Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Kansas
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Lesser prairie-chickens are a species of conservation concern due to declining populations and occupied range. Managers are developing strategies, including translocation, to restore populations. Translocation to restore populations is a possible conservation strategy for this species. Assessing habitat quantity and quality at release locations is necessary to determine the success of the strategy. This research is a collaborative effort among the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Kansas Parks, Wildlife, and Tourism, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and U.S. Forest Service. Initial release sites provide little quality habitat for translocated birds. Thus, long distance movements by translocated birds occur requiring an assessment of the potential for a much large area to support lesser prairie-chickens than previously thought.