© 2026
In touch with the world ... at home on the High Plains
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
96.3 FM near St. Francis in northwest Kansas is off air due to technical difficulties. You can always listen to HPPR in the player above or on the HPPR APP.

LPCI: Conservation Plan Helps Texas Rancher Adapt to Fire and Bird Listing

J.N. Stuart/Flickr Commons

Clay Cooper signed the first Lesser Prairie-Chicken conservation plan in Texas, through the Natural Resources Conservation Service "Working Lands for Wildlife" partnership -- an agreement with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

By participating in the grassland management program, he benefits from technical and monetary assistance from NRCS, and, should a bird be accidentally killed, he won't be held liable for its loss. Awful drought in 2011-2012, plus a wildfire that destroyed 75-80 percent of his grass, caused Cooper to have to disperse a large part of his herd. He discusses both changes to his environment.

PARTICIPANTS

Clay Cooper
Rancher
Higgins, TX