![]() ![]() ![]() On May 3, 2023, the Senate passed a measure (by a 50-48 vote) to remove the bird from the Endangered Species Act. But Republicans (plus "Democrat" Joe Manchin) in the Senate don't seem to care about the lesser prairie-chicken nor about the broader implications of its declining populations. The Kansas City Star explains that last year, the Biden administration placed the southern lesser prairie chicken population on the endangered species list because its habitat on the Great Plains has decreased by 90 percent-and scientists argue that intervention is necessary to save the bird from extinction. Many species depend on these ecosystems so, if the lesser prairie-chicken is in peril-in time, other species will be too. ![]() The lesser prairie chicken has long been an indicator for healthy grasslands and prairies. This population decline has real implications. Audubon states that the "biggest problem is conversion of natural prairie to farmland." According to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the decline of the lesser prairie-chicken isn't good news for the health of the plains and its other inhabitants: According to Audubon, the lesser prairie-chicken, a grouse that was once abundant in the short-grass regions of the southern Great Plains, is considered threatened-its population is declining and has disappeared from most of its former range. Meet the humble lesser prairie-chicken, a small bird that's in the middle of a big fight between Congress and the Biden administration. Larry Lamsa via Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY 2.0) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |