WEBINAR TO PROVIDE LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKEN UPDATE

Watch from home or visit one of 17 satellite sites to participate in webinar

PRATT – The potential listing of the lesser prairie chicken (LPC) as a threatened or endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has raised concerns for many landowners and land managers. State and federal agencies have conducted numerous public meetings to provide information, as well as gain input from the public. To keep the information flowing and to address landowner concerns, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) and Kansas State Research and Extension are hosting a webinar on April 30, 2013, beginning at 7 p.m.

Speakers from KDWPT, the Farm Services Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will

provide background on the LPC listing status, as well as updates on the state planning effort, goals of the plan and priority areas. Detailed information on the conservation value of land and allocation of offset payments to landowners will be provided. State and federal programs specifically designed to improve habitat for LPC and what a proposed listing means to those enrolled in federal programs will be explained.

A webinar is an online communication technique that allows those with high-speed internet access to connect with the host site to view and hear the speakers on their home computer and chat via the internet with any questions or comments. Those who don’t have high-speed internet access can participate at one of the 17 satellite sites listed below. Staff will be onsite to transmit questions and comments to presenters.

To view from home, log on to: http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu/ksuasi

For more information please contact your local county extension agent or Charlie Lee (clee@ksu.edu or785-532-5734). Below are the satellite sites:

Ashland Community Building, 800 Main St., Ashland
Finney County Extension Office, 501 S. 9th St., Garden City
Western State Bank Expo Center, 11333 Hwy 283, Dodge City
Grant County Civic Center, Lawson Room, 1100 W. Patterson, Ulysses
4-H Building, 17002 W. Hwy 50, Cimarron
Hamilton County Extension Office, 520 N. Hamilton, Syracuse
4-H Building, S. Atkin St., Jetmore
Kiowa County Commons Conference Room, 320 S. Main, Greensburg
Courthouse Meeting Room, 710 W. 2nd, Oakley
Morton County Extension Office, 625 Colorado, Elkhart
Ness County 4-H Building, 105 S. Pennsylvania, Ness City
KDWPT Office, 512 SE 25th Ave., Pratt
Williams Carpenter Building, East Fairground Road, Scott City
Seward County Activity Building, 810 Stadium Road, Liberal
Sherman County 4-H Building, 417 Main Street, Goodland
Stevens County Courthouse, Memorial Hall, 200 E. 6th, Hugoton
Wakeeney Public Library, 610 Russell Ave., Wakeeney

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KANSAS LANDOWNER HONORED WITH NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE STEWARDSHIP AWARD

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Grassland restoration projects, educational efforts garner national attention
PRATT — The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) — the organization that represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies — has honored the Alexander Ranch of Barber County with the 2011 National Private Lands Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Award. The award recognizes an individual- or family-run farm, ranch, or forest operation that has incorporated proactive conservation and environmental protection measures into its operation. The Alexander Ranch is owned and operated by Ted, Brian, and Mona Alexander.

The Alexander Ranch became eligible for the national award by winning the 2011 Kansas Wildlife Habitat Conservation Award. The national award program receives one nomination from each of the 56 states and territories represented by AFWA.

“The Alexanders’ decades of dedication to the improvement of native grasslands in an area once over-grazed and degraded by the encroachment of eastern redcedar deserves statewide recognition,” said Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) wildlife biologist Chris Berens, who nominated the Alexander Ranch for the award. “Their management efforts created a diverse grassland that benefits livestock and a wide variety of wildlife species.”

The ranch covers more than 7,000 acres and has flourished as a custom grazing operation for the past 27 years. Partnering with several agencies, the Alexanders have leveraged resources to optimize the land’s environmental capabilities. Through these partnerships, the ranch operated on a rotational grazing system with three grazing cells, each split into many smaller paddocks, allowing 40-45 days post-grazing recovery time for the grass in each paddock. However, in the past two years, the Alexander Ranch experimented with a higher stocking rate, higher stock density, and herd impact along with a shorter grazing seasons — resulting in longer periods of grass recovery — which seems to be a success.

Additionally, a cooperative effort with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and KDWPT was key to many of the accomplishments on the ranch, which is home to several wildlife and aquatic species considered at-risk or in need of conservation. This partnership helped the Alexanders interseed forbs on old cropland acres previously converted to native grass, enhance water developments, restore riparian areas, and expand the grazing system.

The ranch has also entered into a “Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances” with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. This voluntary agreement guarantees to address the conservation needs of a species before they become listed as endangered or threatened by specifying actions that will remove or reduce threats to the species.

“Any number of landowners could have won the National Private Lands Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Award based solely on habitat enhancements and other stewardship accomplishments on their ranches,” said Berens. “However, it’s the off-the-ranch activities that make the Alexanders stand out.”

One of the most notable is their willingness to share what they have learned throughout the years with other ranchers, either through one-on-one mentoring or through one of the many conservation organizations to which Ted and Brian belong or serve on the boards. Additionally, they have opened their ranch to training opportunities for public, state, and federal agency staff and have allowed many university students to conduct wildlife research, including the interaction of wildlife and grazing practices.

“The Alexander Ranch is a great example of how excellent ecosystem management can benefit both the producer and Kansas wildlife,” Berens added. “Congratulations and many thanks to the Alexander Ranch for their contributions to promoting wise working-land practices in Kansas.”

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