Mapping Kansas
Prairie Chicken
Habitat and Distribution
Kansas is one of the few states to support populations
of both greater and lesser prairie chickens. The greater prairie chickens
occupy portions of the northern and eastern grasslands, while the lesser
prairie chickens are found in the short grass and sand sage prairies
of southwestern Kansas. Due to increasing pressures on prairie chicken
habitat, there is a need to better define the current range and distribution
of greater and lesser prairie chickens in Kansas. The Kansas Department
of Wildlife and Parks and the Kansas Biological Survey are working together
to do just that.
Though not currently listed as threatened, the amount
of suitable habitat for the prairie chicken (especially the lesser)
is becoming increasingly scarce. In an effort to better identify and
manage the remaining habitat, an updated range map for the prairie chicken
was created. Having current information on the range distribution of
the prairie chicken is important due to its sensitivity to habitat degradation.
Knowing that potential action A impacts less grassland and prairie chicken
habitat then potential action B can help resource managers and developers
make in informed decisions about resource development.
Realizing it was not feasible to find and map every
prairie chicken lek (breeding area) in the state, we used the general
knowledge of these birds’ distribution that exists within our
agencies and other parties to create an updated map showing potential
prairie chicken habitat and their current range.
As we prepared to delineate known prairie-chicken locations,
a parallel approach was initiated to identifying potential prairie-chicken
habitat throughout the state. Using the Kansas GAP vegetation map, we
were able to identify eight vegetation communities (sandsage shrub land,
tallgrass prairie, sand prairie, western wheatgrass, sandstone glade/prairie,
mixed prairie, shortgrass prairie, and Conservation Reserve Program
grasslands) that could be suitable for prairie-chicken habitat depending
on the vegetation structure present. With the primary potential prairie-chicken
habitat identified, two additional modifications were made. First, a
one-mile buffer around grassland patches was added to account for movement
and feeding patterns. Second, an avoidance factor was added to account
for land cover features that prairie-chickens are known to avoid and
a one-sixteenth mile buffer was created around these negative associations.
Land cover classes that were avoided included upland and riparian woodland
classes, and urban area. As a last step, the avoidance area was removed
from the suitable habitat area.
Using a professional knowledge base, the potential
habitat map, and the GAP landcover map, a preliminary map showing the
distribution of greater and lesser prairie chickens was created and
mailed to 129 regional experts for assessment during the early spring
of 2004. The comments and edits were then used to produce a map showing
the current range of prairie chickens in Kansas. The range map was since
updated in the spring of 2005, and is subject to additional updates
in the future as more information becomes available.
Click on desired icon to view
Adobe.pdf file
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Modeled potential habitat
map |
Prairie Chicken Report.pdf
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Current range |
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For additional information, contact:
Mike Mitchener, KDWP Wildlife Section Chief, mikewm@wp.state.ks.us
Mike Houts, KARS/KDWP GIS Specialist, mhouts@ku.edu
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