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The Lesser Prairie-Chickens of Kansas' Sandsage Prairies

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The Lesser Prairie-Chickens of Kansas' Sandsage Prairies Volume 7, No. 3 Summer 2001 The Lesser Prairie-chickens of Kansas’ Sandsage Prairies by Paul Johnsgard, Regents Professor/Professor Emeritus School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln In the early spring of 2001 I was once again feeling my plains of western Oklahoma and the northern panhandle of recurrent need to watch the dawn courtship displays of Texas to the Staked Plains arid grasslands along the border prairie-chickens, an annual ritual of mine going back some of northwestern Texas and southeastern New Mexico. In 40 years, or ever since I moved to Nebraska. However, after the northern part of this a controversial hunting season in eastern Nebraska, the region only the sandsage population of occurs, but where it is greater prairie- supplemented south- chickens fre- wardly by shinnery quenting my oak, the population of favorite lek near lesser prairie- Burchard Lake in chickens is gener- southeastern ally higher. The Nebraska had leaves of the dropped to a sandsage and discouraging all- the acorns of time low of only the shinnery four males. oak provide Therefore, I nutritious all- decided to head season foods for south to Kansas in the lesser prairie- order to observe and chicken, and both of study the displays of its these brushy plants nearest relative, the offer summer cover for lesser prairie-chicken. I nesting and brood-rearing. had never seen lesser P. Johnsgard The current remaining range prairie-chickens courting on of the lesser prairie-chicken can their leks, and had indeed only be closely correlated with the ever seen a few of these birds at all. distribution and abundance of these Although once occurring in the two native plants. sandy grasslands of southwestern Nebraska, All the accounts I had read about the lesser prairie-chickens have since retreated into a still- courtship of lessers suggested to me that they must be quite diminishing core of their original range, the sandsage and different from greaters, but I wanted to see this for myself, shinnery oak brushlands. This habitat type extends locally as written descriptions are usually inadequate to satisfy from the Arkansas and Cimarron Rivers of southwestern one’s curiosity about any unknown bird. I also worried that Kansas and adjoining Colorado south through the rolling (continued on page 4) It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran’s status, national or ethnic origin or sexual orientation. Center for Grassland Studies Summer 2001 Policy Advisory Committee Members FROM THE DIRECTOR Ann Antlfinger Department of Biology, UNO Dennis Brink Department of Animal Science, UNL uring the summer months, most of our activities and thoughts Merlyn Carlson associated with recreation turn to outdoor activities such as family Nebraska Department of Agriculture picnics, lawn parties, baseball, soccer, golf, etc. To add to the Richard Clark D aesthetics and enjoyment of these activities, it is important to have high Department of Agricultural Economics, UNL quality turf. The quality of turfgrass is often taken for granted until we experience a deteriorated condition and then we become concerned. John Craig Many variables have a significant impact on the quality of our Nebraska Department of Roads turfgrasses such as temperature, moisture, soil fertility, diseases, insects and Craig Derickson the variety of grass, as well as the management they receive. Turf areas are USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service among the most highly used of any cultivated area and require intensive management practices for maintaining high quality. Jim Douglas The turfgrass and landscape industry contributes more than $500 million Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to Nebraska’s economy each year. Our excellent turfgrass science team at the Terry Gompert University of Nebraska-Lincoln is assisting that industry by studying many Cooperative Extension, UNL of these aforementioned variables and making recommendations to Anthony Joern eliminate or lessen their impact. Nebraskans and citizens in surrounding School of Biological Sciences, UNL states enjoy improved turf as a result of their work. Lowell Moser Our turfgrass team members also host an annual conference and have Department of Agronomy, UNL field days each year to help turfgrass managers, producers and users keep Robert Shearman up-to-date on their latest research results and information. The Nebraska Department of Horticulture, UNL Turfgrass Field Day and Equipment Show attracts nearly 700 turfgrass Ken Vogel professionals each year. Our students in turfgrass science, in preparation for USDA, Agricultural Research Service their future careers, take courses in turfgrass breeding and management, Steven Waller diseases and insects, weed control, irrigation management and soil fertility IANR Administration, UNL along with other related areas. David Wedin We are now evaluating the possibility of beginning an additional new School of Natural Resource Sciences, program in professional golf club management supported by the UNL Professional Golfers Association of America. This program would deal more Dayle Williamson with the training of club professionals and helping them with management Nebraska Department of Natural of both the pro shop and the course. This would be an interdisciplinary Resources program with training in turfgrass sciences, business management, The Center for Grassland Studies is a unit personnel skills and professional golf. within the University of Nebraska-Lincoln As the population expands and agricultural areas continue to be Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. It receives guidance from a urbanized, the need for recreational areas will increase along with the need Policy Advisory Committee and a 50– for more residential turf. The future will require more parks, more lawns, member Citizens Advisory Council. This more school playgrounds and more super highways—all of which require newsletter is published quarterly. turf. Turfgrass continues to play an increasingly important role for leisure Note: Opinions expressed in this newsletter activities, as well as physical and mental health. As standards of living are those of the authors and do not neces- sarily represent the policy of the Center for continue to rise in an increasingly wealthy nation, the demand for high Grassland Studies, the Institute of Agricul- quality turfgrass will also increase. Hopefully, we at the University will be ture and Natural Resources or the Univer- sity of Nebraska. able to assist the industry in serving that need. Martin A. Massengale ...... CGS Director Pam Murray ............... CGS Coordinator Jan Shamburg .................. CGS Secretary Anne Moore ..............Newsletter Layout 2 Summer 2001 Center for Grassland Studies Revisiting Nebraska’s Mammals by Patricia Freeman, University of Nebraska State Museum The geographic area bounded by Nebraska is situated subtle shifts is important and can help people make in- just north of center in the United States and the Great formed decisions regarding land and water management. Plains. Eastern forests creep into the state on the Missouri Most new records show evidence of expanded ranges of River side and western ponderosa pine forests come in on mammals. Contraction of ranges, although more difficult to the Pine Ridge side. Northern and southern habitats also quantify, can be seen in simply the lack of presence in an meet in this geographic area, with the vast, unique Sand area where a species was present nearly fifty years ago. Hills prairie sandwiched in between. Short grasses in the Mammals that require large tracts of undisturbed drier west graduate to tall grasses in the moister eastern prairie appear to be contracting in geographic range in portions, and fingers of riverine forests penetrate further Nebraska. These include the large, diurnal or obvious and further west along the rivers that cross this part of the mammals such as white-tailed jackrabbit, black-tailed plains. prairie dog and northern pocket gopher, and smaller In the 1950s and early sixties, an intensive survey of mammals such as the plains pocket mouse and plains mammals in the state was done by Lincoln native J. Knox harvest mouse that are easily trapped, if present. These five Jones and his many field crews. Jones was a prominent species are absent now from parts of their historical ranges; mammalogist who received his undergraduate degree from the exact reasons are unknown. UNL and his doctorate at the University of Kansas. He was Westward expansion by opossum, northern myotis, Professor, and later Vice Chancellor for Research, at Texas evening bat, red bat, woodchuck, white-footed mouse, and Tech University. He was president of the American Society gray fox is probably in response to the westward extension of Mammalogists, Journal Editor for the Journal of Mammal- of forests along the river systems that provide these mam- ogy, and awarded the Society’s highest awards. He pro- mals with the wooded environment to which they are duced 376 publications (including eight books) in his accustomed. Woodlands along the rivers are occurring lifetime, and had an enormous worldwide impact on the because there is more damming that reduces the scouring field of mammalogy. He was an avid naturalist and scien- effect of spring floods, and the elimination of fires that tist throughout his life, and his 1964 publication, “Distribu- historically would burn right up to the river banks and stop tion and taxonomy of mammals of Nebraska” (Publications the succession of woody plants. Previously, woodchucks, of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 16:1- which are large and diurnal, were uncommon in the eastern 356), is the published result of that benchmark study of one-fourth of the state and are now moderately common Nebraska mammals. Knox was very thorough and no throughout nearly the entire eastern half of the state. slouch when it came to collecting. The specimens on which White-footed mice are worth tracking from year to year the study is based reside both in the University of Nebraska because they can be a vector for Lyme disease.
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