Newsletter

March 2026

What You'll Find in this Newsletter

Advocacy: Lesser Prairie-Chickens Lose Protection (Officially)

Conservation: The Biennial Advantage

Education: Record Number of Whooping Cranes Wintering on Texas Coast

Upcoming Events

Philanthropy Corner: An Update to Membership

Chapter Spotlight: Topeka Audubon Society

Lesser Prairie-Chicken by Bob Gress

Lesser Prairie-Chickens Lose Protection (Officially)

We wish we could tell you that Lesser Prairie-Chickens (LEPC) are no longer on the Endangered Species list because permanent habitat protections were put in place, or that their abundance has rebounded throughout their range. Instead, LEPC became officially de-listed due to multiple court cases filed by industrial oil, big agriculture, and the Attorneys General from Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. On February 26, the delisting became official through publication in the federal register.

However, we still have a glimmer of hope to save this charismatic species. At the same time as the publication of the delisting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also published a ‘status review’ for the LEPC. This is the first step in considering the species for re-listing. They are specifically asking for new information since 2022. Information on sightings of the birds outside their traditional historic range, population trends including leks that have disappeared since 2022, and threats to prairie-chicken habitat including plowing prairie or industrial energy development within their range would be particularly useful.

How you can help:

1. Submit your observations directly to regulations.gov
2. Support AOK's efforts through these methods:

• In addition to submitting comments directly, share your comments to AOK to be compiled in AOK’s official comment letter.
• Assist with internet sleuthing and reviewing public records for instances of wind and solar energy development proposals within the LEPC’s range since 2022. Training provided.
• Search for LEPC north and east of their historical range (generally north of I-70 and west of Hays). Training provided. Volunteers must provide their own vehicle, gas, meals, and lodging. Surveys must be completed between March 15 and March 29 for inclusion in AOK’s comment letter.

An Update on HB 2063

Last month, we asked you to contact your House Representatives to ask them to pressure House leadership to add HB 2063 to the calendar. This would have allowed debate in the House as to whether Kansas should have a dedicated source of funding for conservation. Unfortunately, the bill was “stricken from the calendar.” This means the bill will not be heard this year and it will have to be resubmitted next year for consideration. 

On a bright note, the bill went farther this year than ever before. Kansans for Conservation will regroup this summer to decide how best to advance conservation legislation next year.

Learn more about this and other legislation interests by attending the Statehouse Environmental Advocacy Network Updates from 12:30-1:30 PM on Friday, March 13 and Friday, March 27.

Spring quickly approaches as hordes of robins fill our yard and smoke plumes billow upward across the skylines of central Kansas. A period of dormancy begins to crack under the pressure of longer days and rising temperatures. While the canopies of elm trees burst with flowers and spring ephemerals press against a softening forest floor, some plants already have a head start—biennials.

Biennial plant species are those that experience their full lifecycle over a two-year period (most of the time). The general strategy is to commit a full year to establishment, simple vegetative growth, and stockpiling nutrients in root reserves. During the second year, these reserves are released in one monumental effort, producing a large stalk that holds the flowers and eventual seeds. This interesting approach to survival reduces the large investment required of perennials and increases resilience to variable conditions that may leave annuals susceptible. During this period of intense growth in the second year, many of these inconspicuous rosettes will rocket to over six feet in height in showy, and sometimes concerning, displays.

While many of our familiar prairie plants are biennials including common evening primrose, foxglove beardtongue, and black-eyed susan, some invasive weeds also employ this method to great success including poison hemlock, teasel, musk thistle, and garlic mustard. In a dense and vibrant Kansas summer, shades of green from poison hemlock or garlic mustard can be lost against a verdant backdrop, but in early spring these rosettes, which are nearly evergreen, stand in stark contrast to the browns and yellows left from winter. This poses a unique opportunity for treatment and removal. Targeted herbicide applications during this time can effectively kill these early risers, while minimizing the threat to surrounding dormant native vegetation. As we begin to venture outdoors and enjoy another growing season, keep an eye out for our low-lying friends, map and treat your infestations, and marvel at the adaptability and resiliency of plants.

Photo: A thick patch of invasive poison hemlock before treatment located at the

Connie Achterberg Wildlife-Friendly Demonstration Farm (January 2026)

Whooping Crane by Bob Gress

Record Number of Whooping Cranes Wintering on Texas Coast

Whooping Cranes are a critically endangered species. Cranes alive today all descend from only 14 adults remaining on the Texas coast in 1941. They breed at Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta and winter at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area in Kansas are critical stopover points along the 2,500-mile route between these two areas.

Every year, the Whooping Crane population size is estimated with surveys along the Texas coast. The latest Texas survey results from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated a record estimate of 557 whooping cranes wintering in the area of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge for the 2024-2025 season. That population included at least 41 tan-colored juvenile cranes, indicating continued population growth.

As the population expands, so does the need for protected winter habitat. These cranes do not winter in flocks; instead, they remain in pairs – with young – in relatively limited territory. Individual family group success is influenced by such factors as distance, human-made barriers, predation risk, and health. The International Crane Foundation, The Conservation Fund, and the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program announced last month the acquisition of more than 3,300 acres of vital winter habitat for the cranes. This area southwest of Houston is made up of two properties purchased for just over $8.4 million thanks to grants, fundraising, and hundreds of donations.

Keep your eyes to the sky! March is peak Sandhill Crane migration, and at least one Whooping Crane has already been seen migrating north with Sandhill Cranes. ‘Whoopers’ either join ‘Sandhills’ or migrate separately. Sandhills can be seen throughout Kansas, but Whoopers are generally restricted to the central part of the state.

Essay adapted from the Birding Community eBulletin

HAPPENING IN MARCH

March-May: Sharp-tailed Grouse Tours at Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary

Bassett, Nebraska

By Appointment Only

Learn More and Book Your Tour

Sharp-tailed Grouse lek tours support habitat improvement for prairie grouse at Audubon of Kansas’ largest protected area. Don’t miss this incredible display as males compete and dance to attract females.

Mar 7: Kansas Water Symposium

Dyck Arboretum of the Plains

177 W. Hickory Street

Hesston, KS 67062

Dr. Jackie Augustine, Audubon of Kansas Executive Director, will be presenting "Water for Wildlife Conservation." 

Mar 13 & 27: Statehouse Environmental Advocacy Network Updates

Virtual (RSVP HERE)

12:30-1:30 PM

AOK is hosting biweekly advocacy updates during the Kansas legislative session. These informal discussions will provide timely updates on environmental legislation under consideration at the Statehouse, with guest speakers from organizations across Kansas sharing insights on priority issues.

AOK board members hiking trail at Far West Wildlife-Friendly Farm

Members of Topeka Audubon Society at the 2025 "Get Down and Get Dirty" event