The birdwatcher set her eyes upon the lesser prairie chicken for the first time and her eyes lit up. She was looking at a creature she thought she might never see.
The tourists — known as birders — headed out from Scott City before the sun rose that morning, wheels pointed toward the Hoeme family ranch. The lesser prairie chickens were already conversing in their unique chatter as the group settled into the blind. Hunting has long drawn outsiders to Kansas, but wildlife like the lesser prairie chicken offers a new style of outdoor tourism.
“Kansas has the market cornered on seeing the lesser prairie chicken,” said Kansas Wildlife Parks and Tourism guide Mike Pearce. “The reason West Central Kansas is a bed for the lesser prairie chicken is because of landowners like Stacy Hoeme who take great care of the grassland.”
Stacy Hoeme has been involved with the conservation of prairie chickens on his ranch since 1998 when a study was done on the ranch. In 2013 or 2014, Kansas State University came back to the Hoeme ranch for another study.
“During that time the birds were put on the threatened or endangered list,” Hoeme said. “A lot of people kicked researchers off their land because they didn’t want the public to know they had lesser prairie chickens.”
But Hoeme didn’t, so displaced researchers ended up on his land. The land was the focal point of the largest study ever conducted on the bird.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)