• GPLCC Funds Priority Science Projects in the Southern Great Plains

• Five Initiatives to Conserve the Lesser Prairie-Chicken

• LIsten to Recent Episodes of Playa Country Radio

Playa Lakes Joint Venture is on Facebook! Become a fan and follow our efforts to conserve bird habitat in the Southern Great Plains. View the latest news, videos and photos. If you don't have a Facebook account, you can sign up here. We hope to "see" you on our page soon!

GPLCC Funds Priority Science Projects in the Southern Great Plains

The Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) recently committed $744,500 to fund 10 science projects that address the predicted impacts of climate change on priority species and habitats in the Southern Great Plains. The funded projects are quite diverse and will focus on a variety of species — from Arkansas darter to Lesser Prairie-Chicken. (See the table below for a list of funded projects.)

"We are very pleased at the results of the RFP," says Mike Carter, GPLCC Coordinator. "I was astounded at how well the process fulfilled LCC performance measures. Each LCC must plan toward and demonstrate the accomplishment of a long list of performance measures, 10 of which are primary. I doubt we could have done a better job with a 100 percent strategic approach — and it certainly would have taken longer."

On March 10, less than a week after the GPLCC inaugural meeting, a RFP soliciting proposals for landscape-scale scientific projects in the Great Plains area was developed and posted through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The proposals were required to have a strong link to management and an ability to use the results in Decision Support Tools for management decisions. Grant applications were due three weeks later.

"Even with such a short turnaround time, we received 40 strong, interesting proposals," says Anne Bartuszevige, PLJV Conservation Science Director and Chair of the GPLCC Review Committee. "It was exciting to read about all these great projects that will help us learn more about the natural resources in the Southern Great Plains."

A team of scientists and wildlife management professionals reviewed the proposals and made the final funding decision by the beginning of May. Work on the funded projects is already underway or will begin shortly, with deliverables expected by end of September 2010.

"The high quality of the selected projects speaks well for utilizing a diverse body of conservation entities with a shared vision to prioritize science needs for collaborative conservation," says Jim Douglas, chairman of the LCC Steering Committee.

Five Initiatives to Conserve the Lesser Prairie-Chicken

The Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) and its partners have many irons in the fire when it comes to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (LEPC), but all of the initiatives are needed to keep the bird off the endangered species list. Five of these initiatives are focused on targeting various Farm Bill conservation programs and practices to improve or increase LEPC habitat, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

"These are all different tools in the toolbox," says Barth Crouch, PLJV Conservation Policy Director. "We need them all to have a win for the chickens. If we just get a CRP win, it doesn’t save the chicken. We also need to take care of the native grasslands where they primarily live, which is best accomplished through the NRCS programs."

The variety of conservation programs available means a variety of strategies is available for conserving the Lesser Prairie-Chicken. For example, under the CRP, highly erodible cropland can be planted to "resource conserving cover" — most often grassland — providing new LEPC habitat. Under EQIP, native rangeland can be enrolled for conservation practices that can improve grassland condition for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken.

Natural Resources Conservation Service Initiative

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently announced the newest initiative, which offers assistance for LEPC habitat through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) and Grassland Preserve Program (GRP). PLJV is helping to develop a ranking tool that will be used for WHIP and EQIP applications in Kansas. The tool will award more points for land that is within or adjacent to core LEPC habitat.

"This initiative differs from the USDA Programs that are already available," says Jodi Hastings, Resource Conservationist at the NRCS Colorado State Office. "This opportunity enables agriculture producers to install better management practices that will benefit both their operation and the habitat for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken."

Funding for the NRCS initiative is only for one year with some state application deadlines as early as July 9. Landowners in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas are encouraged to immediately call their local NRCS office to learn more about this initiative and how to apply.

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiatives

In Kansas, PLJV is working with Kansas Wildlife and Parks, The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, Kansas Wildlife Federation and Audubon of Kansas to develop targeting that has never been used before. The partners are asking for 30,000 acres of targeted land to be allocated for the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice, a continuous practice in the CRP. If the proposal is approved, land will be enrolled after the next CRP general signup.

PLJV partners in Texas — including Texas Parks and Wildlife and US Fish and Wildlife Service — have proposed expansion of the existing Mixed Grass SAFE’s area of eligibility. The Texas State FSA Committee supports the proposal.

"The proposed expansion would provide a greater opportunity to restore and enhance Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat, and possibly prevent the species from being listed as threatened or endangered," says Juan Garcia, Texas FSA State Executive Director. "Additionally, increasing the scope of the project will provide more landowners an opportunity to earn annual rental payments."

CRP Conservation Priority Areas

In preparation for the next CRP general signup, PLJV is working with partners, such as state wildlife agencies and NRCS personnel, to map Conservation Priority Areas (CPAs) that will be used to rank CRP applications under the next general sign-up. CPAs represent areas with important natural resources such as water resources and wildlife habitat, including habitat for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken.

"If landowners have property within a CPA, they are automatically eligible and will receive more points under the general signup’s Environmental Benefits Index when the area is designated as a wildlife zone," says Megan McLachlan, GIS Director for PLJV. "This makes their application more competitive."

CPAs can help promote CRP enrollment in areas where it is needed most. Targeted enrollment is especially important as fewer acres are being allocated to the CRP nationally.

Continuous CRP Initiative

Last summer, PLJV and its partners submitted a proposal for a LEPC Continuous CRP Initiative to the Farm Service Agency. The Continuous CRP (CCRP) allows enrollment of environmentally important lands at any time but requires certain conservation practices be applied. The proposal requests 500,000 acres or more of targeted, whole-field CCRP allocated across the five states where Lesser Prairie-Chickens occur or potentially could exist, including parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.

According to Terry Noto, a conservation consultant for the Environmental Defense Fund, there is strong evidence that CRP grassland restorations can provide important habitat for Lesser Prairie-Chickens. "Creating a High Plains CCRP initiative would offer a truly regional approach allowing interested producers to enroll lands in high priority areas for chickens and to restore and manage them for LEPC habitat."

Since the request was made, PLJV and its partners have been building support for the initiative, but there has been no decision made at this time.

Multi-state Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative

In addition to existing LEPC conservation efforts, PLJV partners continue to explore new ideas. In May, PLJV submitted a proposal to NRCS for a Multi-state Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), which will provide financial and technical assistance to landowners in a defined CCPI project area through EQIP, WHIP or the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

The proposal requests $10,950,000 to facilitate enrollment in native grassland management practices and to ensure maximum retention and improvement of native rangeland and expiring CRP acres within current Lesser Prairie-Chicken range in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. The funds would be allocated over the next three years beginning with FY 2010.

"All of these opportunities are needed to continue to retain the progress made in improving LEPC habitat availability and to work on a broad enough scale to ensure the continued existence of this indicator of the health of our prairie ecosystems," says Crouch.

To learn how you can help the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, contact PLJV Conservation Policy Director Barth Crouch at 785-823-0240 or send an email.

Listen to Recent Episodes of Playa Country Radio

Tune in to High Plains Public Radio on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. CST or listen to recent episodes online:

• June 14, 2010: Federal Programs Help Preserve Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat
  As people throughout the region mobilize to preserve the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (LEPC), federal programs can help landowners wishing to protect LEPC habitat on their land.

• June 7, 2010: Range School Focuses on Grassland Ecology and Livestock Management
  The Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition Range School focuses on rangeland ecology, wildlife considerations, and livestock management.

• May 31, 2010: Mapping Tool Targets Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitats in New Mexico
  Mapping tool helps target Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat for reclamation efforts.

• May 24, 2010: A Guide to Waterbirds
  What exactly is a waterbird? Find out what they are and which ones can be found in the Great Plains.

To listen to more Playa Country episodes online, visit the Playa Country Radio Archive or subscribe to High Plains Public Radio’s Playa Country Podcast.

• June 14, 2010: Bailey, the Long-billed Curlew, Has Crossed Into the Texas Panhandle

• June 12, 2010: Hands-on Outdoor Lessons: Learning from Playas

• June 11, 2010: Bird Conservation Group Testifies Before Congress, Recommends Increased Environmental Science Studies, Says Oil Spill Impacts May Last Decades

• June 10, 2010: Gulf Coast Marshes Losing Ability to Support Waterfowl, Study Says

• June 10, 2010: Pheasants Forever Applauds USDA Action Aimed Toward Fulfilling 32 Million CRP Acres

• June 7, 2010: Voluntary Federal Wind Farm Guidelines Insufficient to Prevent Bird Impacts Says Bird Conservation Group

• May 27, 2010: Kansas Part of Special Initiative to Improve Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat

• May 27, 2010: Texas NRCS Offers Additional Assistance for Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat

• May 27, 2010: NRCS Offers Assistance to Enhance Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat in Northwestern Oklahoma

• May 21, 2010: NRCS Offers Assistance for Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat in Southeastern Colorado

• Spring 2010: Taking Action to Save Our Shared Birds

Tell a friend about the Playa Post! Anyone can subscribe to our newsletter by sending us an email or by filling out the subscription form on the PLJV web site.