How do I submit a public comment on Status Review for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken?

The public comment window for this decision closed on March 30, 2026. The record of what was at stake stays on this page.

When is the public comment deadline for Status Review for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken?

The comment window closed on March 30, 2026.

Do public comments actually change federal decisions?

Yes, when they are substantive. Agencies are legally required to read and respond to substantive comments before finalizing a rule, and specific personal comments about real places and real uses carry far more weight than identical form letters. Courts have overturned rules when agencies ignored substantive comments.

Affects public lands

Oppose Status Review for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Status Review for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Fish and Wildlife ServiceFederal Register 2026-03882 ↗

ESA Wildlife Grazing Drilling

Rain over mixed-grass prairie, Badlands country, South Dakota · public land, held in trust for you

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reopening the ESA listing review process for the lesser prairie-chicken following a court order, initiating a new 12-month petition finding. They're calling on the public to submit scientific and habitat data to inform whether the species warrants protected status. This affects landowners, energy developers, ranchers, and conservationists across the southern Great Plains where the species lives.

In the agency’s own words

In response to a court order, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) are initiating a new 12-month petition finding process for the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We ask the public to submit to us any information relevant to the status of the lesser prairie-chicken or its habitat.

Federal Register 2026-03882 ↗

The reporting behind this

From More Than Just Parks

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To document and do our part to save America’s greatest old growth forest

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