GrasslandSun.jpg
 

Playa Lakes Joint Venture

Climate Change Challenge: Less Water, Worse Droughts

Grant Award: $147,017; Year Awarded: 2014

Playas are the dominant wetland type in the western Great Plains. They are both centers of biodiversity and the primary recharge mechanism for the Ogallala aquifer, the water source for most of the region’s agricultural production. In a drying climate fewer playas will be wet, making playa restoration an urgently needed response to climate change, preserving hydrological and ecological functionality. This project will restore the hydrological function of a network of playas, improve the connectivity between playas across a five million acre landscape and create resiliency in a warmer, drier climate.