Audubon of Kansas
Audubon of Kansas (AOK) is excited to announce the 5th annual Kansas Lek Treks Prairie-Chicken Festival, returning to Hays April 9–12.
Each spring, Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens take center stage during their peak breeding season. Visitors can witness dramatic displays and fierce competitions as males dance, boom, and battle to impress visiting females. This one-of-a-kind experience offers birdwatchers an up-close look at one of North America’s most vibrant and unique wildlife spectacles.
This multi-day event welcomes approximately 150 participants each year, with tours that sell out quickly. Attendees travel from across the United States with only a small portion coming from within Kansas. An additional 30 volunteers support the event, helping ensure its success.
“Our partnership with Audubon of Kansas is now in its 5th year. We are honored to continue our unwavering support for a group that consistently works to protect the natural ecosystems of Kansas. The influx of visitors they attract serves as a vital engine for our local economy, bringing an estimated impact of over $400,000 to date. Birdwatchers from many states and countries attend this annual event.” said Janet Kuhn, convention sales manager for the Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Festival registration includes admission to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, afternoon programs, evening receptions, and commemorative merchandise. Participants may also select from a variety of guided tour options, including prairie-chicken viewing, local birding around Hays, geology tours featuring Castle Rock, Monument Rocks, and Little Jerusalem, and visits to globally important wetlands such as Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Festival tours travel across northwest Kansas, including locations in Ellis, Trego, Gove, and Phillips counties.
Additional activities include special tours at the Fort Hays State Historic Site, Brews & Birds Trivia, and a photography presentation at the Hays Public Library, which is open to the public. AOK is also offering a free student prairie-chicken tour, with several Fort Hays State University (FHSU) students already registered to participate.
To commemorate the festival’s fifth year, AOK hosted a ribbon cutting event in partnership with The Chamber in Hays earlier this year.
As part of this milestone celebration, AOK is honored to welcome renowned ornithologist, author, and artist Kenn Kaufman. Kaufman developed an early passion for birds after moving to Wichita at age nine and began birding extensively across Kansas. At age 16, he set off on a hitchhiking journey across North America in pursuit of birds, later chronicled in his well-known book Kingbird Highway. After years leading birding tours worldwide, he transitioned to a career as a writer, editor, and illustrator. He is the author of 14 books, including his most recent, The Birds That Audubon Missed (2024).
While most festival activities are reserved for registered participants, AOK is pleased to offer a public keynote presentation, “Abundant Life: Prairie-chickens as Icons of the American Landscape,” with Kenn Kaufman on Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fort Hays Ballroom at the FHSU Memorial Union. A book signing will follow the presentation.
Special thanks to our event sponsors and partners: Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Nature Conservancy, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, Hampton Inn, Hays Tees, Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Grassland Groupies, Sunflower Audubon, Linda & Daniel Dyck, and our LDRS 310 student group from the FHSU Leadership Programs initiative.
About Audubon of Kansas
Audubon of Kansas (AOK) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the enjoyment, understanding, protection, and restoration of the state’s natural ecosystems, with a focus on birds, wildlife, and their habitats. Through advocacy, conservation, and education, AOK works to inspire a culture of conservation across the central Great Plains.
Learn more at www.audubonofkansas.org.