Our Habitats
Playas
The most notable and numerous wetlands in the PLJV region are playas. There are more than 60,000 playa wetlands scattered across the area, with most concentrated in the Southern High Plains. Playas are shallow, seasonal wetlands that lie in the lowest point of a closed watershed. Their basins are lined with clay soil, which collect and hold water from rainfall and runoff events. Playas are the center of biodiversity on the plains, supporting more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife. Playas are also the primary source of recharge for the Ogallala Aquifer, a 174,000 square mile groundwater formation that supplies nearly 100 percent of the High Plains water needs. Due to sedimentation and other impacts, playas are critically threatened wetlands, with more than 70 percent having been altered from their natural state. Maintaining native prairie grasses around playas, or if playas are in cropland, planting native grass buffers around them, is the best way to conserve the wetlands and protect them from sediment build-up.
Prairies
Grasslands – shortgrass, sandsage and mixed-grass - dominate the PLJV landscape. Short grass prairie primarily consists of low-growing, warm-season grasses such as blue grama and buffalo grass. Sandsage prairie is found where sandy soils occur, and consists primarily of sandsage, sand bluestem and prairie sand-reed grasses. Mixed-grass such as needle-and-thread and side-oats grama, and some tall grasses such as big bluestem, little bluestem and switchgrass become more dominant further east. Prairies in the PLJV region support more than 400 species of birds and other wildlife. However, prairies are one of the most threatened ecosystems in North America and subsequently, prairie bird populations are experiencing some of the most significant population declines.
Rivers and Streams
Major rivers in the PLJV region include the Arkansas, Canadian, North Platte, Red and Republican which provide habitat for a variety of migratory birds, including species of conservation concern such as the Whooping Crane, Least Tern and Piping Plover. In the southern portion of the PLJV, many river and stream (riparian) areas go through wet-dry cycles, receiving brief surges of water only after heavy rains. Major threats to riparian areas are loss or change of water periods, fragmentation due to developments like diversions, dams and roads, invasion of exotic species like salt cedar and Russian olive, and lack of cottonwood regeneration. Efforts to restore riparian systems often include invasive species removal, replanting of native vegetative cover, and if on rangeland, fencing off river banks and installing alternative watering sources for livestock.
Saline Lakes
There are about 100 saline lakes located in the southern portions of the PLJV. They are closed systems which are fed by freshwater springs, several exceeding 1,000 acres. Saline lakes are generally ice-free in the winter and host large concentrations of migratory birds, especially when other sources of water are frozen. Saline lakes are important breeding sites for Snowy Plovers and roost sites for Sandhill Cranes and support large numbers during migration and winter.
Other Wetlands
There are many other types of wetlands in the PLJV region such as emergent marshes, moist-soil units, warm water sloughs and wet meadows. Notable wetland locations include Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Management Area and Preserve and McPherson Valley wetlands in Kansas and Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area in Oklahoma. These sites are all vitally important to the continental population of migrating waterfowl and breeding and migratory shorebirds, and have been protected through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.