Lesser Prairie Chicken Now On Endangered List

The Obama administration is placing the lesser prairie chicken on a list of threatened species.

The decision could affect oil and gas drilling, wind farms and other activities in five central and southwestern states.

The decision by the Fish and Wildlife Service is a step below "endangered" status and allows for more flexibility in how the protections for the bird will be carried out under the Endangered Species Act.

The wildlife agency’s director says he knows the decision will be unpopular with governors in the five affected states but that the bird is "in dire straits" and needs help.

The states are Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announcement of listing the Lesser Prairie Chicken as a Threatened Species.

“This is an overreach on the part of the federal government, and I am concerned about the effect this designation will have on Kansans and the Kansas economy. We are looking at possible responses on this issue.”