By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
While temperatures jump back into the 50s and 60s this week in central Kansas, last week’s cold snap was a worst case scenario for wildlife. With snow on the ground and wind chill temperatures below zero, Cheyenne Bottoms Area Wildlife Manager Jason Wagner said thermal cover becomes essential for survival for wildlife.
One way to aid wildlife before the winter storms arrive is by planting native warm-season grasses.
"My number one grass for this situation is switchgrass," said Wagner. "They make different varieties of switchgrasses. It's taller, thicker and grows in clumps. It helps block that snow. It's good standing upright, helps block the wind. It gives animals areas where they can get out of the cold."
With the snow, many animals’ food sources are covered and it becomes difficult to find warm areas. Wagner said along with leaving loosely-stacked brush piles near food sources, a rare positive for cedar trees is during the winter.
"A few cedars strategically left around, in these conditions, are pretty good for thermal cover for wildlife," said Wagner. "Branches stop the snow. There will be good bare ground underneath. This is one of the few times where a cedar, as much as I hate to say it, is beneficial."
Wagner said last week’s cold stretch can be more detrimental to quail and pheasant numbers than predators like coyotes.