DU Works with Kansas Landowners on Playas Playas

DU Works with Kansas Landowners on Playas Playas recharge the acquirer and provide habitat Vance and Louise Ehmke’s 10,000-acre farm sits on the high plains of western Kansas, 75 miles east of the Colorado border. The sprawling land is broken up occasionally by rivers and streams, but most often, playas. The Ehmke family is working with Ducks Unlimited to conserve the playas on their land. “Here on our farm, we have about 175 acres of playa lakes that we’re putting into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Ducks Unlimited and some of the people with the Playa Lakes Joint Venture are helping with that,” said Vance Ehmke. The Conservation Reserve Program is a 10-15-year contract between the Farm Service Agency and private landowners. Farmers get a rental payment in exchange for agreeing to preserve land that acts as habitat and supports environmental health. Playas provide valuable habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. The Ehmkes see a wide variety of waterfowl on their land every year. “This past spring, we saw a trumpeter swan, which is the first and only one that’s even been seen in Lane County,” said Vance. “On one of the playas in the program, there’s probably 10,000 snow geese that spend the entire winter there. We also see Canada geese, mallards, teal and pelicans. You name it, we have seen it.” DU and partners work to protect and restore playas so they can continue to be a source of recharge for the Ogallala Aquifer. Nearly all the water needed for agricultural, residential and industrial use in the High Plains region is provided by the aquifer. Although the aquifer is in danger of drying out, landowners like the Ehmkes are working with experts to replenish it. Kansas University and Kansas Geological Survey technicians studied the playas on their land. The technicians found that the 120-acre playa contributed three feet of recharge to the Ogallala Aquifer in the year it was monitored. Vance and Louise, as well as future generations, can use the water they conserved for irrigation and other uses. “As landowners and operators of this ground, water conservation comes at a great value for us, because we enjoy looking at the wildlife, flora and fauna, and diversity that comes along with having playas on our land,” he said.