The Center for Biological Diversity has announced their intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) if they do not finalize rules for two distinct population segments (DPS) of the lesser prairie chicken. The group alleges the agency is past their deadline under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
In June 2021, USFWS proposed listing lesser prairie chickens in Colorado, southwest Kansas, northwest Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. The agency also proposed listing the bird population in west Texas and eastern New Mexico. The two separate listings would each have their own recovery actions and timeline.
Under the ESA, USFWS was required to finalize the proposal by June 2022.
“The Service has abrogated its duty to ensure that the Southern DPS and Northern DPS of the lesser prairie chicken are timely protected, in violation of Section 4 of the ESA,” the Center for Biological Diversity’s notice read. “If the secretary (of the Interior) does not timely finalize this rule or contact us to develop a timeline within the next 60 days, the Center intends to file suit to enforce the Act.”
The organization blames conversion to cropland, cattle grazing, urbanization and global warming as causes for the bird’s decline in numbers.
“Lesser prairie chickens have already waited nearly 30 years for protection, all the while losing habitat to oil, gas and other development,” said Michael Robinson, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Every new day without protection brings this rare dancing bird closer to extinction.”— Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
