AOK Comment on Seier NWR Proposal

 Dear Fort Niobrara NWR,


Thank you for the opportunity to provide written commentary regarding the Compatibility Determination and Environmental Assessment of Seier National Wildlife Refuge for Environmental Education, Interpretation, Wildlife Observation, and Photography and for Haying and Grazing. 

I am the Executive Director for Audubon of Kansas (AOK). AOK owns and manages property for wildlife in Kansas and in Nebraska. Our largest sanctuary is a 5000-acre ranch northeast of Bassett, NE, and about 1 hour from Seier NWR. As Executive Director, I understand the challenges associated with preserving habitat for wildlife while also providing opportunities to connect with nature. Before becoming the Executive Director three years ago, I was an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University at Lima with a PhD in Biology from Kansas State University. For over 20 years, I have been studying Greater Prairie-Chickens, with some of those years overlapping with studies of Sharp-tailed Grouse and Lesser Prairie-Chicken and have published numerous scientific papers on those species. 

I am generally in favor of using haying and grazing as management tools. Haying can reduce woody vegetation and thatch that can accumulate. Grazing allows for recycling of nutrients. However, both tools can be used inappropriately, and the guidelines outlined do not prevent misuse. For example, it states that haying could be conducted any time of year. However, I would argue that haying should never be conducted between (and including) May through July to allow for nesting of waterfowl, upland game, and other birds. Additionally, grazing can be too intensive without adequate rest between grazing. I would hope more details would be added to prevent over use of either technique.

Another tool I hope the refuge considers is prescribed fire. In combination with grazing, it is an effective tool for preventing woody encroachment and creating grassland habitats with different time since disturbance. Grasslands with varying amounts of disturbance provide habitat for a wide variety of birds, including prairie-chickens which need short grass for displaying, tall dense grass for nesting, and moderately disturbed grass for brood rearing. 

Regarding Environmental Education, Interpretation, Wildlife Observation, and Photography, I am generally supportive. People will not conserve what they do not understand. With over 95% of land in Nebraska being privately owned, there is a great need for land open to public access. However, the devil is in the details. It states that all public areas will be open from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. This is a good rule for most of the year. However, I worry about the sensitive lek-mating period of Greater Prairie-Chickens which are likely on the refuge. 

Greater Prairie-Chickens used to be found from the prairie provinces of Canada, south to Texas, and west to Ohio, forming a large triangle. Today, they are only found in a handful of states, with Nebraska having the largest and healthiest populations. (In Kansas, they used to cover 2/3 of the state - now there are good numbers in only about 25% of the state; with steady declines over the last several decades.) I worry that with increasing numbers of birdwatchers, and the declining range of the species, that the desire to see and photograph Greater Prairie-Chickens will increase.  Although most bird watchers and photographers are respectful, only viewing at a distance or taking extra precautions to not disturb the birds in blinds, there are always those that do not think twice about risking disturbance of the birds just to get a view. With repeated disturbance, the birds would likely abandon the lek. I would encourage the refuge to close areas with leks to public access from March through May, and to only allow guided tours to view the leks from refuge staff or trained third parties.  

If you need any additional information about prairie-chicken behavior or prairie management, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Thank you for considering my recommendations.

Sincerely,
Jackie Augustine

--

Jacqueline K. Augustine, PhD 

Executive Director, Audubon of Kansas

PO Box 1106, Manhattan, KS 66505

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Birding Atop the Sand Hilltops

Image
James E. Ducey. July 29, 2007. Originally issued on Wildbirds Broadcasting. With several photographs. Along the dim trails among the sea of grass-covered dunes in the Nebraska sandhills, a sporadic route in recent years has varied in pursuit of a higher view. During particular days, the trucking was to the known, peak elevations to the sights and to experience the night. The first stop for upclose watching was at Baldy Hill on May 18, 1995. Baldy Hill, in northeast Arthur County near Swan Lake, is the government name. The ranch on the northeast slope has its own variation on the same theme, showing Bally Hill on the resident's sign. The route, following a brief stop at the ranching place, went on up and parked on the north-side slope, with walking needed to get to the utter top. It is a sunny, nice setting, with the lee side of a blowout a fine spot out of the wind to view the day away. In the next month - mid-June 1995 - the start to Wild Horse Hill was a parking place east of the...
Read more

Part of Historic Young Ranch Sold

March 28. 2024. Grant County News 139(35): 1. A significant extent of a heritage ranch in Cherry county was sold in June 2023. There were three transactions by Paul and Pat Young at the Gordon Valley Ranch. Brennemann Farms LLC purchased 2362 acres for $2.189 million, which included a house and a pole building. Bruce Brennemann was the signer of the form 521 real estate statement. On the same date, of June 30th another document was filed for $3,206,240 for 4365 acres as purchased by Reverse 1031 Holdings, Inc. of Ogallala, Nebr. The property was subsequently transferred to the Brennemann’s on October 26, 2023. The third transaction was for $1.840 million for 2560 acres as purchased by John E. and Delores Brennemann. Overall, the purchase price for the ca. 9287 acres was $8,235,204 million. This equates to $886 per acre for property that is primarily grassland of different types. Additional thousands were spent for the requisite tax stamps. Most of the property was on the northern exten...
Read more

Management Options Being Considered for Seier NWR

This small refuge is located south of Bassett along Highway 183, and then west aside 854th Road, which is also know as Duff Road. The Duff Cemetery is nearby ⁹there.  This proposal is very weak as it does not indicate the location nor how many acres. What is especially disturbing how the legacy of John and Louise Seier is not mentioned. Hiring a consultant to prepare a potential management document is not an excuse. Especially when the hired sadly fail. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/john-w-and-louise-seier/news Comments can be made through the end of March 2024.
Read more