Trump administration axes protection for New Mexico lesser prairie chickens
The Trump administration officially on Wednesday stripped endangered species protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a species that lives in the scrublands of eastern New Mexico and West Texas. In response, conservation groups said they will continue ongoing legal appeals to reinstate the safeguards.
The mottled brown and white grouse, just bigger than a pigeon, is best known for its vibrant mating dance, in which the males inflate their cheek pouches with a booming call and stomp their feet.
Because of habitat loss from the fossil fuel and agriculture industry, the dancing grouse’s population has dwindled significantly over the years — leading to a 90% reduction in its historical range. Its population has declined from the millions to about 26,000 (as of 2022) across the grasslands of New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
https://sourcenm.com/briefs/trump-administration-axes-protection-for-new-mexico-lesser-prairie-chickens/
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