None The Nature Conservancy in Illinois Press Releases Search All Press Releases Chris Anderson Email: canderson@tnc.org Phone:(312) 759-8017 ext. 30 Cell: (312) 218-0186

New Site Acquired to Help Rare Grasslands Bird Recover

CHICAGO—February 9, 2006—The Nature Conservancy in Illinois played an integral role in helping the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) acquire 320 acres in Jasper County on Thursday. The acquisition benefits the state-endangered greater prairie chicken.

Bruce Boyd, director of The Nature Conservancy in Illinois, which at the request of IDNR officials secured the rights to the new property late last year, applauded the state for its latest acquisition. The new site is adjacent to 410 acres of existing prairie chicken habitat.
 
“In conservation bigger is better and that means contiguous habitat,” Boyd said. “Prairie chickens are a signature bird of the Prairie state. They have large home ranges and they need a safe place to feed, breed and raise their young.”

State conservation officials touted the purchase. “This is the largest single tract we’ve ever acquired to benefit the greater prairie chicken,” said Sam Flood, acting director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “Given the land we already have nearby, we now have a great big home for prairie chickens.”

Prairie chickens, which are wildly popular among birders due to their spectacular mating displays, were once common in the state. At the time of the Civil War, an estimated 10 to 15 million were in Illinois.

Market hunting, the introduction of pheasants and the widespread loss of tallgrass prairie led to a population collapse. In 1993, fewer than 50 prairie chickens survived in Illinois. Today, an estimated 200 are found at Prairie Ridge State Natural Area in Jasper and Marion counties.

With the help of the Nature Conservancy and other conservation groups including the Illinois Audubon Society, the state now owns almost 4,000 acres of prairie chicken habitat, including former crop fields that have been converted to grasslands.

The state’s recovery plan for prairie chickens calls for a minimum population of between 850 and 2,500 birds. Thousands of acres of additional grassland habitat are needed near existing prairie chicken populations to meet this goal.

Possible reintroduction of prairie chickens in other parts of Illinois – including the Conservancy’s 2,500-acre Nachusa Grasslands preserve located in Lee and Ogle counties – is another part of the state’s recovery plan for this species.

Grassland restoration and management throughout Illinois benefits not just the greater prairie chicken but also northern harriers, Henslow’s sparrows and short-eared owls – all state-endangered grasslands birds – and other rare species of native plants and wildlife. 
 
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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves the plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit us on the Web at nature.org.