Will Missouri lose its last prairie chickens?
Not if we can help it! We're the Missouri Grasslands Coalition, a partnership of 15 agencies and groups focused on conserving Missouri grasslands. Please join one of our partner's habitat recovery efforts. To help fund our work, call Prairie Chicken Recovery Leader Max Alleger at 660-885-8179, ext. 247.
Before European settlement, greater
prairie chickens numbered in the hundreds of thousands on native prairies
that covered more than one-third of Missouri. In the following 100 years,
hunting and the introduction of trees and fescue onto the prairie landscape
caused prairie chicken populations to plunge. Today, as few as 500 birds
remain scattered in isolated flocks. Extirpation of this species from Missouri
seems certain without immediate, significant and sustained action.
Who can help? Prairie landowners are key
Because 93 percent of Missouri's land is in private ownership, prairie chickens and other grassland birds won't stay on our state's landscape without prairie landowners' help. If you own land that once served as habitat for prairie chickens, we'd love to hear from you. Education, technical support, cost-share and other incentives are available for those whose lands qualify for grassland conservation programs.
Call Prairie Chicken Recovery Leader Max Alleger at 660-885-8179, ext. 247 for details.
Who's Leading the way? A coalition of concerned partners
The Missouri Grasslands Coalition , a partnership of 15 agencies and groups focused on conserving Missouri grasslands, recognizes the prairie chicken as a symbol of healthy grassland ecosystems. In 1999, the same year that the prairie chicken was added to the state endangered species list, Department of Conservation biologists and GC partners cooperatively identified nine Grasslands Coalition Focus Areas (GCFAs) as the most promising geographies for future native grassland and prairie chicken recovery efforts. The ultimate goal of Missouri’s Greater Prairie Chicken Recovery Plan is to de-list the species after a population of at least 3,000 birds is maintained for ten years.
