Nick Richter
News stories, press releases, and field reports from LPCI
Ask an Expert | Keeping it Grass: How the NRCS Helps Landowners Maintain Grasslands When CRP Contracts Expire (7/12/2021) - Join Andy Burr, NRCS-Kansas state biologist, to learn how the NRCS can help landowners turn expired CRP lands into grazing lands that maintain wildlife habitat and provide valuable ecosystem services. 
Turning former cropland into green grass — and green cash (7/12/2021) - Learn how one producer worked with the NRCS to turn expired CRP lands into profitable grazing lands that support wildlife while producing income for the ranch and local community. 
Study Demonstrates Importance of Voluntary Conservation for Grassland Birds (7/1/2021) - Study highlights how voluntary conservation protected habitat for 4.5 million grassland songbirds, and boosted populations by 1.8 million birds!
Request for Proposals: Video and Multi-Media Project in Oregon (4/28/2021) - Contractor Opportunity: Video project near Adel, Oregon. Download RFP and submit bid by May 7, 2021.
Great Plains Grasslands Framework in Focus: Wildlife Conservation Through Sustainable Ranching (4/22/2021) - Dig into the Framework for Conservation Action in the Great Plains Grasslands Biome.
E&E News: USDA plans aim to bolster rangeland wildlife conservation (4/21/2021) - E&E News reports on the Framework for Conservation Action in the Great Plains Grasslands Biome. Reprinted with permission.
USDA-NRCS Press Release: New Frameworks Guide Conservation Action on America’s Working Rangelands (4/6/2021) - Learn about the new Framework for Conservation Action in the Great Plains Grasslands Biome through this post and a Webinar April 8, 2021. 
Healthy Rangelands Store Critical Carbon Above and Below the Surface (4/5/2021) - Globally, rangelands store 12% of terrestrial carbon, making them a critical carbon sink and a key ecosystem for mitigating climate change. Underneath the range where the deer and antelope play, an upside-down forest plays a critical role in capturing and storing carbon. Rangelands globally contain 12 percent of terrestrial carbon, with about 87 percent in […]
Working Lands Snapshot | WILDFLOWERS (3/18/2021) - Learn all about wildflowers, also called forbs, in this Working Lands Snapshot.
Press Release: USDA-NRCS Announces Funding of the KS Great Plains Grasslands Initiative (3/15/2021) - Kansas producers have new funding opportunities to help address woody plant encroachment on targeted rangelands through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
A Conservation Dream Come True (3/2/2021) - This story originally appeared in Nebraskaland Magazine, the magazine of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Reposted here with permission. See the original here. By Renae Blum, Nebraskaland Magazine It was a calm March morning when Dan Leuenberger first heard it: the echoing calls of greater prairie-chickens. Climbing a hill on his Johnson County farm, […]
New technology helps ranchers maximize grass production (2/17/2021) - How much forage have you lost to woody species? The Rangeland Analysis Platform can help quantify forage loss and pinpoint where to invest conservation funding. Join the NRCS for a free webinar about using the RAP to incorporate economics into area-wide planning on February 25 at 3 pm ET.
A Landowner’s Journey to Using Prescribed Fire – Repost – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (12/9/2020) - Jim Jenkins worked to remove eastern redcedar trees from his Nebraska ranch for years, with limited success. Then he learned about how prescribed fire could do the work for him. Original story from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, resposted with permission.
Working Lands for Wildlife – Director of Agricultural Communications – Request for Proposals (10/23/2020) - Contractor Opportunity: Director of Agricultural Communications for Working Lands for Wildlife initiatives in the West. Deadline December 4, 2020.
Conservation Reserve Program Benefits Lesser Prairie-Chickens (10/21/2020) - New report highlights importance of Conservation Reserve Program grasslands for Lesser Prairie-Chickens.
Western Working Lands Snapshot | Wet Habitats in the Great Plains (10/15/2020) - Learn about wetlands of the Great Plains like playas and potholes in this Western Working Lands Snapshot.- Working Lands for Wildlife – Graphic Designer – Request for Proposals (9/22/2020) - Contractor opportunity: Graphic design supporting West WLFW efforts.
- Working Lands for Wildlife – Writer – Request for Proposals (9/22/2020) - Contractor opportunity: Writer supporting West WLWF efforts.
- Working Lands for Wildlife Communications Coordinator – Request for Proposals (9/22/2020) - Contractor opportunity: Communications Coordinator supporting West WLFW efforts.
- Working Lands for Wildlife – Digital Services – Request for Proposals (9/22/2020) - Contractor opportunity: Digital services supporting West Working Lands for Wildlife efforts.
Take the Chicken Challenge | Prairie Habitat (9/16/2020) - Test your knowledge of lesser prairie-chicken habitat with this Chicken Challenge! 
Ask an Expert | Fire and the Great Plains (8/11/2020) - Fire used to play a big role in shaping the Great Plains. Does it today and how do the Plains recover from fire? Dr. Victoria Donovan answers this and other questions in this Ask an Expert.
New Report Highlights LPCI’s Outcomes Since 2010 (7/21/2020) - New report details conservation outcomes from LPCI since 2010. 
Western Working Lands Snapshot | Pollinators (6/18/2020) - Learn all about the critical role that pollinators play in agriculture and natural systems in this Western Working Lands Snapshot post. 
Take the Chicken Challenge | Conifers (4/14/2020) - Test your knowledge of conifers and their impacts to grasslands in our latest Chicken Challenge.
Western Working Lands Snapshot | The Great Basin (3/31/2020) - Learn about the Great Basin in this Western Working Lands Snapshot
PHEASANTS FOREVER Magazine | Of Partners, Promises and Prairie Treasures (2/13/2020) - Magazine Story | Pheasants Forever's Spring 2020 Journal of Upland Conservation features how the nonprofit works with LPCI and other partners to benefit a variety of grouse species including lesser prairie-chickens and sage grouse. Read the magazine stories now. Reposted with permission.
Ask An Expert | The Science Behind Private Lands Conservation—A Conversation with Dr. Dave Naugle, Working Lands for Wildlife Science Advisor (1/15/2020) - Learn more about WLFW's approach to science, how the coproduction of science benefits private-lands conservation and what's next for the Western WLFW science team. 
Transforming Rangeland In Kansas’ Gyp Hills (11/25/2019) - Working together with conservation partners, a landowner and livestock producer restore prairie grazing lands in the southern Great Plains. 
Western Working Lands Snapshot | Western Meadowlarks (11/19/2019) - Western Working Lands Snapshot | Our second Western Working Lands Snapshot post features the western meadowlark. This pretty bird has one of the sweetest calls in the West. 
Chicken Challenge | Pronghorn (10/29/2019) - Test your knowledge of the fastest residents of the Great Plains and sagebrush sea with our latest Chicken Challenge! 
Job Posting: Research Scientist Positions at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Montana (10/25/2019) - University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Montana are each hiring a research scientist to study ecological and economic outcomes of conservation investments for sustaining western rangelands. - Quantifying Outcomes Improves Conservation Effectiveness (10/8/2019) - Since 2012, Working Lands for Wildlife has partnered with the Conservation Effects Assessment Project to co-produce 37 peer-reviewed studies that measure conservation outcomes, build accountability, and improve conservation effectiveness across the West.
Western Working Lands Snapshot | Grasslands (10/1/2019) - Join us for a new series focused on the natural history, wildlife, and people on the West’s working lands. This innagural post focuses on grasslands. 
Why You Should Know About the Eastern Redcedar Science Literacy Project (9/23/2019) - Ask an Expert | What is the Eastern Redcedar Science Literacy Project and Why You Should Know About It - An interview with Dr. Dirac Twidwell of University of the Nebraska-Lincoln.
Conserving prairies for chickens helps millions of songbirds too (7/18/2019) - Science to Solutions | New research shows that implementing conservation practices like prescribed grazing increases songbird populations in the southern Great Plains, while benefiting lesser prairie-chickens and grassland productivity.- Chicken Challenge | Test Your Knowledge of Ranching (7/10/2019) - Take this Chicken Challenge to test your knowledge of ranching.
How do lesser prairie-chickens like mesquite removal? Ask an Expert with Dr. Christian Hagen (7/2/2019) - Dr. Christian Hagen discusses his new research on mesquite trees, lesser prairie-chickens and how science can help inform the most effective places to invest restoration dollars. 
Western Working Lands for Wildlife 2019 Workshop (6/26/2019) - Learn about the 2019 Western Working Lands for Wildlife Workshop and field tour. 
Chicken Challenge | Test Your Knowledge of Lesser Prairie-Chickens (4/18/2019) - Test your lesser prairie-chicken knowledge with our new web-post series: the Chicken Challenge. 
New FREE Low-Tech Riverscape Restoration Manual (4/10/2019) - Low-tech riverscape restoration manual available for FREE. Download now and implement these low-tech, low-cost stream restoration efforts.
Conservation Successes – 2018 LPCI Scorecard (4/2/2019) - The new 2018 LPCI Scorecard highlights our conservation achievements since 2016.
Woody Invasion in the Great Plains Diminishes Water Resources (3/26/2019) - Science to Solutions - New research details impacts to water from encroaching eastern redcedar and other conifers on landscapes in the Great Plains.
Conservation Insight Report Confirms LPCI Projects Benefit Birds and Ranchers (3/21/2019) - New Conservation Insight Report Confirms LPCI Projects Benefit Chickens and Ranchers
WATCH NOW – Working Lands for Wildlife Presentations from Society for Range Management’s 2019 Conference (3/19/2019) - Working Lands for Wildlife video presentations from the 2019 Society for Range Management Conference featuring new technologies that can help improve rangeland management in the West now available for viewing. 
Patterns in Rangeland Productivity and Land Ownership and What They Mean for Conservation (3/6/2019) - Ask An Expert: Dr. Brady Allred, University of Montana | Patterns in Rangeland Productivity and Land Ownership and What They Mean for Conservation
Pheasants Forever Provides Critical Support for Lesser Prairie-Chicken and Sage Grouse Efforts (2/27/2019) - Working Lands for Wildlife efforts like the Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative rely on partnerships to help advance our work. Learn how Pheasants Forever, one key LPCI partner, works to benefit not only lesser prairie chickens but other birds too.
WEBINAR: Mapping Cross-Scale Transitions in Rangelands (2/21/2019) - WEBINAR | February 26, 2019 | 2 PM ET - Mapping Cross-Scale Transitions in Rangelands - Learn how the powerful Rangelands Analysis Platform can help improve rangeland management for livestock and wildlife. LEARN MORE
Meet the “New” West Working Lands for Wildlife communications team: Brianna Randall and Greg Peters (2/19/2019) - Tim Griffiths, West Working Lands for Wildlife Coordinator, introduces the communications team behind the Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative and the Sage Grouse Initiative.
Research Says, Adjusting Grazing Practices Can Improve Prairie-Chicken Habitat (2/27/2018) - SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: A new study by researchers at Kansas State University identifies specific grazing practices that create the varied grassland habitat structure that lesser prairie-chickens need. 
Patch-Burn Grazing Fires Up Prairie-Chicken Habitat (1/3/2018) - SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: Hot off the press! New research shows that patch-burn grazing creates the mosaic of grassland habitat structure that prairie-chickens depend on. LPCI's latest Science to Solutions paper describes the research and its implications for range management.
Seeing the Prairie From a Coyote’s Eye View (12/27/2017) - FIELD REPORT; What does the prairie look like from a coyote's eye view, and why does that matter to lesser prairie-chickens? LPCI range conservationist Marina Osier, based in Lamar, Colorado, answers this question in her recent field report.
A Tale of Two Fires: Prescribed Fire Thwarts Wildfire on the New Mexico Prairie (11/29/2017) - NEWS: Two lightning-caused wildfires on the same site in eastern New Mexico yielded profoundly different results. Why? Prescribed fire played a key role.
Prairie Grouse Meeting Showcases Latest Prairie-Chicken Research (10/25/2017) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: Emerging research on lesser prairie-chickens took center stage last week at the 32nd annual Prairie Grouse Technical Council meeting in Dickinson, North Dakota, where more than 60 researchers gathered to share findings.
Keeping the Grass in CRP Grasslands—LPCI and the Dust Bowl legacy (10/9/2017) - LPCI NEWS: The Dust Bowl's legacy has profoundly shaped ranching and wildlife conservation in the southern Great Plains. LPCI helps ranchers like Abell keep grasslands in grass with technical and financial assistance to transition their expired Conservation Reserve Program acreage to sustainable grazing.
Texas Ranchers Gather for How-to on Wildlife-Friendly Grasslands (10/5/2017) - NEWS: More than 40 agricultural producers gathered recently at Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in Texas for an LPCI workshop on managing rangelands to improve wildlife habitat.
New Kansas Conservation Easement Protects Lesser Prairie-chickens (9/26/2017) - NEWS: The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) has finalized permanent conservation agreements with three private landowners to conserve 3,682 acres of high-quality lesser prairie-chicken habitat in northwestern Kansas. 
Fire + Grazing Reduces Wildfire Fuels, Helps Prairie-Chickens, New Research Shows (9/25/2017) - NEWS: New research shows that patch-burn grazing, which mimics historic patterns of fire and grazing, significantly reduces wildfire fuels. What's more, it creates the kind of habitat structure lesser prairie-chickens need. Read about what the research found >
Final Report Released on 2017 Lesser Prairie-Chicken Aerial Survey (9/18/2017) - The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has released the detailed report of the 2017 aerial survey of lesser prairie-chickens. Read all about it!- New Conservation Agreements Protect Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat (8/29/2017) - NEWS: The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has finalized permanent conservation agreements with a private landowner to conserve high-quality lesser prairie-chicken habitat in south-central Kansas.
USDA Releases Five-Year Strategy to Boost Forest Health and Help Golden-winged Warbler (8/9/2017) - NEWS: A new five-year conservation strategy details efforts to support private landowners managing for healthier forests in the Appalachian Mountains. It's part of an ongoing effort to help the golden-winged warbler rebound.
New Video Shows how LPC Range-wide Plan Works For Wildlife and Landowners (7/31/2017) - NEWS: The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has released a new video show how the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-wide Conservation Plan is conserving habitat for this grassland grouse.
Aerial Surveys Confirm Lesser Prairie-Chicken Population Holding Steady (7/7/2017) - NEWS: Results are in for the 2017 lesser prairie-chicken aerial survey, and they’ve brought welcome news. The survey indicates an estimated breeding population of 33,269 birds this year, up from 24,648 birds counted last year. Read all about it! >
Prairie-chicken Restoration Efforts Take Flight in Southeast Colorado (6/19/2017) - LPCI NEWS RELEASE: Why did the lesser prairie-chicken cross the state line? If Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) biologists are successful, the answer will be to rebuild populations of this uncommon prairie grouse, which has mostly disappeared from the grasslands of the southeast corner of the state. Read about the relocation project >
New Conservation Strategy Series: Prescribed Grazing Builds Healthy Grasslands (6/15/2017) - Hot off the Press! Check out the latest offering in LPCI's Conservation Strategies Series, which spotlights LPCI's core conservation strategies, Our latest fact sheet highlights prescribed grazing--a conservation practice that builds soil health, drought resiliency, and grassland productivity.
New Mesquite-Removal Factsheet Spotlights Conservation Strategy for Landowners (6/9/2017) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: The latest offering in LPCI's Conservation Strategies Series gives private landowners an overview of the hows and whys of mesquite removal as a core conservation practice that benefits both ranch operations and prairie wildlife.
LPCI Range and Wildlife Conservationist Position Open in Oklahoma (6/7/2017) - Application Deadline: June 16th Location: Buffalo, Oklahoma Anticipated Start Date: July 3rd, 2017 Overview: This position is located within the USDA Service Center in Harper County, Oklahoma, and will deliver conservation technical assistance to ranchers, producers, and private landowners within the counties of Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woods, Woodward & Ellis, Oklahoma. This position will deliver […]
Research Sheds Light on Nocturnal Habits of Lesser Prairie-Chickens (6/6/2017) - NEWS: Until recently, scientists had very little data on the bird's after-hours behavior and habitat preferences. Researchers from Oklahoma State University are filling int he blanks.
Texas Field Trip Showcases Lesser Prairie-Chicken Conservation (6/2/2017) - NEWS: A Texas Panhandle meeting and field trip organized this spring for regional field staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) highlighted efforts on public and private land to conserve the lesser prairie-chicken.
Putting Conservation Easements to Work for Ranchers and Wildlife (5/16/2017) - NEWS: Conservation easements are another voluntary practice in LPCI's conservation toolbox that can provide long-term benefit to both landowners and wildlife. Learn how conservation easements keep working ranches working and prairie-chickens booming.
Wildlife Journal Spotlights Lesser Prairie-Chicken Conservation (5/15/2017) - NEWS: Lesser prairie-chickens take top billing in the latest issue of The Wildlife Professional, trade journal of The Wildlife Society, an international scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship.
New LPCI Field Staffer Helps Landowners Help the Land in Colorado (4/24/2017) - LPCI NEWS RELEASE: LPCI's field staff team is an essential part of our conservation outreach. Meet our newest field staff member, Marina Osier, based in southeast Colorado.
New Mexico Range Managers Put Science to Work for Prairie-Chickens (4/14/2017) - LPCI NEWS RELEASE: For wildlife biologist Randy Howard, a new mapping tool developed by lesser prairie-chicken researchers is an essential part of restoring habitat for grassland-dependent wildlife. Read about this great example of "actionable science."
WAFWA Reports on 2016 Conservation Efforts, Including Permanent Land Protection (4/12/2017) - NEWS: The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies released its third annual report detailing conservation efforts in 2016 on behalf of the lesser prairie-chicken. Read the highlights and access the full report >
LPCI seeks proposals for videography package (4/11/2017) - JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: The Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative is seeking proposals from videographers to fulfill a multi-media outreach package. Download the RFP >
LPCI Featured Friend: Pheasants Forever (3/31/2017) - FEATURED FRIEND: Meet the Pheasants Forever, one of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative's key partner organizations. Pheasants Forever plays an important role in overseeing LPCI's Strategic Watershed Action Team.
WAFWA to begin aerial surveys of lesser prairie-chicken habitat (3/15/2017) - NEWS: Aerial surveys of lesser prairie-chickens will begin March 17 and run through mid-May in five states containing habitat the bird needs to thrive. The surveys are conducted annually by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to assess population trends . 
10 Things You Can Do for Lesser Prairie-Chickens (3/14/2017) - NEWS: Whether or not you own prairie habitat, there's still a whole lot you can do on behalf of lesser prairie-chickens and other prairie wildlife species.
Lessons from the Heath Hen (3/11/2017) - NEWS: Eighty-five years ago today, the last living heath hen was seen for the last time. Though the effort to save the heath hen was unsuccessful, it laid the groundwork for today's conservation efforts.
Leading LPCI’s Effort to Conserve Prairie Wildlife and Ranching (3/1/2017) - NEWS: As LPCI’s acting coordinator, Manuel DeLeon is overseeing the effort to conserve habitat for lesser prairie-chickens across their five-state range. 
Chickens and Woody Encroachment: Research Presentations Available for Viewing (2/22/2017) - NEWS: On January 29, the Society for Range Management hosted an full-day symposium on the effects of woody encroachment on western grouse. The research presentations are now available for online viewing. Check them out!
New Role Coordinates LPCI’s Field Capacity, Deepens Partnerships (2/9/2017) - NEWS: After four years as a wildlife biologist on LPCI's Strategic Watershed Action Team, Texan Jordan Menge steps into a new role as capacity coordinator for SWAT staffers across the southern Great Plains.
Science to Solutions: New Mapping Tool Helps Target Woody Encroachment (1/30/2017) - SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: A new high-resolution mapping tool will help range managers better manage woody encroachment and conserve prairie grasslands. Our latest Science to Solutions summarized the research.
Science Reveals Sage Advice: Cut (the Right) Trees to Save the Bird and the Herd (1/25/2017) - NEWS: What do America’s prairies and sagebrush have in common? Ranchers, for one. Grouse, for another. And, third, a woody plant invasion that's threatening to take over the healthy rangelands that support birds and people alike. 
Helping Texas Ranchers and Wildlife, One Plan at a Time (1/24/2017) - NEWS: NRCS Range Management Specialist Clint Rollins works one-on-one with agricultural producers in the Texas Panhandle to develop conservation plans that benefit wildlife and ranch operations. Read about it! >
Rangeland Science Journal Publishes Special Issue On Woody Plant Encroachment (1/12/2017) - PRESS RELEASE: This month, the Society for Range Management's scientific journal, Rangeland Ecology & Management, released a special issue focused entirely on the landscape-level threat of woody plant encroachment. Read the research reports and related Science to Solutions summaries >
Science to Solutions: Mesquite Encroachment Impacts Lesser Prairie-Chickens (1/10/2017) - PRESS RELEASE: New research study quantifies the significant impacts of honey mesquite encroachment on lesser prairie-chickens in the southern Great Plains. Read more > 
UPCOMING EVENT: Society for Range Management’s Annual Meeting, Technical Training & Trade Show (12/27/2016) - UPCOMING EVENT: The Society for Range Management annual meeting starts January 29. The meeting will include a one-day symposium showcasing research on reducing woodland expansion in the West to improve habitat for grouse. Read more here >
Latest LPCI Videos Showcase Prescribed Grazing, Redcedar Treatment (12/19/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: Two new videos showcase core LPCI management practices: Prescribed grazing and redcedar removal. Take a look!
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: LPCI Seeks Graphic Design Services (12/12/2016) - JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: The Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative (LPCI) seeks an experienced graphic designer(s) to support the LPCI Communications Program. Proposals due by December 23.
NRCS to Expand Targeted Conservation Effort for Wildlife on Agricultural Lands (11/30/2016) - NEWS: From the northern bobwhite to trout and salmon, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is adding dozens of new target species to its Working Lands For Wildlife initiative.
FEATURED FRIEND: Meet the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (10/27/2016) - FEATURED FRIEND: Bird Conservancy of the Rockies plays a vital role in the scientific research that helps LPCI ensure that we're doing the right things in the right places to benefit lesser prairie-chickens. Learn about them in our latest Featured Friend story.
SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: LPCI Conservation Practices Boost Lesser Prairie-Chicken Occupancy (10/18/2016) - SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: A recent study—the first part of a multi-year research project—shows that lesser prairie-chicken occupancy increases in areas where landowners are engaged in LPCI conservation practices. - New Flyer Links Range Health and Productivity, LPCI Assistance (10/17/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: Healthy range is productive range. That's the simple message in our latest outreach flyer for private landowners in the southern Great Plains. Check it out!
New study measures fence collision mortality, informs conservation (9/19/2016) - NEWS: A recent study of more than 1,700 miles of livestock fences in Kansas and Colorado found little evidence of fence collision mortality. Read about the report and its implications for lesser prairie-chicken conservation. 
Landowners Offer Ideas for Improving Habitat Conservation Assistance (8/1/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: A new report captures feedback from private landowners who met with NRCS staff in Denver to discuss the Working Lands for Wildlife program. Read the report >- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Delists Lesser Prairie-Chicken in Accordance with Court Order (7/20/2016) - NEWS: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) yesterday fulfilled a court ruling that had vacated its Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing decision, by officially removing the lesser prairie-chicken from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.
Featured Friend: Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (7/10/2016) - FEATURED FRIEND: Meet the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, a key partner within the NRCS-led LPCI partnership.- Fire Helps Kansas Rancher Restore Redcedar-infested Grasslands (7/6/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: When Tom Carr was a boy, redcedars were a rarity on his family's ranch lands in south-central Kansas. By the early 2000s, cedars had overtaken the grasslands. Through mechanical removal, prescribed fire, and an unexpected scorching from the Anderson Creek wildfire, Tom has removed most redcedars from his land and restored grassland health.
Latest Aerial Survey Documents Stable Lesser Prairie-Chicken Population Trends (7/6/2016) - NEWS: The 2016 lesser prairie-chicken aerial survey shows bird population trends remain fairly stable after five years of aerial survey data collection. While numbers were down from last year, biologists emphasize the fluctuating nature of prairie-chicken populations and the importance of habitat conservation.
Passion for Wild Things–A Poet’s Perspective on WLFW Conservation (6/20/2016) - Behind all the science and strategy, a deep caring for the land underlies enduring conservation efforts within the Working Lands For Wildlife program, beautifully rendered in poetic form. Read the poem >
New Magazine Highlights Conservation Successes on Working Lands, Including LPCI (6/15/2016) - NEWS: A new magazine from the NRCS-led Working Lands for Wildlife partnership highlights conservation successes for seven target wildlife species, including the lesser prairie-chicken.
Permanent Protection for Prairie-Chicken Habitat in Kansas (6/14/2016) - NEWS: The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) has finalized the purchase of approximately 30,000 acres of high-quality lesser prairie-chicken habitat in southwest Kansas. 
Western Livestock Journal Showcases LPCI Strategy (5/11/2016) - NEWS: LPCI's new Conservation Strategy takes centerstage in the May 6 edition of the Western Livestock Journal. Read the story here!
USDA Unveils Three-Year Conservation Strategy for Lesser Prairie-Chicken (4/28/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: The USDA today announced the release of a three-year conservation strategy that will guide the voluntary restoration of 500,000 acres of habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken. Read all about it >
LPCI seeks qualified vendors for filmmaking project (4/27/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative partner organization Pheasants Forever, Inc. seeks proposals from qualified vendors to create a multi-media outreach package for LPCI. Read the full RFP here.
New Study Measures Fire Impacts on Wildlife, Livestock in NM (4/12/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: A new research project tests the effects of prescribed fire on lesser prairie-chickens at the BLM's Sand Ranch east of Roswell, New Mexico. 
First in Conservation Strategies Series highlights Redcedar Removal (3/29/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: The first fact sheet in LPCI's new Conservation Strategies Series introduces landowners to a key strategy for prairie habitat conservation—eastern redcedar removal.
SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: Redcedar Removal Restores Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat (3/24/2016) - SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS: The science is in! A new study resoundingly confirms that redcedar encroachment greatly impacts lesser prairie-chickens. Our new Science to Solutions paper tells how the science informs management. 
New Book Presents Current Knowledge of Lesser Prairie-Chickens (2/26/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: It’s here! The much-anticipated ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS has just been released by CRC Press, synthesizing current knowledge of the species across its diverse range.
New tool turns science into actions for working lands and wildlife (2/23/2016) - NEWS: Today, the Sage Grouse Initiative unveiled a new tool to catalyze and improve habitat conservation efforts across the western United States. Check it out!
USDA Invests $150 million in Conservation Stewardship Program Assistance for 2016 (2/8/2016) - NEWS: On February 4, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that $150 million in funding is available for agricultural producers through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). 
How do Lesser Prairie-Chickens Survive the Winter? (2/2/2016) - FIELD REPORT: Biting winds, deep snows, frigid temperatures--how do prairie wildlife make it through the winter? LPCI wildlife biologist Amy Erickson reports in from Portales, NM, with her thoughts on winter survival strategies.
Tracks in the Sand (1/21/2016) - FIELD REPORT: LPCI wildlife biologist Amy Erickson explores the sand dunes of eastern New Mexico, where tracks in the sand reveal the presence of the many animals that live there. Read her blog >
LPCI Outreach Materials Offer Conservation Toolkit (1/12/2016) - LPCI Press Release: Throughout 2015, LPCI produced a range of outreach materials for landowners, resource managers, and the general public. A one-page fact sheet now provides quick links to the conservation toolkit.
NRCS and Texas Ranchers Team up for Conservation (1/7/2016) - NEWS: By taking part in voluntary NRCS conservation planning and range practices, Texas ranchers are conserving vital habitat for lesser prairie-chickens, State Conservationist Salvador Salinas reports at the annual Texas Commodity Symposium. 
New Report Highlights LPCI Conservation Across the Range (1/4/2016) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: New report highlights Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative habitat conservation successes across the lesser prairie-chicken's range in the Southern Great Plains. 
USDA Announces $50 Million to Help Producers Restore Habitat (12/15/2015) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is making available about $50 million in financial assistance in 2016 to partner with agricultural producers who want to restore habitat for seven focus species, including the lesser prairie-chicken.
Latest Video Shows Roots of LPCI’s Win-Win Conservation (12/14/2015) - LPCI PRESS RELEASE: What's the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative about, in a nutshell? LPCI's latest video, hot off the press, gives an overview to our NRCS-led partnership.
The Role of Sand Sagebrush in Prairie Grasslands (12/3/2015) - FIELD REPORT: Roll the gray-green foliage of sand sagebrush between your fingers, and you’ll catch the spicy aroma of a plant that’s an important part of the prairie community—one that benefits livestock and wildlife alike.
