{"id":28419,"date":"2026-02-26T23:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T04:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-officials-remove-lesser-prairie-chicken-from-endangered-list\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T23:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T04:31:28","slug":"federal-officials-remove-lesser-prairie-chicken-from-endangered-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-officials-remove-lesser-prairie-chicken-from-endangered-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Officials Remove Lesser Prairie Chicken from Endangered List"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"836\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772166687333.webp?resize=836%2C627&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772166687333.webp?w=836&amp;ssl=1 836w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772166687333.webp?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772166687333.webp?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 836px) 100vw, 836px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Federal wildlife officials have officially removed two distinct populations of the lesser prairie chicken from endangered species protections, completing the delisting process on Thursday.<\/p><p>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the completion of regulations that strip Endangered Species Act protections from the two prairie chicken populations, representing a major shift in the conservation approach for these birds.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two distinct populations of the lesser prairie chicken have been officially removed from federal endangered species protections. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed the delisting process on Thursday, marking a significant change in conservation status for the bird species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[838],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772166687333.webp?fit=836%2C627&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-7on","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27987,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-protections-stripped-from-lesser-prairie-chicken-after-industry-challenge\/","url_meta":{"origin":28419,"position":0},"title":"Federal Protections Stripped from Lesser Prairie Chicken After Industry Challenge","author":"Admin","date":"February 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Trump administration has officially removed federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a ground-dwelling bird known for its elaborate mating dances. The decision follows successful legal challenges by three states and oil and cattle industry groups who argued the species was improperly listed for protection.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772127207102.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772127207102.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772127207102.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772127207102.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":86730,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-agency-and-biotech-firm-plan-biovault-to-preserve-dna-of-endangered-species\/","url_meta":{"origin":28419,"position":1},"title":"Federal Agency and Biotech Firm Plan &#8216;BioVault&#8217; to Preserve DNA of Endangered Species","author":"Admin","date":"June 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Texas biotech company and a federal wildlife agency have announced a major initiative to build a cryogenic archive storing living cells and genetic material from all species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The project, called the BioVault, aims to safeguard biological information for roughly 2,300 threatened and endangered\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782396976106.jpg?fit=450%2C293&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44693,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-agencies-may-skip-wildlife-protections-for-oil-operations-citing-security\/","url_meta":{"origin":28419,"position":2},"title":"Federal Agencies May Skip Wildlife Protections for Oil Operations Citing Security","author":"Admin","date":"March 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The federal government is considering allowing oil companies to bypass environmental protections for endangered Gulf of Mexico animals by invoking national security concerns. While the \"God Squad\" committee has never been convened for national security reasons, other agencies have already used \"energy emergency\" justifications to circumvent wildlife protection regulations.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774901170446.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774901170446.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774901170446.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774901170446.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774901170446.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":76805,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-government-removes-endangered-status-from-texas-oil-region-lizard\/","url_meta":{"origin":28419,"position":3},"title":"Federal Government Removes Endangered Status from Texas Oil Region Lizard","author":"Admin","date":"June 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Trump administration has agreed to remove endangered species protections for a lizard living in Texas's major oil-producing region, settling a legal challenge from the state's attorney general. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now admits it made errors in its original assessment that led to the lizard's protection in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780601023610.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":93955,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-administration-rolls-back-wildlife-habitat-protections-under-endangered-species-act\/","url_meta":{"origin":28419,"position":4},"title":"Trump Administration Rolls Back Wildlife Habitat Protections Under Endangered Species Act","author":"Admin","date":"July 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Trump administration has finalized a significant change to how the Endangered Species Act is applied, removing language that protected wildlife habitats from destruction. The new rule limits what counts as 'harm' to threatened species, meaning developers can now damage animal and plant habitats as long as no wildlife is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783712780675.jpg?fit=450%2C302&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":43480,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-judge-allows-tuesday-meeting-on-gulf-oil-drilling-species-exemption\/","url_meta":{"origin":28419,"position":5},"title":"Federal Judge Allows Tuesday Meeting on Gulf Oil Drilling Species Exemption","author":"Admin","date":"March 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A federal judge has denied a request to halt a controversial Tuesday meeting where officials will consider exempting Gulf of Mexico oil drilling from endangered species protections. 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