Posted April 2, 2014
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently
announced its final listing of the lesser prairie-chicken as “threatened” under
the Endangered Species Act (ESA), according to an article by Agri-Pulse
available here.
A “threatened” listing means the species is likely to
become in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future.
“The lesser prairie-chicken is in dire straits,” said
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. The population has been reduced by an
estimated 84 percent over the last 15 years due largely to habitat loss and
ongoing drought in the southern Great Plains.
FWS also included a final special rule under section
4(d) of the ESA to limit regulatory impact of the listing on landowners and businesses. The rule allows five states, Texas, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado, to continue to manage conservation
efforts and not subject certain activities to further regulation.
The rule also says that conservation practices through
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Initiative and through “ongoing normal agricultural practices on existing
cultivated land” are in compliance with the ESA and not subject to further
regulation.”
Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment
Robert Bonnie announced a renewed and expanded partnership with farmers and
ranchers managing land with lesser prairie-chicken range, according to an NRCS
news release available here.
“Our goal is to deliver a win-win for agricultural
producers and wildlife,” said Bonnie. “We
want to help farmers and ranchers succeed for the long term while also
protecting and improving habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken. Often, what is good for prairie-chickens is
good for ranching.” More information on
the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative is available here.
For more information on environmental law and
conservation programs, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website
here
and here.
