Sports
We sit down with Ted Koch, Executive Director of the North American Grouse Partnership to discuss the recent proposal on 5/26 to the list the Lesser Prairie-Chicken under the Endangered Species Act. We cover how we got here, what we can do to bring the bird back from the brink, and some of the tools that can help get the job done. Show notes: 1:10 - Intro to Ted Koch 2:25 - Ted and Aaron’s latest outdoor adventures 3:50 – what is the Lesser Prairie-Chicken 6:25 – how did we get to the need to list as an endangered species 9:10 – why the Lesser Prairie-Chicken was proposed for listing now 11:00 – what are next steps and what should we be paying attention to 16:18 – when the Lesser Prairie-Chicken was last hunted 17:50 – the various tools we can use to help recover the Lesser Prairie-Chicken starting with the Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program 22:00 – The Grasslands Act and how it can help 25:10 – a big shout out to Aviva Glaser, NWF’s Director of Agriculture Policy, and her amazing work on prairie conservation 27:23 – what are the implications of climate change on the prairies and the Lesser Prairie-Chicken 32:10 – what we know we can do right now to help 34:00 – the state of America’s prairies – how much we’ve lost 37:00 – a great story about grouse in Ted’s family 42:10 – the gift Ted gave his son later from that original hunt 43:10 – what can an average person do to help the prairies and the Lesser Prairie-Chicken 46:30 – the grasslands need our help 47:45 – Lew Carpenter’s, NWF’s Director of Conservation Partnerships for NM, AZ, CO, and NE, role at the North America Grouse Partnership Resources: The North American Grouse Partnership: http://www.grousepartners.org/ USFWS Press release on listing proposal: https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=service-seeks-comment-on-proposal-to-list-the-lesser-prairie-chicken-&_ID=36914 Description of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Prairie-Chicken/media-browser/163988331 Recent op-ed on Grasslands from the CEOs of National Wildlife Federation, Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation: https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/528890-americas-dwindling-grasslands-require-action?rl=1 Link to NWF's Farm Bill work: https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Our-Lands/Farm-Bill