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2009 Dance of the Prairie Chickens
Early Morning-Only Viewings
March 27      Fri before dawn (2 seats available)
April   3    Fri before dawn (6 seats available)
Viewing time to be announced (it will be early!)  
Fee: $50, includes breakfast after the viewing
Limited to 6 (women and men)
Overnight Events
March 27-28           Fri 7pm-Sat 11am (3 seats available)
March 28-29    Sat 7pm-Sun 11am (6 seats available)
April 3-4       Fri 7pm-Sat 11am (5 seats available)
April 4-5            Sat 7pm-Sun 11am (6 seats available)
Fee: $78, includes breakfast after the viewing
Limited to 6 women 
Facilitators: Jane Koger of the Homestead Ranch and friends*
Please call or email for more information        
Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center:
Where Women Find Their Way
1780 Thurman Creek Road
Matfield, Green Kansas 66862
620.753.3465
tallgrassretreats@wheatstate.com
Rev. Billie Blair, Director
Tallgrass Spiritual  Retreat Center
Where Women Find Their Way
Imagine an outdoor singles club for birds in which the males must sing and dance so the females can choose a mate! This is the annual spring mating display of the Greater Prairie Chicken, a bird that is in danger of disappearing as more of the tallgrass prairie is lost to development.  Learn more about this rare and beautiful native prairie bird the evening before the viewing.  Then, before sunrise the next morning, travel to a booming ground to witness this primitive ritual in person.  You will be camouflaged in a viewing blind, with a front row seat of the action as males inflate bright yellow air sacs on their necks, erect the pinnae feathers on the tops of their heads, perform flutter-jumps and nuptial bows, rapidly stamping their feet and making humorous cackles, raucous caws, and a haunting booming sound.
This experience is limited
              to 6 participants a day.
Please note: If you have a group of 4-6 interested in viewing the prairie chickens, please call and we'll try to accommodate your group with a special showing between March 15 and April 15.
The blind - built for your comfort!
"This is an incredible experience!  Everyone needs to see, hear, experience these birds."  - 2005 Prairie Chicken Viewer
About the Facilitators
Jane Koger is a fourth-generation Chase County rancher who has been owner and operator of the Homestead Ranch near Matfield Green, Kansas for over 25 years.  Her interest in prairie chickens reflects the values of a program she has recently begun on her ranch, the Homestead Range Renewal Initiative (HRRI). HRRI's multi-faceted program-alternative grazing
strategies, fence removal, a prescribed patch burning system, reseeding of native plants on previously cultivated land, and management of invasive trees - is an ecosystem approach to rangeland management that simultaneously considers biological diversity and grazing productivity.  This integrated program is an acknowledgement of Jane's stewardship responsibilities to leave a legacy of land that is in better health than when she acquired it in 1979.  Jane, who recently became a member of the North American Grouse Partnership, is excited about having the Prairie Chickens on her ranch.  She enjoys participating in the Dance of the Prairie Chickens.

*Jane has a team of prairie chicken enthusiasts helping her this year. Each of the team members speaks fluent "prairie chicken," have worked with habitat restoration for the birds, and are also familiar with what others are doing to improve the future for the prairie chickens.