Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, March 15, 2012

Prairie Chickens, which have been successfully re-introduced to Ringgold county, will be featured in a weekend of activity planned to celebrate the birds the first full weekend in April, which is also Easter weekend.

Kellerton Grassland Bird Conservation Area will host a Prairie Chicken Festival Friday and Saturday, April 6-7. Yankton Chief Blue Star Eagle, Sherwyn ZEPHIER and wife Estellene will provide a public program on Prairie Chickens in Yankton culture and a world class Prairie Chicken dance .Native drum and dance regalia will be included at a public program hosted by Ringgold County Conservation Board on April 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ringgold county courthouse assembly room in Mount Ayr.

On Saturday, April 7, there will be Prairie Chicken viewing at the Kellerton site before dawn at 6:30 AM at the ninth annual Prairie Chicken Day hosted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with professionals and spotting scopes available.

Mr. and Mrs. ZEPHIER will provide a second program at 8:30 a.m. at the site. However, Prairie Chicken dancing and drumming will not be included for the event at the site.

A coloring contest of a Prairie Chicken will be set up for children attending the event. The pictures will be judged after the 8:30 a.m. program and the winner will receive a small prize.

Everyone has an understanding of the importance of bald eagles to our American way of life and the role of buffalo to the native community is legendary. People will now be able to learn about the importance of Prairie Chickens to First Nation culture at this educational and entertaining presentation.

Call Ringgold County Conservation at 641-464-2787 to register for this free event or for more information.

Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, March of 2012

Mount Ayr Record News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, April 12, 2012

Chief Blue Star Eagle, Sherwyn ZEPHIER, talks about a trailer that he made for his son to dance with when he was younger. He explained all his regalia and showed other examples during his presentation.

A story about the origin of the Prairie chicken dance, one of the dances of the Dakota nation, was shared along with a host of other information as part of the Prairie chicken Festival held April 6-7 in Ringgold county.

Chief Blue Star Eagle, Sherwyn ZEPHIER, and wife Estellene, from Greenwood, SD, shared information about their heritage with school children during the day Friday, then presented a program at the Ringgold county courthouse assembly room Friday night.

They were on hand at the Kellerton Grassland Bird Conservation Area Saturday morning for viewing of the prairie chickens as well. Some other viewing was done there on Friday night.

Some 30 people took advantageof going to the Kellerton lek on Saturday morning. Two males and three females showed up to be observed.

The festival comes as more Prairie chickens are being transplanted to Ringgold county in a Department of Natural Resources effort to help bring the bird back to the state. In the past few days 47 more Prairie chickens have been released at the private lek northwest of Kellerton and at the public lek at the Grassland Bird Conservatory Area. Some two dozen of the new residents are female.

The Ringgold County Conservation Board hosted the Friday night event and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources hosted the Prairie chicken viewing Saturday morning.

The story of the development of the Prairie chicken dance has its birth on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border near northern Montana.

The story goes that a man from the Blackfeet Nation was out looking for food for his family when he heard a loud pounding sound. He followed the sound and found Prairie chickens all puffed up and stamping, doing their dance to make the earth move.

The man didn't pay much attention to what was going on as he was hungry, so he killed one and took it home to his family.

That night when he lay down to sleep, the Prairie chicken's spirit came to him in a dream and asked him why the man had not let him finish his dance.

"My family was hungry and we needed to eat," the man replied. "Icould not find anything else so I killed you and brought you home so my family could live."

"Because you did not let us finish our dance of love, here's what I want you to do," the Prairie chicken said. "Learn the dance and movements I make and teach your people to honor us because we have given you life," the Prairie chicken instructed.

The Cree have a similar story in the legends they pass down, ZEPHIER said.

The Prairie chicken dance was at first a private society dance and held closely by the tribes. It has slowly been making its way into international dance circles with more interest since the 1990's. Now it is one of the competition dances often seen at the festivals.

The dance includes fast feet movement, picking up the leg, stomping sideways, and jumps with check bumps like NBA players sometimes do, he said.

The dance is just one of many beautiful things in nature that inspire the First Nation dances and songs, he said.

Many other topics ZEPHIER talked about the power of love and metaphysical aspects of First Nation belief.

"Our society has many fear based things going on, but the way of the future is to live with love," he said.

He said that the prophecies of what will happen later in 2012 have to do with light and love, not fear.

ZEPHIER talked about why Indians wear feathers -- saying that a fine membrane in the shaft is alive and sensitive to electromagnetic energy -- the method birds use to know where to fly on migrations. Indians wear them to help them be more sensitive to the energy that is around them.

ZEPHIER talked about the ritual buffalo hunt, the use of sage as an incense and showed many of the items from his dancing shoes to other ritual items used.

A drum was played and songs sung for those attending the Friday night portion of the event as well.

Photographs courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Transciption by Sharon R. Becker, April of 2012

This prairie chicken made itself at home this week at the Jim and Donna Pedersen residence south of Mount Ayr. Sitting on a car hood, it seems intereted in the human occupants. Those wanting to learn more about the birds should attend the 11th annual Prairie Chicken Day on April 5.

Friendly encunter foretells Prairie Chicken Days
To be held at near Kellerton April 15

Donna Pedersen had an interesting encounter with Ringgold County wildlife Tuesday morning as she prepared to leave her residence south of Mount Ayr. A prairie chicken had apparently taken a liking to her pickup and was persistent at the Pedersen's attempts to shoo it away. "I had about a 20 minute encounter with him as he just was so personable," she said. "As I was driving out of the driveway for work, he was still chasing the pickup trying to keep up with me."

Since the 1980s the Iowa DNR has attempted to reintroduce the prairie chicken into rural Iowa, but only Ringgold County has managed to grow into a wild nesting population. In 1999 the Kellerton Grasslands Bird Conservaion Area located west of Kellerton was established.

The Kellerton Grasslands BCA is being actively managed to provide the best habitat for the prairie chickens. Leks have little to no vegetation in order to give females the best view of the display, so males are very vulnerable. Allowing any trees or shrubs to grow near the booming grounds could provide a perch for predators. Taller grasses nearby offer a place for females to nest. A large and diverse spread of grassland is needed to support this species.

Those interested in learning moe about Ringgold County's prairie chicken popualtion, the staff at the Grand River Wildlife Unit will conduct its 11th annual Prairie Chicken Day at the Kellerton Bird Conservation Area on Saturday, April 5.

Prairie chicken viewing will take place from dawn until the chickens leave the booming grounds.

The viewing stand is located two miles west of Kellerton on Highway 2 and one mile south on 300th Avenue.A commercial spotting scope and a limited number of binoculars will be available, but it is recommended that participants bring their own binoculars or scopes because the birds will likely be 200 yards away.

After the viewing Ringgold County Conservation Director Kate Zimmerman will present a traveling exhibit entitled "Tall-grass Prairie" at the west doors of the courthouse. The exhibit features interactive puzzles, mazes and a touch-table with animal furs. Participants will be able to get an up-close look at amphibians and reptiles and a touch a salamander and painted turtle. The exhibit will run from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News