The flint hills of eastern kansas are a stronghold for greater prairie chickens

Federal Grant Award Summary

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks received $1,692,113 in formula grant funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611). The award, effective August 1, 2025, through May 31, 2029, supports research and habitat management initiatives focused on greater prairie chicken conservation in the Flint Hills region of eastern Kansas, the largest remaining intact tallgrass prairie in North America.

The primary deliverables include scientific investigation of prescribed fire management effects on greater prairie chicken habitat use, selection, and survival across varying burn frequency regimes. This research will generate data-driven recommendations to improve habitat conditions for the species, which has experienced documented population declines in recent years. The project addresses the critical need to understand how land management practices, particularly prescribed fire strategies, impact greater prairie chicken populations and will inform future conservation and habitat management decisions across Kansas grasslands.

However population declines have been observed over the last few years for this species in this area and other grasslands of kansas. Land management decisions have a significant impact on this prairie species especially prescribed fire management. Understanding the effect of different prescribed fire burn frequencies on greater prairie chicken habitat use and selection along with survival will be essential for understanding how we can create better habitat for the greater prairie chicken in the largest intact tallgrass prairie left in north america.