The group was established February 24 and 25, 2003, to discuss actions that would improve habitat for the lesser prairie chicken (LPC). The LPC is a candidate species that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded listing is warranted, but precluded due to higher priority listing actions. The goal of the group is to create a conservation strategy for the Shinnery Oak habitat that offers a range of specific actions for conservation of the lesser prairie chicken and species that occupy similar habitat, and takes into account other uses of the land. Participants in the meeting included representatives of the oil and gas industry, livestock producers, hunters and fishermen, environmental groups, the Wildlife Management Institute, Universities, and county, state, and Federal agencies.

The success of this group demonstrates that stakeholder participation can prove to be very beneficial to providing protection and improvment of habitat for candidate species.