Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Kansas is putting in effort to protect the lesser prairie chicken as an ecotourism attraction that is luring birdwatchers from around the world.
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism officials are working with ranchers and tour groups to meet the high demand for areas to view the vulnerable species of grouse.
Western Kansas is one of the last remaining places with a sustainable native population of lesser prairie chickens.
The state has seen this tourism aspect take off recently.
Jim Millensifer, an Oakley resident who now co-ordinates the bird tour groups, said that ranches have welcomed 200 visitors till now this year for guided tours, including people from 30 different states and 11 countries.
Millensifer said, “Twenty-seven of the 30 tours stayed in either Scott City or stayed in Oakley. Virtually all of them ate at least one meal, if not two, at local restaurants. We had nine different hotels or lodging places that were utilized. And obviously, they bought candy, gum, cigarettes, beer, ice, etc.”
Landowners are expected to see the economic value of preserving lesser prairie chickens.
Tags: ecotourism attraction, kansas
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