Missouri witnesses the return of a native

The puzzle of which came first, the chicken or the egg, could be a metaphor for the prairie chicken and the prairie. One without the other is unthinkable, if not impossible, yet Missouri is close to having prairies without their iconic birds. The Missouri Department of Conservation is trying to bring prairie chickens back from the brink of extirpation, partly for the birds’ own sake but also to give meaning to the ecosystem that spawned them.
The latest effort to restore prairie chickens to western Missouri is a two-phase reintroduction program. Phase one began in late March, when Missouri biologists and volunteers traveled to the Smoky Hills region of central Kansas, where prairie chickens still thrive. There they began trapping the stocky, foot-tall birds. They focused their efforts on. . .
Read the complete story in the August 7, 2008 print edition. Get your copy today!