The Ogallala Commons is presenting a Playa Field Day on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Church of Christ Annex in Anton, located at 401 Lawrence Street.
Registration is $20 per person, which includes the cost of lunch, drinks and snacks. There will be general information about playa ecosystems, improved monitoring of playa inundation via satellite imagery, a tour of playa restoration achieved through the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative (TXPCI) and a tour of the Tap, an Ogallala Aquifer exhibit at At’l Do Farms in Shallowater.
The workshop is sponsored by Ogallala Commons and its partners, the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, the Dixon Water Foundation and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Farmers, ranchers, agency personnel, educators and the interested public are invited to attend. Participants should arrive in Anton by 9:15 a.m. for registration and refreshments.
After introductions, Heather Johnson, Migratory Game Bird Specialist, Region I, Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., will provide an overview of playa ecosystems and the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative at 9:40 a.m.
Dr. Erik T. Crosman will discuss the benefits of expanded satellite imagery to monitor playa inundation periods at 10:10 a.m. After a break, J. Eric Simpson will give an overview of his art exhibit, The Tap – as a sensory experience of the Ogallala Aquifer. At 11:15 a.m., a sandwich lunch will be served, then at 11:45 a.m., the group will depart for a driving tour to visit restored playa properties located north of Anton.
The group will arrive at At’l Do Farm in Shallowater, by 12:30 p.m., to visit The Tap exhibit. Jim Steiert, agriculture and outdoor writer and playa author from Hereford will close the event with brief remarks at 1:15 p.m.
Playas are shallow, rain-fed wetlands throughout the Great Plains. When containing surface water, playas provide crucial habitat for many wildlife that depend on water to survive. When dry, playas also support several other Great Plains wildlife species because they are often the only natrual lands in a region dominated by agricultural production. Playas also recharge water to the underlying aquifer, filter nutrients and chemicals from the surrounding watershed, and add recreational value to the region.
To register, please email or call Dr. Darryl Birkenfeld, Ogallala Commons Director, at darryl@ogallalacommons.org or 806-945-2255.