Fossil Rim has been working to save the endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken (APC) for decades, becoming one of the largest conservation breeding hubs in the country. After 24 years as the head of the Avian Care Team, the torch is being passed from Janet Johnson to her long time protege, Cara Burch.
Cara has worked with prairie chickens as an Avian Care Specialist for 17 years, a task which she has fully devoted herself to since her time as a Fossil Rim intern in 2006.
“After spending the summer…as an intern, I became very attached to Fossil Rim and the Attwater’s prairie chickens and hoped to one day return as an employee,” says Cara.“Two years later in 2008, the Avian Care Specialist job came open and I was lucky enough to be selected.”
Attwater’s prairie chickens are Texas-native subspecies of the greater prairie chicken. For millennia they made their home in the coastal prairie of the southwest, but habitat loss combined with other factors decimated their numbers. By 2003, there were less than 50 birds left in the wild. By that time, Fossil Rim was already a part of conservation efforts, having joined the cause in 1992. Since then we have successfully hatched well over 6000 chicks, releasing as many eligible individuals as possible. Once released onto either of two protected sites in South Texas, these important birds make up the only remaining wild population.
Cara, who has always had an interest in birds, says her years at Fossil Rim have been fulfilling thanks to her work with the APC.
“Prairie Chickens are truly special birds. The males have a spectacular mating dance involving booming and foot stomping that they perform in the Spring,” says Cara. “Also, the fact that they are native to Texas is pretty neat. It is very rewarding to be a part of the captive breeding program, which has kept them from becoming extinct in the wild.”
Cara’s succession comes at a time when the program is steady, and the team is looking forward to more success, both with the APC and with another Texas icon. Cara will oversee Fossil Rim’s Texas horned lizard breeding and release program. Though we have only housed the lizards since mid-2024, Cara says she is hopeful and excited about the program’s future.
We are excited to see what the future holds for both Cara and the Attwater’s prairie chicken, but for now we know the population remains in good hands.