In northwest Kearny County, farmer Ryan Barnhardt realized the low pockets in his dryland fields, called playas, weren’t helping his operation. Those temporary wetlands either burned up or flooded out, leaving bare ground and no real production.

About a decade ago, Ryan enrolled those areas in a playa restoration program through the USDA Conservation Reserve Program Migratory Birds, Butterflies and Pollinators State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice. The program restored the playas and added surrounding grass buffers.

“Those acres were never productive,” he said. “Putting them into grass made sense.”

Restored playas now catch rainfall, reduce erosion, and help water soak back into the Ogallala Aquifer. Wildlife quickly returned. Pheasants, quail, geese, and other birds now use the grass and wetland basins throughout the year. “It’s great to see the bird life out there,” Ryan said.

Financially, he says the conservation payments are far more reliable than trying to farm those acres. “You get a more consistent income stream than what those spots ever produced,” he said.

For other producers considering playa conservation, his advice is simple: look into it. “The recharge and the wildlife alone make it worth it,” he said.

By turning marginal acres into habitat and recharge zones, Ryan Barnhardt is proving conservation can benefit both the land and the operation.

Nearly 25 years ago, Dan and Brenda Pace enrolled two Kansas properties — a river corridor in Kingman County and a shallow playa in Meade County — into the USDA Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program. He wanted to conserve both places “as close to their original condition as possible.”

Today, beavers, ducks, shorebirds, and native wetland plants thrive on the restored acres. The Meade site, once a mud-prone irrigated circle, now functions as a healthy playa that helps recharge the Ogallala Aquifer.

“Just seeing the wildlife and knowing it will stay that way is very satisfying,” Dan said.

Managing the easements takes some work, especially keeping invasive brush under control, but new tools like herbicide-spraying drones help him stay ahead of it. Dan says the program has been flexible and easy to work with. “The restrictions are very few,” he said.

His advice to other landowners considering WRE? “Do it. It’s good for native species, and it’s not hard if you enjoy working on the land.”

By restoring both wetlands, Dan and Brenda Pace are preserving two unique Kansas landscapes for generations to come.

Nearly 40 years ago, Greg Meador bought a 35-acre wetland in Rice County after first leasing it for duck hunting. Over time, sediment filled the shallow basins and the birds stopped coming. After a rainy weekend camping there with his son and hearing ducks overhead again, Greg decided to restore the wetland instead of letting it fade away.

He enrolled the property in the USDA Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program and took on much of the work himself, from paperwork to managing the dirt work. Partners like NRCS, Ducks Unlimited, and a NAWCA grant helped move the project forward.

The restored basins now hold water longer, provide habitat, and even reduce flooding on a neighboring farm. Wildlife has returned as well. “Seeing that kind of wildlife again has made it worthwhile,” Greg said.

He plans more improvements, including tree removal and pollinator seeding. But the biggest motivation is family. “I’ve got two grandsons,” he said. “This is something I can pass on to them.”

For Greg, restoring the wetland is about stewardship and making sure the landscape is healthier for the next generation.

In 1994, Max and Eweleen Good enrolled the first Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) in Kansas on their Labette County property. Max discovered the new program through an Audubon newsletter and signed up immediately.

Their 10-acre wetland quickly transformed the landscape. Water stayed on the property longer, and wildlife doubled — ducks, geese, reptiles, amphibians, and new plant species they had never seen before. Schools and visitors now tour the site by appointment to learn about wetlands and biodiversity.

The project led to more conservation. With help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Goods restored additional acres of native prairie, now home to more than 200 species. They even documented their work in a 308-page book filled with hundreds of photos.

For Max and Eweleen, the goal has always been simple: create habitat, share it with others, and leave the land better for the future.

In Miami County, Kansas, Eric Howell is conserving 77 acres along Pottawatomie Creek through the USDA Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program. A lifelong outdoorsman, he saw the property’s potential the moment he bought it.

“I’ve always had a passion for wildlife and habitat,” Eric said.

His land sits on a major wildlife corridor where bald eagles, turkey, deer, and migrating ducks already pass through. Once the wetland restoration is finished, he expects even more waterfowl and native species to use the site.

The process hasn’t been quick. He enrolled in 2020, and construction is only now beginning, but he says the outcome is worth the wait. While the paperwork moved slowly, Eric planted native grasses and wildflowers on the non-easement acres, building a diverse landscape that will benefit wildlife long-term.

His goal is simple: protect the land permanently. “Other than a couple acres around the house, I want the whole property locked in as habitat,” he said.

Some neighbors are wary of federal programs, but Eric encourages others to look into WRE. “It took longer than I wished, but I’d still say do it,” he said.

For Eric Howell, the easement is a commitment to leave the land better, and wilder, for the next generation.

In western Kansas, farmer Joe Zellner Jr. made a major shift in how he manages his land. He shut off every irrigation well he owned. After decades of pumping, declining well levels and rising fuel and labor costs convinced him it was time for a new approach.

“I felt like we were just pulling more water out and the table kept going down,” he said. “I want to have drinking water in the future.”

Joe also restored the playas on his farm, wet spots that rarely produced a crop, by enrolling them in the conservation programs. He planted them to grass and stopped trying to farm through them.

“I was losing money on those acres,” he said. “Putting them into grass just made sense.”

Restoring the playas helps capture rainfall, protect topsoil, and add water back to the Ogallala Aquifer. It also saves Joe time and inputs. “You’re not spending money on seed, chemical and fertilizer in a place that isn’t productive,” he said.

Joe believes conservation practices like no-till and playa restoration will shape the future of farming in his region. “Your yield may be less, but your profit may be more,” he said. “And long-term, land managed with conservation will hold more value.”

For Joe, turning off the wells and restoring his playas isn’t just about today. It’s about keeping western Kansas farmable for the next generation.

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.

Western Kansas farmer Mike O’Brate has known the low, flood-prone playa lakes on his fields his entire life. After decades of trying to farm them and watching wells decline, he enrolled about 600 acres of playas and buffer habitat in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program Migratory Birds, Butterflies and Pollinators State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice.

“The payment was $125 an acre,” Mike said. “I can’t farm them for that. Those acres take too much water.”

Restoring the playas means less fertilizer and seed on ground that rarely paid off, and more wildlife. Antelope, deer, pheasants and ducks now use the restored areas. “My wildlife is coming back,” he said.

As a longtime board member of Kansas Groundwater Management District 3, Mike sees playa restoration as one way to help the Ogallala Aquifer. “It may take years for the water to soak in, but you’ve got to start somewhere,” he said.

At 73, he’s proud of the acres he’s enrolled in conservation programs and hopes more producers consider doing the same.

In the final episode of the GMD1 series, we look at what happens if we actually get this right, and what does the future look like if Q-Stable becomes the norm. For State Representative Jim Minnix that future is more than just water levels.

Episode five of the GMD1 series is about results and rewards: what success looks like when Q-Stable moves from an idea into something measurable and when the numbers start to change. For Wes McCary, technology projects coordinator for the Kansas Water Office, that change begins with understanding what Q-Stable actually is.