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Ranchers, renewables, and a bird: The future of the lesser prairie chicken in Colorado

Denver7 · · 1774 words · By Colette Bordelon
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What to know about Ranchers, renewables, and a bird: The future of the lesser prairie chicken in Colorado

DENVER — As the sun rose on a chilly morning near the Colorado-Kansas border, a group of men huddled up in a wildlife observation blind and waited in silence.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

DENVER — As the sun rose on a chilly morning near the Colorado-Kansas border, a group of men huddled up in a wildlife observation blind and waited in silence.

Why it matters

Soon, the tall grass ahead of them began moving, ever so slightly, and a small bird emerged.

Common ground

The lesser prairie chicken, with orangish eyebrows and reddish air sacs on their neck, was quickly joined by a handful of other males.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/ranchers-renewables-and-a-bird-the-future-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified Verified 1
help
Claim 1: “In April, the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners approved the 2026 Lesser Prairie-Chicken Stewardship Action Plan”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners' approval of the 2026 Lesser Prairie-Chicken Stewardship Action Plan.
check_circle
Claim 2: “where the bird is considered a threatened species.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm the status: one source explicitly states 'Feds declare lesser prairie chicken threatened in Colorado' and another mentions 'where the bird is considered a threatened species'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The lesser prairie-chicken is a species in the grouse tribe.Considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN due to its restricted and patchy range, it is vulnerable to habitat destruction,[1] due to a combination…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_prairie-chicken
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web search NEUTRAL — Feds declare lesser prairie chicken “threatened” in Colorado, land use changes ahead. Environmentalists cheer after a long campaign on the boom-or-bust bird, while farmers decry new restrictions.
https://coloradosun.com/2022/11/22/colorado-threatened-speci…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — There are less than 100 breeding male lesser prairie chickens estimated in Colorado currently, where the bird is considered a threatened species.
https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/ranchers-renewables-an…
info
Claim 3: “The Hoeme Ranch in Kansas spans roughly 9,000 acres of grassland”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of general real estate listings for Kansas and general information about cattle ranches; there is no mention of 'Hoeme Ranch' or its specific acreage.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find ranches for sale in Kansas including cattle ranches, large tracts of ranch land, working ranch farms, small ranchettes, and luxury horse ranches.157 Acres of Land with Home for Sale in Greeley, K…
https://www.landsearch.com/ranch/kansas
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Cattle ranches fuel the beef industry and the western Kansas economy. People like him also own much of the remaining native grasslands that once covered 71 million acres of the southern High Plains.
https://www.kcur.org/2024-01-23/fast-food-hamburgers-are-hel…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Today’s Featured Kansas Ranches & Properties. View our available Kansas land for sale to find your ideal ranch or farm property. Our selection of properties feature rolling hills for grazing, tall gra…
https://hallhall.com/kansas/
info
Claim 4: “Hoeme estimated there are almost 100 male lesser prairie chickens on his property”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of general information about the name 'Stacy' and unrelated YouTube/nightlife results. There is no mention of Stacy Hoeme or bird populations on a ranch.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Stacy, sometimes spelled Stacey, Staci, Stacie, or Stacii, is a common first name for women and men. It is also sometimes used as a surname. Baby-naming guides cite two English derivations of Greek or…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacy_(given_name)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sep 19, 2019 · Stacy and Dad - favorite children's stories about slime, toys and pretend play. Subscribe to Like Nastya Vlog - https://is.gd/gdv8uX...more
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r-srHFdGRLA
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — GOOD VIBES, FIND YOUR TRIBE Phoenix's hottest queer nightlife experience in the heart of the Melrose District Drag shows, DJs, theme nights, and a dance floor that doesn't judge.
https://www.stacysatmelrose.com/
verified
Claim 5: “Lesser prairie chickens reside in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.”
VERIFIED
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service source explicitly lists the range as including 'portions of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of LESSER is of less size, quality, degree, or significance : of lower status. How to use lesser in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lesser
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — LESSER definition: smaller, as in size or importance; inferior. See examples of lesser used in a sentence.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/lesser
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Define lesser. lesser synonyms, lesser pronunciation, lesser translation, English dictionary definition of lesser. smaller: She received a lesser amount.; inferior: a lesser evil Not to be confused wi…
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/lesser
verified
Claim 6: “It's not a chicken, even though it's called a chicken. It's actually a grouse”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly states that the lesser prairie-chicken is 'a species in the grouse tribe'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species in the grouse tribe.The majority of the lesser prairie-chicken's diet consists of foraged seeds, insects, and crops, as well as lea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_prairie-chicken
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lesser Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus Range: The lesser prairie-chicken currently occupies a five-state range that includes portions of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
https://www.fws.gov/lpc
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lesser Prairie-Chickens are about the size and shape of a football. Both sexes are mostly barred with alternating cinnamon brown and buffy white, paler below and darker above.
https://abcbirds.org/birds/lesser-prairie-chicken/
info
Claim 7: “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the lesser prairie chicken from the protections it had under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in February.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary/encyclopedia entries for the letter 'U' and the University of New Mexico, which are completely irrelevant to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the lesser prairie chicken.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — U (minuscule: u) is the twenty-first letter and the fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of other western European languages and others world…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/U
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — On calendars, U is most times a short letter for Sunday, for use when S is being used for Saturday. In chemistry, U is the symbol for uranium. Sometimes used as a short form of "you". It is the sevent…
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/U
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Individuals Together That’s the way we see us. We’re a community of unique perspectives embracing divergence – unafraid to let our colors run and blend – letting the very things that divide us become …
https://www.unm.edu/
verified
Claim 8: “the 2026 legislative session concludes on May 13.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Ballotpedia explicitly states the scheduled session end for the 2026 Colorado legislative session is May 13, 2026.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Scheduled session end: May 13, 2026. Leadership.In 2026, the Colorado State Legislature is scheduled to convene on January 14, 2026, and adjourn on May 13, 2026. The legislators serving in this sessio…
https://ballotpedia.org/2026_Colorado_legislative_session
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web search NEUTRAL — The 2026 election is one of the biggest stories of the year. While most people are focused on the Governor’s Race, there is one seat that might just be the most important. The Colorado State Treasurer…
https://freestatecolorado.com/grantham/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Query Session / Qwinsta - Windows CMD - SS64.com ss64.com.
https://ss64.com/nt/query-session.html
info
Claim 9: “There are less than 100 breeding male lesser prairie chickens estimated in Colorado currently”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result ('Ranchers, renewables, and a bird') explicitly states there are less than 100 breeding male lesser prairie chickens estimated in Colorado. However, the other two search results are dictionary definitions of the word 'there'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Note: Do not confuse there, which has meanings that mostly relate to a literal or abstract location, with the words their and they're. Their has to do with what belongs to or is associated with them (…
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/there
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — We can use there at the start of a clause as a type of indefinite subject. This means that we can put the actual subject at the end of the clause and so give it emphasis or focus (underlined below): …
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/there
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 1. Used to introduce a clause or sentence: There are numerous items. There must be another exit. 2. Used to indicate an unspecified person in direct address: Hello there.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/there
help
Claim 10: “which lasts for five years and stretches over more than 84,000 acres of state trust land in the southeastern portion of the state.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found regarding the specific acreage or duration of the 2026 Lesser Prairie-Chicken Stewardship Action Plan.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.