Every spring, I venture to Gove County in western Kansas to witness one last connection to our wild shortgrass prairie heritage: the mating dance of the lesser prairie chicken. Last month, a court ruling removed Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie chicken. Besides being bad for the prairie chicken, this on-again, off-again approach is bad for landowners willing to participate in voluntary conservation measures. For 30 years, various conservation measures have been enacted to bring back lesser prairie chickens. Lesser prairie chickens need the protection of the ESA, and landowners need support to enact conservation measures that are good for the herd and good for the bird.