Rural Sociology Commons^™

A “Hammer Held Over Their Heads”: Voluntary Conservation Spurred By The Prospect Of Regulatory Enforcement In Oregon, Katherine L. Wollstein, Emily Jane Davis

Human–Wildlife Interactions

When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) did not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2015, the agency recognized a coordinated effort of private landowners, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and state and federal agencies that effectively reduced threats to the species. This effort exemplified an alternative model to species conservation that relies on voluntary conservation of private landowners to preclude government regulation. Through one in-depth case study of private landowners’ voluntary sage-grouse conservation efforts in Lake County, Oregon, we explored features of these voluntary arrangements that motivate participating private …