By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansas wildlife officials will begin evaluating necessary protections for skink, fish and turtle species in the new year.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks reviews lists of species that need conservation or are otherwise endangered or threatened every five years. The process begins with petitions to move species from one category to another. A seven-member task committee then reviews all of the petitions and determines which petitions need reviews.
Three species have been selected for review, with the petitions asking that these species move from the threatened list to the species in need of conservation list.
The shoal chub, a small fish with black speckling, stays in shallow water areas where there is moving sand, including the Republican River.
The broadhead skink inhabits oak woodlands in Bourbon, Crawford, Linn and Miami Counties, and has five yellow stripes on its back and sides, with two yellow stripes on the head.
The northern map turtle, found in counties such as Allen, Anderson, Bourbon and Franklin, has a short tail and ridges on its shell, with a yellow spot behind each eye.
Experts will examine evidence of decline or vulnerability for these species, the extent of the threat they face and how large the species population is, among other factors during the review process.
The review process will include public informational meetings and other consultations. After final recommendations for the species, the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission will vote on changing categories for them.
Currently, the state has 30 species listed as threatened and 22 species categorized as endangered.