difference.

Since 2017, these young environmentalists have planted nearly 7,000 sagebrush seedlings, contributing to habitat restoration on reclaimed mine sites in the Gas Hills region near Jeffrey City. This hands-on project, a collaboration between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and local schools, aims to restore Wyoming’s iconic sagebrush steppe while fostering environmental stewardship in the next generation.

The initiative, part of the Abandoned Mine Land Native Plants Project, began as an effort to rejuvenate old mine lands reclaimed as public property. While native grasses had returned, sagebrush—a keystone species essential for the survival of animals like sage grouse, pronghorn antelope, and pygmy rabbits—was conspicuously absent.

“We noticed that native grasses were coming back, but not sagebrush,” said Gina Clingerman, a BLM archaeologist and project manager. “We decided to start a program to replant and educate young people at the same time.”

The program sources its sagebrush seedlings from the Sagebrush in Prisons Project at the Honor Farm in Riverton, where incarcerated individuals grow the plants. This innovative approach provides the seedlings necessary for restoration while involving diverse community members in the process.

Each fall, students from Lander Middle School—joined in 2024 by Fort Washakie Middle School—head into the field to plant seedlings. The program includes a preparatory classroom session where Clingerman teaches students about the importance of the sagebrush ecosystem and the wildlife it supports.

“The kids not only get to do hands-on restoration work, but they also interact with scientists who have made careers out of applied sciences,” Clingerman said. “It empowers them to make a lasting contribution, and they get really excited to head out into the field.”

For students like Justus Jones, an eighth grader at Lander Middle School, the program has been eye-opening.

“I was interested in helping once I learned about how much sagebrush there used to be compared to now,” Jones said.

Returning to the site he worked on the previous year, Jones noted the visible growth of the sagebrush and its positive impact on the ecosystem.

Restoring sagebrush is slow and labor-intensive, with best practices still evolving. Across Wyoming, large-scale projects like one near Grand Teton National Park aim to replant vast areas, but progress is incremental due to high costs and labor demands.

“Sagebrush is fragile and not especially resilient,” Clingerman explained. “Once it’s gone, it typically doesn’t bounce back on its own.”

Involving students helps address these challenges while fostering a sense of environmental responsibility.

“They’ll grow up knowing the importance of habitat restoration and help educate others along the way,” Clingerman said.

As the program enters its seventh year, it continues to grow in participation and impact. For educators like Fort Washakie Middle School Principal Hillary Reisig, the initiative offers an invaluable learning opportunity.

“It’s so cool to have a learning opportunity that’s directly tied to a genuine hands-on experience,” Reisig said. “Plus, [the students] know they’re making a real difference.”