The lesser prairie-chicken (LEPC) is a ground-nesting, upland game bird that requires large tracts of undisturbed grass and shrubland habitat containing a high diversity of plant species. Due to range-wide habitat loss, LEPC are listed as threatened (northern population) and endangered (southern population) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Despite concerns about the role of wind energy development as a driver of habitat loss and fragmentation for LEPC, the scientific community’s current understanding of the effects of wind energy development on LEPC population dynamics is based on a single study. Based on that study, effects of wind energy development on LPC movement and demographic rates are minimal when turbines are sited in cultivated cropland and grassland habitats are available nearby, but there are gaps in the overall understanding of how LPC populations respond to wind energy development over the long term. LEPC congregate at “leks” to perform courtship displays during the breeding season; this behavior provides a low-cost opportunity for long-term population monitoring. The research team conducted post-construction lek counts between 2017 and 2024 at the Cimmaron Bend Wind Resource Area (CBWRA) in southern Kansas, to evaluate trends in LPC lek persistence and attendance. This work builds on a telemetry-based study in the same area between 2017 and 2021.
This study was supported by the Renewable Energy Wildlife Research Fund (REWRF, the Fund).