Aerial Survey Shows Lesser Prairie Chicken Population Increased 25% from 2014 to 2015

By Justin Stakes

Cheyenne, WY -(AmmoLand.com)- An abundance of spring rainfall, along with ongoing efforts associated with the Lesser Prairie Chicken Range-wide Conservation Plan, has helped increase the lesser prairie chicken’s population approximately 25 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to results from a recent range-wide aerial survey.

Increases were observed in three of four of the bird’s ecoregions across five states – Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The Sand Sage Prairie Region of southeast Colorado showed the biggest gain – approximately 75 percent from a year ago. The Mixed Grass Prairie Region of the northeast Panhandle of Texas, northwest Oklahoma and south central Kansas saw an approximately 30 percent increase, and the Shortgrass Prairie Region of northwest Kansas population grew by about 27 percent.

“An overall 25 percent increase in the lesser prairie chicken population across its five-state range is welcome news,” said Ross Melinchuk, chairman of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency’s (WAFWA) Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative Council. “This year’s increase, on the heels of last year’s 20 percent increase, is evidence of the species’ ability to rapidly recover from downturns as a result of drought and poor range condition. With continued …read more

Source:: AmmoLand