Lesser Prairie-Chicken Conservation Initiative Lesser Prairie Chicken Interstate Working Group May 2008 Dawn M. Davis New Mexico Department of Game and Fish/ University of Idaho Russ E. Horton Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Eric A. Odell Colorado Division of Wildlife Randy D. Rodgers Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Heather A. Whitlaw Texas Parks and Wildlife Department LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN CONSERVATION INITIATIVE Dawn M. Davis New Mexico Department of Game and Fish 1 Wildlife Way Santa Fe, NM 87505 [email protected] Russ E. Horton Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation 1801 North Lincoln Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73105 [email protected] Eric A. Odell Colorado Division of Wildlife 317 W. Prospect Road Ft. Collins, CO 80526 [email protected] Randy D. Rodgers Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks P.O. Box 338 Hays, KS 67601 [email protected] Heather A. Whitlaw Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Box 42125, TTU Lubbock, TX 79409-2125 [email protected] This report should be cited as: Davis, D. M., R. E. Horton, E. A. Odell, R. D. Rodgers and, H. A. Whitlaw. 2008. Lesser Prairie- Chicken Conservation Initiative. Lesser Prairie Chicken Interstate Working Group. Unpublished Report. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Fort Collins, CO. USA. Cover photo credit: Don MacCarter Contributors Grant M. Beauprez Christopher Rustay Lesser Prairie-chicken Biologist Shortgrass Prairie BCR Coordinator New Mexico Department of Game and Playa Lakes Joint Venture Fish 1824 Stanford Drive NE 800 Laurelwood Dr., #1 Albuquerque, NM 87106 Clovis, NM 88101 Doug Schoeling Steve DeMaso Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Upland Game Program Leader Conservation Texas Parks and Wildlife Department P.O. Box 53465 4200 Smith School Rd. Oklahoma City, OK 73152 Austin, TX 78744 Trent Verquer Christian A. Hagen Terrestrial Biologist Sage Grouse Conservation Coordinator Colorado Division of Wildlife Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2500 South Main 237 South Hines Boulevard Lamar, CO 81052 P.O. Box 8 Hines, OR 97738 Donald H. Wolfe Senior Biologist Jonathan B. Haufler George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Executive Director Center Ecosystem Management Research P.O. Box 2007 Institute Bartlesville, OK 74005-2007 210 Borderlands P.O. Box 717 Jeffrey A. Yost Seeley Lake, MT 59868 Terrestrial Biologist Colorado Division of Wildlife John Hughes P.O. Box 775777 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 West Texas Suboffice P.O. Box 713 Canadian, TX 79014 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1. CONSERVATION STATUS OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN POPULATIONS .................................................................................................................5 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 State Laws and Existing Regulatory Mechanisms ..................................................... 5 New Mexico ............................................................................................................ 5 Texas ....................................................................................................................... 6 Oklahoma ................................................................................................................ 6 Kansas ..................................................................................................................... 6 Colorado .................................................................................................................. 7 1.3 Conservation and Management Plans ........................................................................ 7 New Mexico ............................................................................................................ 7 Texas ....................................................................................................................... 8 Oklahoma ................................................................................................................ 8 Kansas ..................................................................................................................... 8 Colorado .................................................................................................................. 8 U.S. Bureau of Land Management ......................................................................... 8 U.S. Forest Service (National Grasslands) ............................................................. 8 Range-Wide Strategies............................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER 2. NATURAL HISTORY ............................................................................. 10 2.1 Species Taxonomy ................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Seasonal Activities and Habitats .............................................................................. 10 Lek Sites................................................................................................................ 10 Nesting Cover ....................................................................................................... 11 Brood Habitat ........................................................................................................ 13 Autumn/Winter Habitat ........................................................................................ 14 2.3 Diet ........................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 3. LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION ......... 15 3.1 Historic Distribution and Abundance ...................................................................... 15 New Mexico .......................................................................................................... 15 Texas ..................................................................................................................... 16 Oklahoma .............................................................................................................. 17 Kansas ................................................................................................................... 17 Colorado ................................................................................................................ 18 3.2 Current Status and Distribution ............................................................................... 18 New Mexico .......................................................................................................... 19 Texas ..................................................................................................................... 23 Oklahoma .............................................................................................................. 24 Kansas ................................................................................................................... 25 Colorado ................................................................................................................ 26 3.3 Population Reintroduction ....................................................................................... 28 3.4 Current Approaches to Inventory and Monitoring Efforts ...................................... 28 New Mexico .......................................................................................................... 28 Texas ..................................................................................................................... 30 Oklahoma .............................................................................................................. 31 Kansas ................................................................................................................... 32 Colorado ................................................................................................................ 33 3.5 Harvest Estimates ..................................................................................................... 34 New Mexico .......................................................................................................... 34 Texas ..................................................................................................................... 34 Oklahoma .............................................................................................................. 38 Kansas ................................................................................................................... 38 Colorado ................................................................................................................ 39 CHAPTER 4. POTENTIAL THREATS TO LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS .............. 40 4.1 Habitat Fragmentation ............................................................................................. 40 4.2 Livestock Grazing .................................................................................................... 41 4.3 Changing Land Uses ................................................................................................ 42 4.4 Predation .................................................................................................................. 43 4.5 Hunting and Poaching .............................................................................................. 43