Farmers, ranchers fight attempt to put bird on endangered species list

Across western Kansas, folks like Stanton County farmer Jim Sipes are trying to “Stop Fowl Play.” Farm leaders say an upcoming court decision regarding prairie chickens could affect their rural life. They are taking proactive measures in an effort to make sure that doesn’t happen. In essence, it’s the largest swath of private land to ever be affected by an Endangered Species Act listing – 20 million acres that span 85 counties and five states. And for Sipes and others who make a living here, that’s concerning. With numbers falling to fewer than 18,000 birds in 2013 – a 50 percent drop from the previous year – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials last spring said they could no longer overlook the bird’s dramatic drop and declared the lesser prairie chicken threatened. The listing has brought multiple lawsuits from both sides on the issue. While no one wants to see the birds die out, the listing has prompted angst from farmers and ranchers, along with defiance from lawmakers in the chicken’s five-state habitat area. They cite potential for stringent land restrictions, exorbitant costs of doing business and a deterrent of economic growth. But environmental groups say the action isn’t enough – that the birds should be endangered...more