Beginning Thursday, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) will begin aerial surveys to document population trends of the lesser prairie-chicken in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
As The Prowers Journal reports, The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies conduct the surveys annually in areas that contain lesser prairie-chicken habitat.
The plan is a collaborative effort of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies of all five states developed to ensure conservation of the lesser prairie-chicken with voluntary cooperation of landowners and industry, which are allowed to continue operations while reducing impacts to the bird and its grassland habitat.
Roger Wolfe, program manager for the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, said the purpose of documenting population trends over time is to see how various management strategies for the bird, which was removed earlier this year from the threatened and endangered species list, are working.
