What Does It Do? One of the most important activities of the
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is protection
and management of threatened and endangered species. The
checkoff has been able to fund dozens of projects that assess
the status of threatened and endangered species and other
animals on the state's Species in Need of Conservation list. One
of the more exciting projects of the checkoff was the golden
eagle reintroduction project in Russell and Ellsworth counties.
The goal of the project was to establish nesting golden eagles
in that area in cooperation with Western Resources, Inc. Food
base for Golden Eagles, primarily black-tailed prairie dogs,
continued in decline in the area which hampered success. While
cottontail rabbits were provided as food for young eaglets, they
never were able to adapt fully without prairie dogs as well to
supplement a mixed diet and encourage later nesting.
Occasionally, Golden Eagles nest in two to three places in
Western Kansas but we not been able to enjoy