A gifted array of regional speakers will keynote presentations at a vital session on how residents and leaders go forward with the Ogallala Aquifer.
“Stewarding Our Water Future” is the conference topic upcoming March 21 and 22 at the Amarillo Area Foundation’s Harrington Center for Philanthropy, located at 919 South Polk Street in Amarillo.
Speakers will include Dr. Chris Grotegut of Hereford addressing “Recharging the Ogallala and Living Within a Water Budget.” Dr. Grotegut recipient of the Lone Star Land Steward Award, his wife Judith, and sons Johan and Josef, and farm manager Eugenio Porres have been transitioning an 11,000-acre irrigated farm to native perennial grasslands since 2013. The Grotegut family also owns and operates 385 Animal Hospital in Hereford.
Renowned in local playa circles, Dr. Dave Haukos
will speak on “Keystone Ecosystems of the Southern High Plains.” Dr. Haukos is currently the Unit Leader of the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Kansas State University. Previously, he was the Regional Migratory Management Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Lubbock. David developed a deep appreciation and strong connection with playa wetlands during nearly three decades researching, managing, and educating on playas in the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico.
Shelly Armitage manages family grasslands near Vega. Professor emerita from the University of Texas at El Paso, her most recent books are Walking the Llano: A Texas Memoir of Place and A Habit of Landscape.
She will address 'Stewarding Wonder: Our Lives Are Rivers, and Aquifers Too.'
Manuel De Leon will address “How Our Past, Present, and Future Shapes Conservation.” Having worked in the conservation field for over 30 years, he is currently the Texas NRCS State Wildlife Biologist based in Temple and previously served as the Zone 1 Wildlife Biologist in Lubbock, Resource TeamLeaderinPampa,and District Conservationist in Muleshoe. He has also served as a wildlife biologist, federal game warden, and wildland firefighter with the National Wildlife Refuge System in various states across the US and grew up in Lynn County in the southern High Plains.
“Restoring Soil Biology— Let Nature Do the Work” will be covered by Chad Wall, who lives and works with his family on a small diverse farm in southeast Lubbock County. He founded Natural Ecosystem Restoration to offer organic and conventional ag producers both consulting and tools to re-energize the soil food web across their farms and pastures.
Joining in a conversation on Avenues for Public Awareness and Continuing Education will be regional water figure Janet Guthrie,
who in 2023 was named general manager of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District that encompasses all of Dallam, Hansford, Lipscomb, Ochiltree, and Sherman Counties, as well as parts of Hartley, Hutchinson, and Moore Counties. The District is located north of Amarillo and north of the Canadian River. Janet previously served 22 years as the general manager of the Hemphill County Underground Water Conservation District. Born and raised in the Texas Panhandle, she has a passion for water, conservation and agriculture.
“A Community Vision for Preserving the Ogallala Aquifer” is the topic for native New Mexican Ladona Clayton, who began her work in water resilience as a City Commissioner in 2016 and now leads the Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy, where she partners with voluntary landowners and key entities to secure and protect groundwater through an innovative approach.
Early registration is currently underway for the conference, priced at $50 for a single day and $90 for both days. As of February 14, the price of regular registration will increase to $60 for a single day and $100 for both days. Those interested can register online at: https://ogallalacommons. org/conference/ or registrants can make a check payable to Ogallala Commons and mail to: Ogallala Commons, 919 Main Street, Springfield, CO 81073.
For additional information, contact Darryl Birkenfeld (darryl@ogallalacommons. org or (806) 945-2255.
Jim Steiert is an award winning member of the Texas Outdoor Writers Association and a Certified Texas Master Naturalist.
Thursday, March 21 8:30 a.m. Doors Open: Registration & Exhibit Viewing 9 a.m. Crossings: An Opening Reflection Darryl Birkenfeld, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Ogallala Commons, Nazareth, TX; Claudia Stuart, poet & author, Amarillo, TX; Mike Fuller, singer-songwriter, Amarillo.
9:25 a.m.“How Our Past, Present, and Future Shapes Conservation” Manuel T. De Leon, State Wildlife Biologist, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tahoka.
“Migrating to the Ogallala: Using Historical Analysis to Imagine New Hydrologic Cycles” Sam Hege, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, Agrarian Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 10:15a.m. Break & Exhibits 10:45a.m. “Working Like Beavers: Spring and Stream Restoration” Stephen Bennett, Principal & Co-Founder, Anabranch Solutions, Logan, Utah 11:40 a.m. Catered Lunch and Exhibit Viewing 12:40 p.m. “Playas: Keystone Ecosystems of the Southern High Plains” (Zoom Presentation) David Haukos, Ph.D., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS; “Tomorrow’s Water: Restoring the Water Cycle for Communities” Mike Carter, Director, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, Lafayette, CO.
1:30 p.m. “Recharging the Ogallala & Living Within a Water Budget” Dr. Christopher Grotegut, Tierra de Esperanza, Hereford; “Let Nature Do the Work—Restoring Soil Biology” Chad Wall, Natural Ecosystem Restoration, Wolfforth; “Managing Small Acreages with Grass & Grazing”Marie Nava, Rancho Alma Linda,Tucumcari.
2:30 p.m. Break & ExhibitViewing 3 p.m. Bus Tours (those attending on March 21st afternoon session should select one option) Tour #1: Grasslands and Playas at Tierra de Esperanza near Dawn; Tour #2: Stream Restoration at Wildcat Bluff Nature Center (Amarillo); Tour #3: StreetscapeWater Harvesting (Dr. Habersang residence), City of Amarillo Water Treatment Plant (River Road) and examining the intermittent stream bed on Amarillo Creek (4 miles north of plant) 5:30 p.m. Buses Return to Harrington Center for Philanthropy Friday, March 22, 8 a.m. Doors Open: Registration & Exhibit Viewing 8:30 a.m. “Stewarding Wonder: Our Lives Are Rivers, and Aquifers Too” Shelley Armitage, author and poet, Las Cruces, NM 8:45a.m. “Utilizing the Run-Off: Shifting to a“Hydro-Local”Approach” (Zoom Presentation) Catlow Shipek, Sr. Program Director, Watershed Management Group, Tucson, AZ 9:45 a.m. Break & ExhibitViewing 10:20 a.m. “A Community Vision for Preserving the Ogallala Aquifer” Dr. Ladona K. Clayton, Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy, Clovis, NM; “New Water Capture in Regional Water Planning” Paula Jo Lemonds, HDR Engineering, Austin, TX 11:20 a.m. Catered Lunch and Exhibit Viewing 12:15 p.m. “Practices to Move from Water Scarcity to Water Abundance” (Zoom Presentation) Andrew Millison, Oregan State University, Corvallis, OR 1 p.m. Avenues for Public Awareness & Continuing Education Janet Guthrie, North Plains Water Conservation District, Dumas, TX; J ohn Beusterien, Spanish & Comparative Literature, Texas Tech University, Lubbock; Berlin Arellano, New Mexico Coordinator, Ogallala Commons, Tucumcari, NM 1:45 p.m. Break; 2:10 p.m. Networking & Action Planning: Small Group Discussion; 3 p.m. Feedback from Small Groups; 3:20 p.m. Next Steps & Wrap Up
