Integrating Human Dimensions into Biological Planning for Bird Conservation in the Western Great Plains Anne Bartuszevige, Miruh Hamend, Mike Carter, Barth Crouch

Playa Lakes Joint Venture A regional partnership dedicated to conserving bird habitat throughout the western Great Plains Boundaries encompass most of the short- and mixed- grass prairie bird conservation regions Playas are the most numerous wetland type in the region and critical to supporting wildlife

Playas 80,000 Playas Ephemeral Wetlands Aquifer Recharge Birds Love Them

PLJV Demographics ● PLJV 2010 population: 8,765,146 ● PLJV Core: 2,950,640 ● PLJV Inner Core: 1,924,229

Playa Lakes Joint Venture Region 75% of the Population 1% of the Land 20% of the Population 29% of the Land 5% of the Population 70% of the Land

Human Dimensions Question What motivates landowners to enroll, or not, in a playa conservation program?

Possible motivators  Economic considerations  Peer acceptance of their actions  Ease of making agreements with the government  Loss of control over the land  Not understanding results of intended conservation action  Addition of more unforeseen work We Can Speculate… or Ask

● DJ Case & Associates conducted 13 focus groups across the Playa Lakes & Rainwater Basin JVs Talked with farmers and ranchers who have playas on their property Held in areas with large playa clusters as identified by PLJV's Playa Decision Support System ● Funded by Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative Landowner Focus Groups

What We Heard Primary Reasons to Conserve Playas Economics — higher return Conservation — “I like wildlife and farming is risky, so why fight it?”

What We Heard Secondary Reasons to Conserve Playas Hunting — for themselves or leasing rights Rest the land — make it more productive

What We Heard Primary Reasons NOT to Conserve Playas Economics – powerful incentives to farm/ranch them Distrust government – programs/requirements can change quickly

What We Heard Secondary Reasons NOT to Conserve Playas Hassle – not worth the effort Location & size of playa matters Makes no sense to “waste” the forage and water in playas

What We Heard Enrolling Land in Conservation Programs Is price per acre competitive? Length of contract What control do you give up? Who administers contract?

What We Heard Key Beliefs About Playas & the Aquifer Amount of recharge is not significant Need more information! How much recharge? How long does it take? Info must be from a credible source Conservation efforts are “too little, too late”

What We Heard If Convinced Playas Provided Benefits Would you take action to conserve them? A large majority would conserve playas to help the aquifer Fewer would conserve playas for wildlife benefits only, but most would consider it

Impediments to Playa Conservation Lack of understanding of playa functions/benefits Need for more information on connection between playas and aquifer (amount, time to recharge, relative significance) Skepticism about whether playa conservation would have any significant impact on depletion of the aquifer Lack of knowledge about conservation programs available Lack of sufficient lead time for signing up for conservation programs Farmers/ranchers seek higher economic incentives Tradition – most operators have been farming/grazing for generations

Target conservation programs, communications and outreach  Work in small, prioritized focal areas  Use local terminology  Promote aquifer recharge message, then wildlife benefits  Landowner Advisory Groups Work with conservation groups to make programs more accessible and desirable  Adjust existing programs  Create new/supplemental programs Maximize and promote economic incentives  Minimize sense of “government entanglement” Recommendations

Landscape Design integrates societal values, sets biological goals, and uses sound science based in landscape ecology to provide a variety of scenario plans that describe where conservation can best be achieved and how it relates to measurable goals  Pattern, Process and Design  Acknowledges role of humans  Goal-based Biological Planning

Farming Inputs  Past Tillage  Soils, Topography, Climate Output  Likelihood of tillage in the future Tillage Likelihood Drivers Model Development

Tillage Likelihood Model 2014 Playas yield 19% of Goal Drivers - Farming Drivers Future Landscape Pattern / Process 2019 Playas yield 15% of Goal

A plan to execute A Landscape Conservation Design

Integration with Biological Planning Areas of high wetland density Areas with high rates of Aquifer depletion Opportunities to form focal areas  Landowner participation  Benefit to wetland birds and Aquifer

Questions?