It is spring and Greater Prairie-Chickens are once again booming in central Wisconsin. Each year since 1950 there has been a count of displaying males that is used to estimate the number of birds in the population. Since 2000, numbers have declined from about 750 males to 240.

This decline has occurred despite releasing 110 females from Minnesota into the southern population (Buena Vista) during 2006-'09. Although this translocation temporarily stabilized the loss of genetic variation in the population, the numbers of birds has declined, suggesting that the decline is not due to inbreeding. The translocation was part of the previous 10-year management plan (2004-'14) for prairie-chickens by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

That plan also called for acquiring an additional 15,000 acres to connect the four DNR wildlife management areas that have prairie-chickens (Leola, Buena Vista, Paul Olsen and Mead). A lack of funds and increasing land prices hampered that effort, with only a minimal number of acres added during this period. In the meantime, the overall amount of habitat for prairie-chickens has declined due to land use changes.

The next management plan is now being developed, and in late February, the DNR held a public meeting in Wisconsin Rapids to gain public input on issues related to the new plan. The full draft of the plan is expected later this spring, after which there will be a final public review this summer , after which the DNR will seek approval of the plan by the Natural Resources Board this fall.

The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology has a long history of involvement in prairie-chicken conservation. This includes the purchase of two properties (60 acres total) with grassland habitat for prairie-chickens in the Buena Vista area. WSO President Michael John Jaeger represented the society at the February meeting, and WSO also provided written comments, which were recently summarized by the DNR and are available at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/prairiechicken.html

All of the public comments after the meeting expressed very strong support for maintaining grasslands for prairie-chickens on both public and private lands. Furthermore, there was strong support for strengthening viewing opportunities and community efforts, such as the prairie-chicken festival, to support the local economy.

For the next management plan, the DNR presented four alternatives for their management areas, including a plan to cut back on management on some properties. However, the majority of comments, including those from WSO, supported continued management for prairie-chickens on all four management areas.

There also was strong support for expanding available grassland by working more with private and other public land managers in the region. It was clear, however, that additional DNR land purchases were not being considered., It is still too early to tell what might be proposed in the next draft of the management plan, but the WSO will continue to monitor its progress and promote more habitat for prairie-chickens and other species that need extensive grasslands.

By Peter Dunn
WSO Conservation Committee

Peter Dunn is a professor of biological sciences at UW-Milwaukee and a member of WSO's Conservation Committee. He studies Greater Prairie-Chickens, Common Yellowthroats and Tree Swallows and can be contacted at pdunn@uwm.edu