By Ted Koch
Executive Director, North American Grouse Partnership
The grassland-dependent lesser prairie-chicken was recently listed under the Endangered Species Act. Why? Because the purpose of the Act is to conserve the ecosystems upon which we and all other species depend. Grasslands, including sand sagebrush and shortgrass prairie, are the most threatened ecosystem on the continent and in the world, especially here in Texas and the southwestern Great Plains.
In fact, over the last 50 years grassland birds overall have declined more than birds in any other ecosystem on the continent. And as the recent listing under the Act shows, lesser prairie-chickens in our region are, unfortunately, leading that decline. And if it wasn’t these charismatic chickens, there would soon be another species listed here.
The North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP) believes we must all pull together now to save grasslands and chickens and avoid the need to list any more species.
We thought we had a good road map: the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (WAFWA’s) Range-Wide Plan. Unfortunately, developed 10 years ago, it now sits without funding or leadership to implement it. For example, by now the plan called for restoring 1 million acres of habitat; we’re perhaps just 2% of the way there. In that same timeframe we’ve lost hundreds of thousands of more acres of habitat which is a big net loss for chickens.
Meanwhile, WAFWA supported a recent university study that found genetic differences within lesser prairie-chicken populations, and between them and their close cousin, the greater prairie-chicken, with whom lessers sometimes hybridize. The scientists did not say how to apply their scientific findings to the legal decision on how to treat the listed chickens under the Act; be it as a species, or a subspecies, or as two or more distinct population segments, all of which are allowable.
Somehow, WAFWA now claims the findings call the entire decision whether to list into question. Of course, another group could rightfully claim the opposite – that the findings support the way the listing decision was made. Also, case law under the Act regarding hybridization has been addressed with other species before, and there’s little difference, in fact, this time around.
But most importantly, who cares? The grassland ecosystem in our backyard, upon which we and so much other wildlife depend, is clearly among the most endangered in the world. Let’s focus on that. We urge the five lesser prairie-chicken states to reestablish their leadership of the Range-Wide Plan and save them in our backyard. The states could also join the NAGP in our ground-breaking work collaborating with local ranchers and private landowners to save ranching and chickens, creating win-win solutions that keep people and wildlife on the ground together.
Let us not be distracted by arcane scientific arguments over whether certain birds are cousins or step-siblings. Instead, let’s save our most endangered ecosystem while there’s still a little time left.
Ted Koch spent 30 years working as an Endangered Species Biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service throughout the West.
