Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran says he is cautiously optimistic regarding the fight against listing the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recently announced it will not pursue an appeal of the federal court decision to vacate the threatened species listing. Kansas became center stage for the fight against listing the lesser prairie chicken. In a weekly newsletter, Moran says he is worried the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a strategic decision to restart the listing process for the bird instead of continuing to fight a losing battle in court. Moran says “stakeholders in Kansas need certainty on the listing, adding that he asked the Fish and Wildlife Service regarding its future intentions on the listing. The bird’s population has increased near 50 percent since 2013 at the end of a multi-year drought. Moran says rainfall, plus locally-driven, voluntary conservation plans, are best suited to preserve and grow the population, “not more burdensome regulations from the federal government.”