Research fills gaps for ‘success stories’ of Kansas’ endangered species

On November 28, 2024By Pranco

TOPEKA, Kan. (KANSAS REFLECTOR) – A lizard, a turtle and a fish are thriving in Kansas after years on the state’s endangered species list.

A Nov. 21 proposal to the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission recommended downgrading the classifications of the broadhead skink, northern map turtle and shallow chub from endangered to “species in need of protection.” Researchers across the state have discovered a significant increase in the known populations of the three species.

Jordan Hofmeier, director of ecological services for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, said habitat conservation is the biggest difference between the two classifications.

Under the conservation needs classification, the habitats of the three species would no longer be conserved, but would remain protected from capture.

“If we have species on our list that are doing much better than before, we don’t have to put as much effort into preserving them as we do for some other species that are doing much worse,” Hofmeier said. during a Nov. 21 committee meeting. “It’s a way we can prioritize our efforts so we can focus on the species that need it most.”

The three species are “success stories,” Hofmeier said during an Oct. 3 committee meeting. That’s because of advances in documentation and discovery.

The population increase among each species is largely due to more thorough research. Expanded survey areas, greater attention to habitat diversity and new methods allowed surveyors and experts to better understand the species, according to the proposal, which comes after more than a year of preparation.

Broadhead skinks are smooth and scaly lizards with yellow stripes along their heads and backs. They have been endangered since 1987 and are mainly found in the southwesternmost part of Kansas. They are fond of trees, especially mature oaks, and recent studies have shown that they also create habitats among dead logs and fallen trees.

At the time of the broadhead skink’s endangered classification, there were only 15 known lizards. By 2015, researchers had identified 55, and by 2023 they had identified about 400.

Northern map turtles have short tails, stiff shells and small yellow dots behind each eye. They like to bask in the slow currents of creeks, rivers and lakes, especially in the creeks of eastern Kansas, south of the Kansas River and east of the Flint Hills.

The species was listed as endangered in 1993. At the time, surveyors found only ten turtles using mesh traps, but northern map turtles, among others, have a reputation for being wary of net traps. According to the Department of Wildlife and Parks, Emporia State University researchers documented 100 individuals between 2017 and 2019, using a combination of traps and telescopes.

Shallow chub are small, silver-colored and black-spotted minnows with a short lifespan. On average, they do not grow larger than ten centimeters and live less than a year. Once considered rare, shoals like to live and spawn in larger rivers, including the Kansas and lower Republican rivers. They were classified as endangered in 2009 when surveyors identified about 1,000 schools of chub.

State survey crews recently found more than 7,000 schools of chub.

Endangered is the highest risk classification under the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1975. Species may also be classified under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. Twenty-two animal species are listed in the state list. Most are fish or invertebrates such as mussels and beetles.

Nearly 30 species are on the state’s endangered list, and more than 80 are listed as species in need of protection. Endangered and threatened species receive the same protection, including habitat conservation and fishing bans.

State Wildlife and Parks Commissioner Warren Gfeller questioned whether the downlisting means the three species are at increased risk of becoming endangered again.

There’s always potential, Hofmeier said, but the species won’t be ignored if it is reclassified.

“It gives us the opportunity to respond a little better if they are in more danger in the future,” Hofmeier said. “But if we find that they continue to do well, they could be downlisted from species in need of protection to completely unlisted species.”

Three other Kansas species were considered and ultimately rejected due to listing changes. They were the black-tailed prairie dog, the coal skink and the greater prairie chicken. All of them are currently unlisted.