Lesser Prairie Chicken May Be Listed As Threatened In Kansas, Endangered In Southwest

By Allison Kite, Kansas Reflector

May 26, 2021

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lesser prairie chickens could be listed as a threatened species in Kansas and northern stretches of the bird’s habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday.

The lesser prairie chicken, which lives in prairie grass and shrubs in western Kansas, once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. But with about 90% of its historical habitat gone, the service estimates only about 27,384 birds remain, based on a five-year average of aerial surveys taken between 2012 and 2020.

In the southwest, the bird’s state is even more severe. The service proposed listing the bird population in that region, a separate “distinct population segment,” as endangered, a higher level of conservation protection.

Clay Nichols, the lead biologist for the lesser prairie chicken at the service, said the northern distinct population segment was threatened by habitat loss that is outpacing efforts to conserve the bird’s natural environment. The native grass and shrubs the bird relies on for habitat are expected to become more and more fragmented.

“The northern distinct population segment of the lesser prairie chicken is not currently in danger of extinction, but is likely to become in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future,” he said.

The northern distinct population of the lesser prairie chicken is in southeastern Colorado, south central and southwestern Kansas, western Oklahoma and the northeast Texas Panhandle. The southern population is in eastern New Mexico and the southwest Texas Panhandle.

The decision comes after a trio of environmental groups sued the federal government in 2019 to force a decision about whether the lesser prairie chicken should be listed as threatened or endangered. The lawsuit, which listed the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as defendants, claims the agencies are in violation of the Endangered Species Act by failing to make a ruling on a 2016 petition to list the birds as threatened or endangered.

Federal officials previously listed the birds as endangered in 2014 only to see that reversed by court order.

Since then, conservation efforts have been taken to save the birds. But U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they had not been sufficient to save the birds.

“Despite the heavy lift through these voluntary conservation efforts, they have not kept pace with the threats facing lesser prairie chickens and there remain challenges in conserving the species for the long term,” said Amy Lueders, southwest regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Members of the public are asked to provide comment on the proposed listing before federal officials finalize it.

First, the service will have an informational session on July 8 at 5 p.m. central time. The public hearing will start at 6:30. To register, members of the public can visit https://zoom.us/meeting/regist....

The service will have a second information and public comment session at the same times on July 14. Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/regist....

This story was originally published by Kansas Reflector. For more stories from the Kansas Reflector visit Kansas Reflector.