Mountain Plover is one of the few shorebirds that do not occupy wet areas. Rather, it prefers dry, short grass landscapes including rangeland, agricultural fields and prairie dog towns. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the Mountain Plover as endangered due to a perceived decline in the species.

The Mountain Plover nests in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and portions of Oklahoma . 60 percent of its habitat is located in Eastern Colorado ; 80 percent of which is located on private land.

General agricultural practices, such as tillage and planting, were considered major contributing factors for the perceived decline in the species. Organizations including the Colorado Farm Bureau questioned these presumptions and requested three years to conduct research on private lands from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in lieu of immediate listing. The request guaranteed that research would be conducted using scientific models, participating landowners would voluntarily allow access to their property and a non-profit, non-regulatory organization would conduct the research.

Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, Brigham Young University, Colorado Division of Wildlife, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Fish and Game, Petroleum Association of Wyoming, Denver Audubon Society, Colorado Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, West & Associates, BioResources, Inc, ENSER Associates, Hayden-Wing & Associates

The resulting cooperative effort allowed for the successful study of the species. More than 300,000 acres of private land were allowed to be studied by Colorado Farm Bureau members. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program, a non-profit, non-regulatory organization, and CSU conducted the research in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Research indicated that Mountain Plovers do in fact occupy and nest on cultivated fields. Some tillage and planting activities do disturb nests, while other activities do not. However, the research also found that fledging success rates are roughly the same on cultivated fields as on native short grass prairie.

Due to the cooperative efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state of Colorado and landowners, the Mountain Plover was not added to the Endangered Species list.

Landowners are continuing to allow non-governmental biologists to flag nests on fields prior to cultivation and are taking it upon themselves to avoid destroying nests by driving around them. Research on the plover continues as well as a very aggressive landowner education and outreach effort.