Lesser Prairie Chicken
BY Elaine Giessel, Sierra Club Water Sentinel
September 4 is National Wildlife Day, which serves to bring awareness of endangered species, to acknowledge zoos and outstanding animal sanctuaries, and to educate the public about conservation. National Wildlife Day
The future of our wildlife and public lands is very much at stake this year, both at the state and federal level.
In the next few weeks Sierra Club members can comment on the Kansas State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), a comprehensive guide for managing the diversity of our state’s fish, wildlife, and wildlife habitats. This plan for conservation of Wild Kansas is used in federal grant requests for funding wildlife studies and conservation projects.
The far-right authors of Project 2025 support privatizing our public lands for resource extraction, ignoring wildlife protections. Project 2025 “is like [an oil-lobbyist] fever dream when it comes to public lands …,” said Athan Manuel, the director of the Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program. Conservation Groups Say Project 2025 Would Gut Wildlife and Public Land Protections | Sierra Club
The Kansas public, however, overwhelmingly supports conservation of wildlife. A 2021 survey by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) showed that 94% of Kansas residents “agree that KDWP should continue to identify and protect habitat critical to the existence of threatened and endangered wildlife.”
The 2022 SWAP, on which the Kansas Sierra Club provided comments, is undergoing a major revision, with opportunities for public input.
Attend a public meeting from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at one of the locations below to learn more about how you can help protect Wild Kansas or visit the KDWP website: Kansas SWAP / Services / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com)
9/18 – Pratt Office, Downstairs conference room
512 SE 25th Ave
Pratt, KS 67124
10/3 – Emporia, Dynamic Conference Room
3601 W 6th
Emporia, KS
10/9 – Topeka Region 2 Office, conference room
300 SW Wanamaker Rd
Topeka, KS 66606
10/16 – Garden City/Lee Richardson Zoo Finnup Center
312 Finnup Drive
Garden City, KS 67846