Agricultural News
With No Appeal- the Lesser Prairie Chicken is No Longer on the Threatened Species List
Thu, 12 May 2016 15:30:47 CDT
Ethan Lane, executive director of the Public Lands Council and NCBA Federal Lands, says that despite the litigation battle over listing - and then delisting - the lesser prairie-chicken as a threatened species, farmers and ranchers have continued to make great strides in conservation efforts. And now, with word that the Obama Administration will not appeal the federal district court ruling that ended the Threatened Status of the Lesser Prairie Chicken, the litigation battle seems to have ended.
This decision comes after U.S. District Judge Robert A. Junell, of Midland, Texas, overturned the listing of the LPC as a threatened species on Sept. 3, 2015. The LPC was listed as threatened in 2014 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), affecting regions in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
"Landowners and ranchers across the prairie chicken range have been working to conserve the species, and the numbers on the ground are reflecting that." Lane says. "We're seeing rebounding populations and health prairie chicken counts."
Reduced drought conditions across the LPC habitat have also helped increase the population. Lane says drought has been the primary factor affecting the LPC, but officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were not taking the severely dry conditions into account when originally attempting to list the bird as threatened.
In today's Beef Buzz- Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays features comments from Ethan Lane on the efforts by landowners and the five states in developing a non federal solution in preserving the Lesser Prairie Chicken.
After word came of the decision by the Administration to not appeal the District Court's ruling, several lawmakers and cattle industry groups offered reaction- click on the name of the group or lawmaker to see their reaction:
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers
Senator Jim Inhofe
Senator Jerry Moran
Congressman Tim Huelskamp
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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