Conservation Concerns
Native grasslands, wetlands, rivers and streams are the most ecologically valuable lands in the PLJV region. Together they provide habitat for a myriad of plants, insects and amphibians and continentally important populations of waterfowl, shorebirds, waterbirds and many other migratory and resident birds.
However, these habitats have been lost to the point where native wildlife dependent upon them has declined in population, including Mountain Plovers, Lesser Prairie-Chickens and Northern Pintails.
Habitat loss is caused by a number of factors, including conversion of land to agricultural use, residential, overgrazing, municipal and energy development, filling and pitting of wetlands, damming of rivers and streams, and encroachment of non-native, invasive plant species. It is estimated that 50 percent of the original High Plains landscape has been altered in some form.
Of particular concern is the loss of playa wetlands. Playas are the most numerous and pervasive wetland habitat in the region and therefore critical to wildlife health and survival. They are also the primary source of recharge for the Ogallala Aquifer.
The biggest threat to playas is sedimentation. Sedimentation occurs on playas in cropland when rain or irrigation runoff carries loose soils into the playa basin, gradually filling it. Sediment build up reduces the volume of water playas can hold and increases the rate of evaporation, thus limiting recharge. According to researchers, during the past two to three decades, more than half of all playas have been buried by sedimentation.