| Abstract | Missouri native grasslands, before European settlement, covered nearly half of the state and provided a home for hundreds of thousands of prairie-chickens. By 2010, only about 500 birds are scattered in isolated flocks in Missouri and are listed as endangered. Partners In Flight hopes to turn this around. Burning the prairies and then allowing cattle to graze improves the prairie for the birds habitat. "With patch-burn grazing, livestock eat native grasses, leaving tall wildflowers and the patchy, complex structure grassland wildlife needs to survive." Includes a map showing Grassland Conservation Opportunity Areas and grassland coalition focus areas. |
