RICE COUNTY, KS – Back in 1987, Greg Meador spotted a newspaper ad for a duck hunting property while working in central Kansas. That led him to a 35-acre parcel in Rice County — surrounded by farmland and tucked near Cow Creek — where he leased the land for a couple of years before deciding to buy it outright.
“I leased it for maybe two years and then asked the people if I could buy it,” Meador recalled. “Back then it was $125 an acre, which still felt like a lot.”
“I’ve got two grandsons, five and three. Maybe they’ll be into wildlife, maybe this land will mean something to them.”
The wetland on Greg’s land is a riverine wetland, part of the floodplain near Cow Creek. These wetlands form in low areas that collect water during rains or when the creek overflows. Even though it had been filled in over time, the area still had the potential to provide wetland habitat and hold water again — it just needed a little help.
Though Greg and his family eventually moved to the East Coast, he never let go of the land. Over time, however, he noticed changes. Sediment from neighboring farms and Cow Creek filled in the shallow depressions that once held water. The birds he once hunted grew scarce.
Then came the spark that reignited his stewardship vision. “One year, maybe five or six years ago, my son and I camped out there,” he said. “Every morning, we must’ve heard 70 ducks fly over our tent. That’s when I decided to do something to bring the wetland back.”
That decision led Greg to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). Greg submitted his application for a Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) in January 2022 — just weeks after learning about the opportunity.
The process was rigorous and detailed, especially for someone managing the land remotely.
“There was a lot of paperwork, and it wasn’t always easy — especially since we travel a lot,” Greg said. “I’d be in Quebec, Canada, trying to get wet signatures on documents that could’ve been done digitally. If they streamlined that, I think more people would go for it.”
Despite those hurdles, Greg stayed on top of every step in the process, nudging when needed, reading through every policy and document. “I didn’t want to be 75 by the time this was done. I’m 66 and wanted to enjoy it now,” he said.
He even took the uncommon route of becoming his own contractor for the dirt work to speed up the timeline, coordinating bids himself when local contacts were hard to find. The effort paid off: the restoration wrapped up in December 2024, a remarkably quick turnaround for a federal easement project.
The results came quickly. “Mike Coleman from Ducks Unlimited came out and spotted eight deer, some Eastern turkey, a rooster pheasant, and even put up some quail,” Greg said. “Just seeing that kind of wildlife again — or in some cases for the first time — made the whole thing worth it.”
What used to hold water only after extreme rain now supports shallow wetland habitat again.
“Originally, with a good rain, we’d get 25 to 30 acres of water. Over time it filled in and stopped holding. Now it’s coming back.”
“I really believe we’re just going to keep shrinking wetlands, whether it’s for farming or subdivisions,” he said. “This is my little part to push back against that.”
The project gave Greg more than a restored landscape — it gave him a renewed sense of purpose in retirement.
“It was something to focus on, something to build toward. That meant a lot,” he said. “I’ve got two grandsons, five and three. Maybe they’ll be into wildlife, maybe this land will mean something to them.”
And to anyone considering a Wetland Reserve Easement through NRCS?
“I’d tell them it’s worth the effort. You just have to understand what it is — and what it isn’t. Once I realized it didn’t have to be some big managed impoundment — that it could just be a good, shallow habitat — it made sense,” he said. “It’s not just about hunting. It’s about doing something bigger.”
Learn more about Greg’s story. Hear him talk about bringing his small wetland back to life.
