Lesser prairie chicken listed as threatened.

M. R. Byrd

M. R. Byrd

Well-known member
Those of you that follow the news on the LPC probably have heard of the listing this past month. I continue to work to provide suitable habitat for the LPC. This drought of the last four years has been a real killer of many species of wildlife in my area and has left me pretty much helpless. August rains last year provided a nice rebound of my mixed grass prairie, but certainly my prairie is still hangs on by a thread. It will take many years to rebound fully, but I hope we have turned the corner and better days are ahead.

I have been involved with meetings on the LPC since in the 90's and most recently been involved in meetings leading up to the listing. I have applied for two initiatives over the last two years, both not being accepted. Just got the negative response on the last application last week, but will apply again in September.

I opened the Ponderosa for a training session a few months ago for the game agencies of the states with LPC(Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma). Yesterday evening I was interviewed by a news reporter from KCUR(Kansas City, Missouri Public Radio) about my thoughts on the recent listing. I had hoped to show the reporter some LPC on a lek, but nothing happening here yet. This morning he was to be on a lek in Kiowa County that was supposed to have some activity.

I continue to hope my efforts and those of others will benefit this magnificent grouse of the prairie.
 
Maynard, thanks for all your doing with the habitat. I am optimistic that Mother Nature will turn the corner and start giving relief to your area. Really wish more people had your insite into natures problems.
 
M R BIRD, just would like to say I appreciate all your hard work and investments in trying to give this great bird a chance to increase its numbers. Wish more who have the resources would do the same before its to late. It must be very rewarding when you see your efforts paying off.
 
You're a great asset to Kansas and to wildlife. Thank you.
 
Thanks guys, but I really don't feel I am doing nearly enough.

After a blizzard I like to tour the Ponderosa and critique the habitat, but during these years of drought I saw what was happening, but just nothing I could do to help. The only help would be rain from above. Thankful that August was a good month and produced some needed rebound of the prairie and the winter provided some snow. A wet spring would be wonderful. I just can't do it alone, there needs to be some favorable weather conditions.
 
Maynard, I do think it is unfortunate that the current/recent drought spurred the listing. They are unable to do anything to mitigate the drought and it caused the population to go from a recent high to the current low. A simple return of average moisture may well bring the population to rebound right back to the recent high and the listing will prevent hunters from enjoying these premier birds. All the research indicates that hunting is not contributing to their downward trend, but the hunters now must sit on the sidelines after paying for their management for decades. I do hope the feds push beneficial programs to improve the grasslands in their range so we can hear their booming long into the future! Keep up the good work. I hope to be out your way some day and get the 10 cent tour of the Ponderosa. If you get this way ( and I believe you were eating steak near here as seen in a recent post) I'd be quite proud to give you the 10 cent tour of the BW! I've done 4 prescribed burns so far this spring and have more planned for both spring and summer. I've flushed enough quail to give me hope and the turkey are showing up in fair numbers. Take care of your woody dependants!
 
Troy, hope you have a chance to meet Mr. Byrd and take the tour. Maynard took the Baggins family on the MILLION DOLLAR tour this past season and it was the highlight of my Kansas pheasant hunting season. He has steadily made the Ponderosa into something very special. Words cannot describe his hard work, dedication and big heart for the wildlife. We even enjoyed lunch together at his secret spot close to where Wyatt Earp used to hang out in Dodge City. Thanks again Maynard and I hope for many more returns to DC. Just goes to show a guy you DON"T have to shoot pheasants to enjoy pheasant hunting.
 
Bilbo, Maynard and I have met a couple of times and we do come from the same cut of cloth in a lot of ways. We spent an hour on the truck tailgate here one afternoon and I believe we have a lot of the same perspective. We just haven't had a long enough chunk of time together to do the tours and kick some clods! It'll happen. Funny how 100 measly mile can seem so hard to jump:) I'd like to see those newly planted trees! Funny, he's planting them and I'm burning them up. My having water a foot or two below the surface on some of the Byron Walker makes it too easy for trees to grow, and often it's the wrong kind that take advantage of it. I wish I had a big ole chunk of change where I could eliminate the problem species all at once then didicate more of my time to what makes more furry and feathery things we like to mingle with!
 
To help us out, what is the difference between threatened and endangered from a hunting standpoint! And are they doing anything to raise money to help preserve habitat. Rain is what is needed, but usually when something goes on the list, money seems to pour in!
 
From a hunting standpoint, I don't think you'll see any difference between threatened or endangered. They will no longer be hunted. I would say that lessers have fluctuated wildly their entire existance as drought and bison migrations affected their habitat. They evolved in a fragile environment and lived by boom or bust. We just happen to have hit a bust while the wrong people were watching. Yes, it is time to deal with habitat loss. However, that may be the benefit of being listed. The State would not intrude to cause change and probably couldn't afford to induce change in habitat management or development. The feds have a deeper pocket and may well "require" better management, preservation of exiting habitat, and development of additional habitat. When you look at how much CRP was planted within the lesser prairie chicken range, you can understand just how hard the plow has been on their existance. You only have to look back to the 30's to see how the same drought conditions caused the same population fluctuations among farmers in that same area. If they were not mining the Ogallah Aquifer, many of those farms would have gone back to grass long ago. There will come a time when that is again the most popular direction.
 
I have been involved with habitat improvement for the lesser prairie chicken since the 1990's when the Western Governor's Association were having "Ranch Conversations" meetings within the area of the LPC. The LPC was then a 'candidate' for listing.

Most recently I have applied to enroll my ranch in several programs, but have not been successful as of this time. Two years ago it was a program through NRCS that involved rotational grazing and reduced cow/calf units on my pastures. This spring I applied for a program through the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies(wafwa). It involved both my pastures and expired CRP acres. I was not accepted for that program, but will apply again in September.

I like the program of wafwa and plan to apply again. I did open my ranch for their training session a few months back. For those of you that would like to see wafwa's report(373 pages), see-

http://www.wafwa.org/documents/2013LPCRWPfinalfor4drule12092013.pdf

A few months ago, I attended another meeting in Garden City, Kansas. Five oil companies are promoting that program which from what I could understand would pay landowners to set aside acres to offset acres used for oil production, etc. To me it sounded similar to the carbon credits. I indicated that I had applied for the wafwa program, but had not heard if accepted. The man sitting behind me leaned over and handed me his card, showing that he was with Kansas Farm Bureau and told me that this program was much better than the wafwa program.

http://lepcstakeholderstrategy.com/...4/02/SCP_for_the_LEPC-Appendices_Feb-2014.pdf

So there are at least two programs aimed at mitigation of the loss of habitat for the LPC. Personally, the program proposed by wafwa I believe is based on good biology and it gets my support.
 
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M. R. Byrd said:
I have been involved with habitat improvement for the lesser prairie chicken since the 1990's when the Western Governor's Association were having "Ranch Conversations" meetings within the area of the LPC. The LPC was then a 'candidate' for listing.

Most recently I have applied to enroll my ranch in several programs, but have not been successful as of this time. Two years ago it was a program through NRCS that involved rotational grazing and reduced cow/calf units on my pastures. This spring I applied for a program through the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies(wafwa). It involved both my pastures and expired CRP acres. I was not accepted for that program, but will apply again in September.

I like the program of wafwa and plan to apply again. I did open my ranch for their training session a few months back. For those of you that would like to see wafwa's report(373 pages), see-

http://www.wafwa.org/documents/2013LPCRWPfinalfor4drule12092013.pdf

A few months ago, I attended another meeting in Garden City, Kansas. Five oil companies are promoting that program which from what I could understand would pay landowners to set aside acres to offset acres used for oil production, etc. To me it sounded similar to the carbon credits. I indicated that I had applied for the wafwa program, but had not heard if accepted. The man sitting behind me leaned over and handed me his card, showing that he was with Kansas Farm Bureau and told me that this program was much better than the wafwa program.

http://lepcstakeholderstrategy.com/...4/02/SCP_for_the_LEPC-Appendices_Feb-2014.pdf

So there are at least two programs aimed at mitigation of the loss of habitat for the LPC. Personally, the program proposed by wafwa I believe is based on good biology and it gets my support.
Click to expand...

I support those programs too! There is quite a bit of CRP-safe programs for Lessers, in the Texas-New Mexico border, Rooseveldt, Union, in New Mexico, and Baily county, Texas. I fear the wind energy in Kansas. In the Texas/New Mexico area, it's to far a way for wind, currently no oil. Biggest threat is irrigation for alfalfa to sell to dairy farms in the Texas panhandle. The safe enhanced CRP, has a chance to make sense. I can only imagine how lousy I'd feel if we lost them! Support Prairie Grouse Society, One of the movers in Prairie Chicken, Sage Grouse, and Sharp-tail habitat.
 
Prairie Drifter said:
From a hunting standpoint, I don't think you'll see any difference between threatened or endangered. They will no longer be hunted. I would say that lessers have fluctuated wildly their entire existance as drought and bison migrations affected their habitat. They evolved in a fragile environment and lived by boom or bust. We just happen to have hit a bust while the wrong people were watching. Yes, it is time to deal with habitat loss. However, that may be the benefit of being listed. The State would not intrude to cause change and probably couldn't afford to induce change in habitat management or development. The feds have a deeper pocket and may well "require" better management, preservation of exiting habitat, and development of additional habitat. When you look at how much CRP was planted within the lesser prairie chicken range, you can understand just how hard the plow has been on their existance. You only have to look back to the 30's to see how the same drought conditions caused the same population fluctuations among farmers in that same area. If they were not mining the Ogallah Aquifer, many of those farms would have gone back to grass long ago. There will come a time when that is again the most popular direction.
Click to expand...

Troy, I can understand the chopped up land affecting them, but I do see them using CRP in the winter. They were on my bucket list and now I am not sure they will come off the list before I get to harvest one. It may be hard to tell for most people what they are where their range overlaps in places with the Greater PC.
 
I'm guessing the closure will be geographic, so they may be huntable on the perimeter of the closure. Keep your fingers crossed! I do think that some inducements toward management and habitat addition could certainly help them recover. However, they could definately do that without being listed by getting out of this drought. I personally think that the haying and grazing allowances in this drought added to the speed and depth of their decline. Nothing like the government helping cause the need for listing. My 2 cents.
 
One thing to realize is the Lesser is the dim bulb in the room. A single landscape kind of bird! If the Greater Prairie chicken is considered unmanageable the Lesser is way worse! The have been known to fly into barbwire fences, hit telephone lines, refuse to cross a dirt roadway, abandon pastures because of a outbuilding or a new well. It's a bird which time has passed, not able to evolve fast enough, or maybe at all. It is hanging on to an area which is by today's standards, remote. They are hard to hunt because they are hard to find! Kansas has discovered there is inbreeding on leeks between Lessers and Greaters. This may also explain the shrinkage of numbers across the limited geographical area. As a bird hunter I feel a kindred spirit with the Lesser, I feel like bird hunters have been crammed down geographically, ignored by conservation interests, making the sport to hard, to expensive, and inaccessible to new prospective devotee's. We have the same extinction timeline pass as the Lesser, even so I hope they outlast us!
 
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