Council Grove is serving as both a research site and a home base for Kansas State University researchers studying greater prairie-chickens across the Flint Hills, with additional work extending into Chase County and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City.
Dan Sullins, PhD, assistant professor of Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management at K-State, and graduate research student Holly Henderson discussed the research Wednesday during a presentation to the Council Grove Rotary Club.
Henderson said she began her greater prairie-chicken research this spring and that her field team is living in Council Grove. She expects to remain in the area for the next couple of years while studying the birds throughout the Flint Hills.
The prairie-chicken research includes a study site in the Council Grove area, another near the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve next to Strong City and a third farther south near Cassoday. Researchers are examining how woody vegetation, prescribed burning and residual grass cover affect prairie-chicken habitat and movement.
A major concern is woody encroachment — the spread of trees and shrubs into native grassland.
Sullins said prairie-chickens generally avoid areas with eastern red cedar and other substantial woody cover. He said research indicates that even about 10 percent woody cover within an area extending approximately 800 yards around a bird may be too much, although the current project is intended to more precisely determine how much woody vegetation affects habitat use and movement.
Project information distributed at the meeting says the Flint Hills’ long history of fire has helped keep woody encroachment in check, but some areas now have substantial woody growth while other areas may lack the residual vegetation needed for nesting. The research seeks to identify a balance between those conditions that benefits greater prairie-chickens.
Fire frequency is part of that equation. Sullins said research has shown that areas going more than about three years without burning can become vulnerable to woody encroachment. At the same time, annual spring burning can reduce the residual vegetation available for prairie-chicken nesting. Researchers are studying how different burn intervals affect the birds.
Female prairie-chickens are being captured and fitted with small GPS transmitters so researchers can follow their movements throughout the year. Sullins described one bird that traveled from an area near Alma north of Interstate 70 before later moving back through the Council Grove area.
Sullins also discussed a separate wild turkey research project that included the Council Grove Wildlife Area and neighboring properties. Data for the statewide project was collected in several counties, including Morris and Chase.
One finding was relatively low turkey nest survival. Sullins said researchers estimated that only about 16 to 18 percent of nests successfully hatched at least one egg. Adult female survival, however, has been particularly strong around Council Grove.
Sullins said habitat management at the Council Grove Wildlife Area could be contributing to that survival. Timber stand improvement has been used in some wooded areas to thin trees, allowing more sunlight to reach the ground and encouraging shrubs and herbaceous vegetation to grow.
Young turkeys also depend heavily on insects during their first weeks of life. Researchers found poults consumed grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, flies, cicadas and other arthropods. Sullins said areas containing forbs — broadleaf plants and wildflowers sometimes considered weeds — can support insects that provide important food for both turkey and prairie-chicken chicks.
Sullins closed by thanking Flint Hills landowners who have allowed researchers access to their property, saying the studies would not be possible without their cooperation.