Black-Footed Ferrets Return to Kansas Prairies

A wondrous event occurred just before sunset on Tuesday evening--a week before Christmas. Twenty-four Black-footed Ferret pups were released in the wild to begin the restoration of a vibrant part of the Kansas wildlife heritage missing for fifty years. This was a heart-warming and historic occasion. The ferrets were released on private properties in Logan County, Kansas. Fourteen were divided between two release sites approximately two miles apart on ranchlands owned by Larry Haverfield, Gordon Barnhardt and Maxine Blank.

The release of these ferrets is the cumulative result of more than two years of perseverance by these determined wildlife-friendly landowners, and decades of attention by Audubon staff in Manhattan. This Audubon of Kansas initiative links back in an intriguing way to the trip that John James Audubon made up the Missouri River in 1843. Audubon was the first to document the existence of Black-footed Ferrets for scientific purposes. Museum records indicate that Kansas was a significant “stronghold” for Black-footed Ferrets prior to poisoning campaigns intended to essentially exterminate prairie dogs from all of their historic range in the western two-thirds of the state.

Ron Klataske, Executive Director of Audubon of Kansas, was invited in September 2005 to tour several Logan County ranches with prairie dog colonies and help document ecological values for other wildlife. It was soon apparent that as many as three different private ranch complexes had the potential to support experimental reintroductions of Black-footed Ferrets.

In a partnership initiative with Audubon of Kansas, five landowner families with 26,000 acres of ranchland sent a letter in November 2005 requesting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluate their properties for potential reintroduction of the endangered Black-footed Ferret. Two Logan County ranch landowners, Gordon Barnhardt of Bucklin and Gene Bertrand of Wallace, had separately contacted wildlife agencies two decades earlier to indicate a willingness to host ferrets on their land following the discovery of a small population in Wyoming in 1981 and establishment of a captive breeding program to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

Mapping of the colonies documented that prairie dogs were scattered over approximately 6,000 acres within their contiguous ranches consisting of 10,000 acres. It is the only prairie dog complex of this size in Kansas, fulfilling key goals of the state’s prairie dog management and wildlife diversity plans, and the top rated site for potential recovery of Black-footed Ferrets in Kansas.

Larry Haverfield and Gordon Barnhardt have been at the forefront of a major conservation controversy that has pitted them and their attorney, Randy Rathbun of Wichita, against attorneys representing Logan County commissioners and the Kansas Farm Bureau . These wildlife-friendly landowners have resisted the efforts to force them and other landowners to poison their lands to exterminate prairie dogs. Prairie dogs are a keystone species within the shortgrass prairie ecosystem. Prairie Dogs provide habitat and serve as prey for a diverse array of other species including Black-footed Ferrets, Burrowing Owls, Golden Eagles, Ferruginous Hawks and Swift Foxes.

Klataske said these wildlife heroes have invested tens of thousands of dollars defending their right to conserve native wildlife on their land. The century-old state statutes that allow county commissions to mandate eradication and enter private lands with poison campaigns to kill native wildlife violates ever acceptable concept of property rights and modern conservation standards. Poisoning with Rozol and Phostoxin results in poisoning of Swift Foxes, Burrowing Owls, Bald and Golden Eagles, Ferruginous Hawks and many other species.

Decades of thoughtless destruction of wildlife nearly or completely exterminated Eskimo Curlews, Whooping Cranes, Bison, Pronghorn Antelope, Black-footed Ferrets and many other species from the Great Plains. Sadly, those same perversive attitudes continue to this day, demanding eradication of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and elimination of the “ecosystem” of wildlife diversity they support.

With antiquated state statutes imposed for more than a century, poisoning campaigns designed to eradicate prairie dogs are still being imposed on ranch landowners without their permission. Audubon of Kansas has taken the leadership role in asking the Kansas legislature to repeal and revise the most destructive sections of those statutes. Our recommendations are reflected in Senate Bill 257.

In addition to the fourteen ferrets released on the large prairie dog complex within the Haverfield/Barnhardt/Blank properties, ten were taken to The Nature Conservancy’s property ten miles to the east which has been managed to retain approximately 2,000 acres of prairie dogs within the Smoky Valley Ranch Preserve.

Audubon of Kansas has been and will continue to provide the most active organizational leadership role in the tremendously promising opportunity to bring captivity-raised Black-footed Ferrets back to Kansas for reintroduction on ranches where the landowners welcome the chance to host this endangered species. Recovery of this species is a natural priority for Audubon of Kansas, and it is an honor to work with these heroic families--and dedicated biologists within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Special thanks go to all of you who have helped in many ways to make potential recovery of this endangered species possible.

View More Photos of the Reintroduction

Mountain Lions Confirmed in Kansas

We have documented the occurrence of several mountain lions in Kansas in recent years and confirmed the existence of two separate cougars since April of 2006, and another that was killed in north central Kansas in 2002. A photograph of one of the cougars was made on April 20, 2006. An out-of-state guest was riding on an ATV with a rural resident on the host’s property when the photo was made of a mountain lion walking in open prairie between two wooded ravines. It was about a hundred yards away when first seen in an open area that had been burned a month earlier. They watched it walk another hundred yards up a hillside before they realized they had a camera and snapped two photos at a distance of 200 yards. Several other area residents, including farmers, reported seeing a cougar in previous years within six miles of the site.



(April 20, 2006 Photo of a Mountain Lion 200 yards from the observers walking over a grassland ridge that had been burned the previous month. Identification is made possible by the combination of distinctive features, including the general tawny color; size, shape and conformation; extended tail with dark upper color closest to the rump; dark posterior side of ears; dark; and observation by two witnesses for a few minutes with a clear view under excellent light conditions.)

Two months later, on June 28, 2006, I briefly observed a mountain lion--possibly the same individual--on a country road less than three miles from the location where the photo was made. I searched the nearby stream area for tracks in the direction of where the cat came from, discovered a dozen or more along the muddy stream bed and made plaster of paris casts of several.

The tracks are distinctively those of a mountain lion. They were larger than tracks of a bobcat, but not as large as those of a fully mature mountain lion. The plaster casts clearly show the retracted claws typical of both native cats. The photograph of the lion taken earlier also suggests a “sub-adult,” possibly an individual that is just two or three years old and out on its own.




(A photograph of one of a series of plaster of paris casts made by Ron Klataske of distinctive tracks made by a Mountain Lion near a road where he saw a Mountain Lion on a rural road about about an hour before sunset on June 28, 2006. It was a hot sunny afternoon/evening with clear visibility. The animal was approximately 200 yards ahead of the slow moving vehicle being driven by the observer. Because of the direction of travel by the Mountain Lion and with relatively high temperatures at that time (combined with very little rainfall in recent weeks) it was speculated that the animal was potentially returning from a nearby stream. Investigation resulted in the discovery of a series of fresh tracks in a muddy creek bottom along and within the water’s edge. The paw imprints were all slightly less than four inches in length (approximately 3 and 3/4 inches to be conservative). The most distinctive feline features include the clear impressions of the retractible claws and the relative alinement of the toes.)

At another location fifteen miles away, a plaster cast of a track of another lion was made by an acquaintance (also a year ago, in the summer of 2006). It was a distinctive track of a larger, mature mountain lion.

A number of rural residents in that area have also reported sightings of a mountain lion during the past several years. A lion resting on a large round bale in a field was videotaped in the same general vicinity.

Although mountain lions were part of the state’s native fauna, they were essentially extirpated during the second half of the 19th century and the last recorded survivor was killed in Ellis County in 1904. They are still officially classified as extinct in Kansas.

As mountain lion populations have recovered in western states in recent decades from more than a century of all-out eradication policies (government financed poisoning, trapping, gunning and bounty practices) individual lions have been venturing out from the Black Hills, Rocky Mountains and possibly occupied range in Texas. Research indicates that most of the displaced cougars that disperse across the countryside are young sub-adult males forced out by territorial adult males that will not tolerate competition.

Some of the young vagrants travel great distances and may be briefly seen by numerous people as they transverse hundreds of miles in a period of months. One of the most notable records--which should logically be regarded as a Kansas confirmation--is of a young male lion trapped and equipped with a radio transmitter and collar near Spearfish, S.D. It was last known to be in the northwestern corner of the Black Hills in September 3, 2003. It was then killed by a train and recovered near Red Rock, Oklahoma in May 2004. In a period of less than nine months it traveled a (straight line) distance of 660 miles from its homeland. It undoubtedly traveled south half the width of South Dakota, across Nebraska and Kansas and then into Oklahoma. Red Rock is located approximately 40 miles south of Arkansas City, Kansas.

That individual animal--a cougar with a radio transmitter collar--couldn’t have made the journey without making scores, possibly hundreds of road crossings. Every road and many open spaces presented the prospect of a sighting--although none were “confirmed” with photographs or distinctive tract records. This animal’s extensive travel illustrates the fact that an absence of confirmation is not a good indication of the presence or absence of a mountain lion in any area of the Great Plains.

A number of other young male cougars collared in the Black Hills or research areas in Wyoming have disappeared. One traveled to northern Minnesota and was last accounted for as it traveled north, possibly into Canada.

Although Audubon of Kansas is collecting information on sightings and other evidence of cougars in Kansas to include on the organization’s website, Audubon is not inclined to publicly release locations unless there is a compelling reason. Audubon wants to avoid providing information that may lead to any pursuit by poachers who want to kill a cougar, or others (including local or state officials) who might be inclined to needlessly destroy one of these native cats. Many or most cougars travel across or apparently live in relative harmony within the state’s 52 million acre area without presenting any problems for people or livestock. The region offers an abundant source of potential wild prey with substantial populations of raccoons, deer and wild turkeys.

Stomach contents of a young mountain lion killed on Interstate 80 between Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska revealed that its last meal was a raccoon. Most central and eastern Kansas counties have raccoon populations numbering in the thousands. As an illustration of prey abundance, a Shawnee County rancher reports trapping and shooting a total of 136 raccoons near his ranchstead in less than two months. The presence of one or more cougars within an area could be beneficial in helping to keep raccoon populations in check. Raccoons are notorious for raiding nests and killing ground nesting birds ranging in size from songbirds and quail to prairie-chickens, pheasants and wild turkeys.

Cougars are opportunistic hunters and prey on opossums, skunks, woodchucks, beavers, rabbits, squirrels, even coyotes and badgers. Armadillos and porcupines are also taken.

Most people, including rural residents, ranchers and farmers who have seen and reported mountain lions are not particularly alarmed by their presence and do not seek to have them killed. In fact, many people are reluctant to report the big cats out of concern for the well being of the animals. We know one farmer who refers to one repeatedly seen in his neighborhood as his “puddy cat.” For many people the concept of conservation doesn’t just apply to cheetahs in Africa, as viewed on the Animal Planet Channel. They consider rare native cats and other wildlife in North America of equal importance. Audubon of Kansas advocates the concept of thinking globally, but acting locally.

Although an estimated 165 to 210 Mountain Lions live in the Black Hills of South Dakota, their presence has not resulted in human attacks in this popular recreational area--an area with 200,000 year round residents and millions of visitors annually. There have been no human attacks in the recorded history of South Dakota. Members of the Custer Expedition sited several in the 1870s. Settlement with unregulated hunting then almost eliminated the animals.

There have been at least 125 documented cougar attacks on humans in North America in the last 100 years, and 21 of those have been fatal. A number of the attacks in recent years have occurred in California and Colorado as residential developments overtake traditional habitat with relatively high populations of cougars--and conceivably more limited populations of wild prey. There are precautions that individuals can take to minimize the risk of attack. However, cougars that attach humans must be killed or captured and removed.

Although far more people are hospitalized or killed by horses, dogs and bee stings, preservation of human life always takes presedence over considerations whenever there is a compelling indication of a threat.

Cougars sometimes prey on livestock, especially if natural prey is not readily available. It is not as prevalent as many people might assume. Some cougars probably never cross that line. Cattle are usually sufficiently formidable and protective of their calves. Experience in Texas and other locations, however has indicated that free-ranging goats (especially young ones) in rough and wooded terrain are more of a temptation for these cats.

In addition to definitive photographic and track verification, I also have confidential information (from the shooter) confirming that a mountain lion was killed in north central Kansas in the fall of 2002. The young male lion was shot by a member of a hunting party during the firearms deer season. Added confirmation was provided by a neighboring farmer who saw the animal in the back of a pickup after it was taken. A photograph was made of the cougar, and we are hoping that it can included on the Audubon of Kansas website.


Although in 2002 it was, and continues to be, illegal to kill mountain lions in Kansas (and most surrounding states), the two-year statute of limitations has expired for that particular violation. Considering that the presence of mountain lions had not been confirmed at the time, the hunters may not have been fully aware that mountain lions were protected. That became clear later when a friend of theirs inquired.

There have been rumors of other mountain lions killed in the state during the past decade, but they have not been verified. In addition, there have been rumors that were fabrications, including an e-mail hoax complete with a photo of an exceptionally large lion posted with a claim that it had been killed near Leon, Kansas. In reality the animal pictured was one of the largest mountain lions ever killed, had been killed in the state of Washington years earlier and became the subject of similar internet misrepresentations in a number of states, including Missouri.


Although the 2002 kill in Kansas has been verified by Audubon of Kansas, it is not likely that additional details will be made public. Because the presence of other cougars has been verified in the state, there are no compelling reasons to fence with skeptics, and nothing would be gained if others questioned the decision of the hunter made nearly five years ago.

Audubon of Kansas is interested in records and biological information on the species in the Great Plains. It is our goal to provide science-based information and educational perspectives rather than to make judgments on past violations that may have occurred. It is difficult to promote an understanding and the tolerance needed that will allow us to coexist with mountain lions, and modernize state wildlife policies regarding the species, if their presence is not acknowledged. That, combined with an increasing “culture of conservation” among many citizens will hopefully prevent us from repeating the mistake of extirpating this magnificent feline from the state once again.

There are clearly situations when it may be necessary to kill mountain lions, but these animals should not be killed just because a few exist within or traverse our state. Although hundreds of sightings of cougars may have occurred in recent years, it is conceivable that there may be as few as five within the state’s 52 million acres. If there were many more it is likely that some would be killed by vehicles.

Most of Kansas is a precarious place for the cougars because it doesn’t offer extensive landscapes of roadless or wilderness areas. Vast expanses of the state are cultivated, other areas are closely pastured, fragmented by roads or densely populated rural residences, towns and cities. Although there are suitable habitats consisting of wooded river corridors and hills with brushy ravines and scattered forests, these habitats are fragmented and not generally extensive enough to provide secure home ranges for resident breeding populations of mountain lions. Individual cats usually require territories ranging in size from 50 to 300 square miles. It is unlikely that there is a breeding population of cougars in Kansas. At present there are no records available of female cougars in Kansas or females with kittens.

A similar scenario has been generally true for Nebraska. Prior to this year there hasn’t been any evidence of reproduction in that state. Then, a kitten less than six months old was killed February 28, 2007 on U.S. Highway 20 ten miles east of Chadron in the Pine Ridge area of northwestern Nebraska. The only other confirmation of a female in Nebraska resulted from an animal shot in the same part of the state in 1991. Of the several others that have been killed and one captured in Omaha have all been dispersing young males. Cougar travels along major rivers are sometimes interrupted by cities blocking the river corridors. As a result, three young males confused and stalled by overwhelming human development have been killed by responding officials in Omaha, South Sioux City and Scottsbluff. There have been more than thirty-five confirmations in the state, including photographs and track records since 1991, but some of the confirmations may have been for the same individual on several occasions.

Animals can adapt to modified habitats, but can humans adapt to accommondate and accept the presence of large predators? Audubon of Kansas will be asking the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Commission to pursue the development of a policy regarding questions for when, and under what conditions, it is appropriate for a landowner or others to seek to have a mountain lion, that has been suspected of killing livestock or otherwise presenting a threat, killed or removed. The Nebraska Game and Parks Department has a management plan that provides protocols for handling a variety of situations involving mountain lions in that state.

Although Audubon of Kansas confirms that mountain lions have traveled through and have lived in Kansas in recent years, it is not unusual for a fleeting glimpse of other animals to be mistaken for mountain lions. An animal’s swift movement, the limitations of a brief observation from a moving vehicle, low light conditions, shadows, vegetation and situations that make size distinctions difficult often confound even the most experienced wildlife observers. Species that are sometimes mistaken for mountain lions include bobcats, coyotes, deer, domestic cats and dogs of many breeds--possibly including yellow labs, Golden Retrievers and English Mastiffs.

(Photo of the same location, but with a different camera and lens, taken several weeks later. A young man with a 175-pound English Mastiff and a smaller English Pointer are shown to provide some measure of proportion to the earlier photo of the Mountain Lion. A sub-adult Mountain Lion would be expected to be substantially smaller, at least in terms of weight, that this large mature English Mastiff.)

One of the most common indications of mistaken identity is illustrated by reports of a black animal that is projected to be a cougar. There are no scientific records of black mountain lions in North America.

Despite anecdotes to the contrary, all-black coloring (melanism) has never been documented in the cougar. The term "black panther" is used colloquially to refer to melanistic individuals of other species, particularly the Jaguar (native to Central and South America) and the Leopard (native to Africa and Asia). There are also charcoal gray color phases of jaguarundi, a substantially smaller (12 to 18 pounds) cat species native to Central and South America, including Mexico northward to extreme southern Texas. Occurrence of any black felines other than domestic cats would suggest an escaped import of a species other than the mountain lion.

Because of their low numbers and distant range it is highly unlikely (but not totally impossible) that a wild jaguarundi would disperse this far north. A Lynx (a close relative of the Bobcat) relocated to southwestern Colorado from Canada as part of a reintroduction program traveled hundreds of miles and was captured near Great Bend, Kansas early this year.

We hope that you engage in our discussion, and we look forward to your questions and comments.

Windmill shortage and American utilites

The rush to obtain alternative renewable energy from the wind has hit a snag--there are not enough windmills to go around. In recent years, improved technology has made it possible to build bigger more efficient windmills. That combines with surging political support has driven up demand far beyond what the manufactures can provide. This has resulted in stalled wind projects from Virginia to California. Many smaller development and energy companies have been told it will be years before they can get turbines.For such companies the wait and capital involved is providing formidable barriers to getting their wind projects completed.
European utility companies who have access to turbines and are better capitalized are snapping up American utility companies who can not wait out the delay in delivery of windmills. Among these is Energia de Portugal SA paid $2.7 million for Horizon Wind Energy of Houston and BP Alternative Energy, a division of UK based BP PLC snapped up Virgina based Greenlight Energy last year for about $100 million. European companies are estimated to own 20% of all wind energy in the U.S.
One must be concerned about the implications for this European backed power who may well want to enter the Kansas for its wind potential and their interest or lack there of for appropriate wind power siting.The Kansas based power companies are increasingly aware of these issues, will our European know or care about the importance of saving native prairie?
Read Wall Street Journal article.

an environmental philosophy

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE


Since becoming President of Audubon of Kansas I am frequently asked what is AOK about, what does it do, what is it’s defining purpose. The question is frequently couched in the opening phrase, “ O you are the bird watching people” or “ I presume you are against hunting, and followed by are you related to the National Audubon Society. It is easy to answer yes, no, and no but that still does not get to the basic question what is AOK is about. At a recent meeting of people interested and experienced with AOK that question was asked and the response was quite varied. Repeatedly in various forms the opinion was that AOK’s primary mission is to advocate for protection of the natural environment of Kansas. Among the responses was AOK should demonstrate and attitude or life style of partnership with nature, in a similar vein AOK must promote the conservation and and appreciation of the natural, historic and cultural resources of the state of Kansas and asks its members and the public to support preservation of ecologically diverse wildlife habitat. To have a statewide presence and advocacy for environmental concerns. Of considerable interest to me was the recurrent expression of concern not only about the environment but those who live in and affect the environment.

I believe theses opinions arise out of certain basic assumptions starting with the value judgment that the earth or our environment is of categorical importance and mankind is ultimately responsible for the care of the earth. If we care about the earth and it’s inhabitants whether human or not then solutions to the problems regarding the environment must be stated in terms of integrity that are both holistic and just. We shall seek holistic solutions to environmental problems which preserve the natural element and that is fair and just to the parties involved whether land owner, government regulatory agency or the public. For these goals the operational philosophy of Audubon of Kansas is that we strive to forge partnerships and build common ground with diverse interest groups and individuals whenever possible. Audubon of Kansas will vigorously pursue a positive approach to wildlife and ecosystem conservation. Audubon of Kansas will not compromise it’s integrity to seek praise and may in fact actively oppose other organizations, agencies or officials who undermine sound conservation policies and practices in favor of self-interest, misguided priorities, convenience or public gain. We serve no special economic interest or political entity but remain responsible to our members and our environmental ethic.

Environmental issues are invariably very complex and we intent to work by these standards to find solutions regarding a host of problems including appropriate siting of industrial scale wind power, plowing of the prairie to grow corn for ethanol, or in efforts to reintroduce black footed ferrets to a large prairie dog colony in a manner that does not threatened the neighboring ranches.

I believe this is what Audubon of Kansas is about.

Dam the Salmon

Shikha Dalmia in a commentary article in the Wall Street Journal of May 30 ,2007 describes the demand of environmentalist in the state of Washington to tear down the multiple dams on the Klamath river. These dams have been disruptive of river life despite $350 million spent by the power companies to build fish ladders for the migrating salmon. The dams provide electrical power for 70,000 homes, and tearing down these dams would require replacing this energy with enough natural gas that would pump 473,000 tons of carbon dioxide in to the air. For the environmentalist there is no middle ground,these dams must be removed and the people served by these dams simply get by on less energy through conservation.

This philosophy as discussed by Dalmia is derived from the thinking of Deep Ecologist and John Muir’s mystical preservation, “ who saw wilderness as sacred territory wothy of protection regardless of human needs.” In the same manner “Deep Ecology’s emphasis on radical species equality make talk about solving environmental problems for human ends illicit with in the American Environmental community.” This compares with the views of Aldo Leopold who sought to protect nature for man and regarded wilderness as a form of land use: he wanted to limit the development of wild areas --but to enlarge the range of individual experience.

This radicalism is extremely harmful to the Third World , resulting in the wresting crucial resources out of the hands of agrarian and tribal population in India. “Such radiclism had made the environmental movement incapable of responding to its own self proclamed challenges. Since nature can’t speak for itself, the admonition to protect nature for nature’s sake offers not a guide to action, but an invitation to inaction. That’s becaue a non-anthropocentric view that treats nature as non-hierarchical collapses into incoherence when it becomes necessary to calculate trade-offs or set priorities between competing environmental goals.”

New York times and the Flint Hills

See what the New York Times has to say about the Flint Hills

Old Kansas, Still Growing Tall - New York Times

new hummingbirds

Try this site for a view of hummingbirds from the very first day in the nest

http://community-2.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM/