Opinion: Man on hunt for a few damaged playas

Christopher Rustay is on the hunt for a few good playas in the Clovis area.

Well, not really.

In truth, Rustay is looking for a few damaged playas in the Clovis area, and he's bringing some serious funding to help private landowners of those shallow temporary wetlands make improvements aimed at extending the life of our region's most precious resource: underground water.

Rustay is the conservation delivery leader for Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV), a regional partnership of agencies, conservation groups, and businesses serving six states (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas), which happen to be perched atop the Ogallala Aquifer.

He's been a familiar face in eastern New Mexico for the past several years, working on behalf of PLJV with Clovis and Curry County officials and other partners on efforts to secure the area's long-term water supply.

The Ute Pipeline Project may be the best known of those endeavors but protecting and preserving existing ground water is also vital, Rustay noted.

"Part of this journey was discovering the role that playa lakes play," he said.

PLJV is in a partnership with the Central Curry Soil and Water Conservation District (CCSWCD) looking to fund restoration projects for at least 20-30 playas located in that district, specifically in areas identified as critical to Clovis' future water supply.

CCSWCD is accepting applications; information is available from:

[email protected]

"Central Curry has been doing a number of things now and in the past for water conservation," Rustay said. "I just applaud them. This will be one more feather in their cap."

Rustay said the priority of the restoration project is supporting aquifer recharge and the city's conservation plan.

"I will be doing outreach to people in the area," he said. "PLJV estimates there are at least 148 restorable playas."

If all goes well, Rustay hopes the program will eventually expand to cover more of eastern New Mexico.

Even if you're not lucky enough to have a playa in your backyard (as I wish I did), you've likely seen one. Many of us grew up calling them buffalo wallows or mud holes.

Only in the past few decades have researchers discovered the key role that playas play in our very survival. They are a primary source of recharge to our underground aquifer.

Most playas exist on privately owned land, Rustay said.

Because the value of these occasional wetlands wasn't known until relatively recently, playas were often considered "nuisance acres" by farmers. Many were damaged by plowing, pitting (the process of digging them out to ostensibly hold more water), and over-grazing.

It's not uncommon to see them turned into sites for trash and equipment disposal.

The program Rustay is overseeing offers funds for "restoration activities including filling pits in playas, planting native grass buffers around playas, removing excess silt from playa basins, and mitigation of eroded channels delivering excess sediment to playa basins."

"We are trying to get folks to sign up," Rustay said. "We want folks to be thinking about it."

Besides the CCSWCD, Rustay said PLJV is working with its "perennial partners," the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

In addition, Rustay said, "when the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish learned we had non-federal funds available, they were able to find additional funds for the project. They said, 'Restoring playas is right up our alley.'"

What's in it for selected landowners?

"We will pay 100 percent of the estimated cost," Rustay said, unlike some programs that only offer partial cost-shares.

In this case, Rustay said, "After we come to an agreement with the landowner on what the end result should be, the landowner will be responsible for finding a contractor and doing the work. If the landowner makes money in the process ... that would be great."

An added benefit - and another reason PLJV is involved - is that what is good for playas is also good for wildlife.

In fact, according to the PLJV website, playas "are the center of biodiversity on the Plains - supporting 185 bird species, 450 plant species, 13 amphibian species, and 37 mammal species at some point in their life-cycle."

Rustay invites interested landowners to contact him at [email protected]

or 505-414-0342 to discuss eligibility and arrange for a possible site visit.

He also recommended the website

playasworkfornewmexico.com

for anyone interested in learning more about these jewels of the Plains.

Betty Williamson is passionate about playas. Reach her at:

[email protected]