Joe Jury - Gray County, KS

We have a real concern because the lesser prairie chicken has been put on the list as a “threatened” species, and that brings a lot of guidelines and regulations that we are not real sure about. We think this could infringe upon our normal farming and ranching practices. Even though under the “threatened” species listing farming has a 4(d) exemption, grazing does not. That could be a real problem for us in the future. If the regulations are enforced that go along with the “threatened” listing of the lesser prairie chicken we could be held off our own properties during prime grazing time. April 15 to July 15 are our prime times, and are also part of the breeding and nesting season for the lesser prairie chicken. That could be a real problem. We could be held out of of our land when our grass is needed most. It’s that overreach of these regulations that has us really concerned and wondering if we can survive this.