When Alicia Allen returned to her family’s farm near Tribune, her dad showed her a small piece of ground he’d long believed shouldn’t be farmed. The soil looked different, wildlife used it constantly, and it flooded after big rains. Neither of them knew it at the time, but it was a playa wetland, one of the natural basins that help recharge the Ogallala Aquifer.
Alicia’s family hoped to protect the area through the USDA Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program, but half the mineral rights belonged to ExxonMobil. What followed was more than a year of phone calls and paperwork before Alicia finally reached someone who could sign off. With that, the playa and 100 surrounding acres were enrolled and restored.
Since then, the family has added another playa they’d admired for years. For Alicia, it’s a practical choice as much as a conservation one. “Why farm a piece of ground that floods half the time?” she said. “It’s just good, common sense.”
With groundwater declines affecting the whole region, she believes playas matter now more than ever. “If we can cut back our pumping and also help recharge, that’s a win,” she said.
Alicia encourages other landowners to stick with the WRE process. “It takes time, but it’s worth it,” she said. “It’s the right thing for the land and for future generations.”
For her, conserving playas is a way to make sure western Kansas stays livable for the long run, a legacy she hopes will carry forward long after she’s gone.