Wild Geese and West Texas Playas

Playas are important migration stopover and wintering sites for many migrating birds. But drought and changing farming practices have taken a toll on these unique, ephemeral wetlands. Help and hope, however, is on the horizon.

Article by NATE SKINNER

The High Plains of West Texas have long been a premier wintering grounds for wild geese. The vast expanse of agricultural production across this region provides ample food and habitat resources to migrating waterfowl.

In addition to food, the geese that winter here also need water, both for hydration and roosting habitat. For decades, waterfowl have depended on playa lakes as the main sources for water and roosting habitat in the area. In recent years, these natural water features have been disappearing from the landscape, due to drought and changing agricultural and irrigation practices.

These changes have not decreased the overall number of geese migrating to the area. In fact, there are more birds taking refuge here during the winter than there ever has been, as the geese have learned to adapt to the changes that have occurred across the landscape over time.

The future of playas in Texas, however, is uncertain. Time will tell whether or not the efforts of conservation-minded Texans will be enough to restore those that have dried up and save the ones still left. The outcome could have long-term effects on wintering goose populations and groundwater quality.

Playa is Spanish for shore and the wetlands are thought to have been named by Coronado in his 1540 expedition. Coronado and his entourage, searching for the Seven Cities of Gold, found plentiful water as they crossed what is now the High Plains of Texas.

WHAT ARE PLAYAS?

Playas, relatively small, round, and shallow depressions that are found primarily in the western Great Plains, are basically ephemeral lakes or ponds. Their basins are lined with clay, which collects and holds water from rain and runoff.

According to TPWD Waterfowl Program Leader Kevin Kraai, the extreme wet and dry cycles that playas experience are the lifeblood of their ecosystem.

“Plant seeds and invertebrate eggs from the last wet period lie dormant in the soil of a dry playa, awaiting the next large rainfall that will cause them to germinate and hatch,” Kraai said. “When rains fall, the first flush of water runs down into the playa’s clay basin and through the cracks that occurred during the dry period. This water then begins its journey to the underlying aquifer.”

As the runoff continues, Kraai said that the clay soils in a playa basin will expand, sealing the cracks.

“This will allow the playa to begin to fill with water,” he said. “Wetland plants and invertebrates will then complete their life cycle, and waterfowl and other wildlife will use the playa for food, water, and shelter.”

Playas are like a community hotspot for wildlife on the plains. They support an incredible number of bird, plant, amphibian, and mammal species at some point during their life. Playas are the main water source in many areas of West Texas, and they provide much-needed rest stops and food to migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as resident prairie birds.

“Even when playas have been dry for years, perennial plants can show up and eggs can hatch to become small invertebrates such as fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, clam shrimp, and snails, within days after a big rain,” Kraai said. “This rapid growth of plant and animal life provides a ready feast for local and migrating birds.”

In addition to their benefits for wildlife, playas play a key role in recharging groundwater or aquifers. “The vast majority of the Ogallala Aquifer recharge occurs in playa wetlands,” Kraai said.

According to the Texas Water Development Board, a playa with a grass buffer that does not have any unnatural hydrological modifications such as pits or ditches goes well beyond simple recharge. Studies show that water reaching the aquifer through playas is of higher quality than that going through other pathways.

This results from two processes. First, as rainfall and runoff travel toward the playa, the surrounding grasses trap sediments that could otherwise carry contaminants into the playa. Then, as the water moves through the playa’s clay basin the soils beneath the playa remove nitrates and other dissolved contaminants which are common in agricultural areas.

Andy Weinberg, a geoscientist on the Texas Water Development Board, said that nitrates will break down in the absence of oxygen.

“When the heavy clay soil of a playa is saturated, oxygen is pulled out of the system,” Weinberg said. “As water moves through the cracks in the clay, the nitrate gets reduced back down to nitrogen, and it is removed from the system. The result is high-quality water reaching the aquifer that can be used by those living on the land.”

THE THREAT TO PLAYAS

West Texas has undergone some significant changes in agricultural practices over the last 30 to 50 years that have ultimately led to the diminishment of the region’s naturally-occurring playa wetlands.

“The irrigation system has drastically changed over the last three to five decades,” Kraai said. “Historically, water was pumped out of the ground and allowed to run downhill. There’s basically no significant elevation changes in the Texas plains, other than playa basins. So, farmers would run water down the rows of their crops, practicing what was known as surface water irrigation or furrow row irrigation, and the water would drain into the playa basins.”

According to Kraii, the farmers would dig ditches and a large pit in proximity to the playa, greatly modifying it.

“These modifications might take place on the side of the playa or directly in the middle, but they would dig ditches and a huge pit somewhere in the playa to collect the water left over from the irrigation runoff,” Kraai said. “They would then recycle that water and use a pump to send it back uphill.”

These practices essentially droughtproofed the entire landscape in that portion of the state.

Photo by Wyman Meinzer

In addition to geese and ducks, playas are habitat for many species. This American Avocet stalks the shallows for a bite to eat.

The playas that dot the southern High Plains are ephemeral wetlands fed by runoff from precipitation and more recently, irrigation. With their clay-lined basins, the shallow depressions found across the southern High Plains have provided wildlife habitat for centuries.

“Wherever these irrigation practices were taking place, the land was drought proof, because there was massive amounts of water constantly running downhill into playa basins,” Kraai said. “This always allowed for there to be green vegetation, weeds, and water on the landscape.”

Because of this the playa basins in the area were wetter than Mother Nature would have allowed, relying solely on rainfall.

“This took place throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, and throughout this timeframe, the landscape was very artificially wet,” Kraai said. “A shift in irrigation practices followed this time period, in which a switch was made to using pivot irrigation and drip irrigation, and later subsurface irrigation. This shift was out of pure necessity to become more efficient at delivering water from a conservation standpoint.”

Kraai said the result of these changing practices left the functionality of playas in a “real mess.” Playas across the region were no longer holding water naturally. The ditches and pits essentially “pulled the plug” on many of these playa basins.

“Most of the ditches and pits had been dug in a way that forced runoff toward the edge of a playa where the permeable soils are located, instead of in the main basin of a playa where there is clay,” Kraai said.

This, in turn, allowed the water from runoff to flow straight into the ground through the permeable soils. Therefore, any playas that had ditches and pits dug into them basically lost their ability to hold water for an extended period of time.

“They might hold water for a little while after a heavy rainfall but would dry up much quicker than they would naturally, without the modifications of ditch and pit systems,” Kraai said.

Droughts have also affected playas over the years, and have only intensified the negative effects that changing irrigation practices have had on their functionality. Extended dry periods during drought years cause more sediments to build up across the landscape, because there is no rain to wash them away across the watershed.

Droughts also cause the altered playas to have even larger cracks in their clay basins, because they are unable to hold the moisture in the same capacity that they once did. According to Kraai, these two issues raise some concerns for the future of playas.

“Regular farming practices across the region creates sediment and silt that naturally flows downhill during rain events that produce runoff,” Kraai said. “This silt eventually ends up in the lowest part of the landscape, which in this case, means playas. During a drought, enough silt could build up that when it is finally

carried into the playa by runoff from rain, it completely covers the clay basin.”

If this happens, the playa will essentially disappear, because it will no longer be able to hold water.

“In addition to the risk of this taking place, we also run the risk of silt and sediment washing into these large cracks that have formed in playa basins,” Kraai said. “Because these cracks are larger than they used to be, they allow more silt and sediment to get inside of them. If enough silt and sediment gets into these cracks, they will not be able to close up when it rains, which will cause the playa basin to leak, allowing the water to flow into the ground instead of holding it.”

The changes in agricultural irrigation significantly altered the hydrological cycle across the landscape, resulting in fewer naturally functioning playas. Rain events that historically would have filled playas, allowing them to hold water for geese throughout the winter, now dry up in a few weeks. Both the number of playas and the amount of time they hold water is smaller now.

THE GEESE

The Canada Goose is by far the most predominant species of geese that winter in the West Texas High Plains, according to Kraai.

“Traditionally, these geese have relied upon playa basins to hold water in the winter, as they migrated to the region year after year, drawn by the area’s massive agricultural influence that provides them with food sources such as corn, wheat and milo,” Kraai said. “What these birds have done over the last decade is adapt.”

Photo by Nate Skinner

Photo by Nate Skinner

Flaps down for landing is a thrilling sight as goose hunters take to the fields in the Texas High Plains every fall and winter. Setting decoys in the pre-dawn dark takes time and expertise. Having a few friends along helps, too.

The decoys are set and the hunters secure in the blind as the sun peeks over the horizon. Now all they need are geese. As wild geese numbers have increased over time, there’s a good chance the sky will soon be filled with birds.

With playas essentially off the table in terms of abundant water and roosting habitat, the geese have resorted to roosting and loafing within city limits.

“Pretty much every single city and town in the High Plains has a park pond or a treatment pond that the geese are using,” he said.

The water within the cities is a lot more reliable for the geese, because it’s always there, unlike the water that can only be found during wet periods in playa basins.

“Roosting habitat inside the city limits is also a lot safer for the geese,” Kraai said. “There’s a lot less risk of predation there, plus there is no hunting pressure. It just makes sense why they are taking advantage of the water resources within High Plains cities and towns.”

Kraai said that this adaptation has actually stabilized the region’s wintering goose numbers, despite the lack of naturally functioning playas on the landscape.

“Wintering goose numbers used to fluctuate depending on how many wet basins we had,” Kraai said. “Now these numbers are pretty steady. The only factor that really changes these numbers is weather.”

Kraai said that extremely dry weather and extremely cold weather can boost the number of geese wintering in the High Plains of West Texas.

“If it gets dry enough that the only water on the landscape available is either industry or urban related, and it gets cold enough that the birds are pushed out of the front ranges of Wyoming and Colorado, then the number of geese in areas like Lubbock and Amarillo can be absolutely unbelievable,” Kraai said. “This combination doesn’t happen often, but when it does, the sight is breathtaking.”

About 10 years ago or so, this combination of weather conditions occurred. According to Kraii, 190,000 cackling geese were counted inside the city limits of Amarillo, and 270,000 cackling geese were counted inside the city limits of Lubbock during TPWD’s mid-winter survey back then.

“It is truly amazing the adaptations that these birds have made with the changes that have occurred on the landscape over the last 30-50 years,” he said.

During wet years, the birds will still use playa basins that are holding water.

“This actually provides them access to food sources that they cannot find inside city limits,” Kraai said. “Playas that hold water are actually much better for the geese, overall. Most of the time, playas are much closer to their food sources than the ponds that they are roosting on inside city limits.”

From 2000-2010, the West Texas High Plains wintered about 103,000 Canada Geese on average each year.

Photo by Nate Skinner

“Take ‘em!”

Beyond providing wetland habitat, the shorelines of playas yield an abundance of plants. These are important habitat for species that frequent the playas.

“Since 2011 to present day, that average is up to over 320,000 geese,” Kraai said. “In 2015, the area wintered 485,000 geese, the majority of which were inside the city limits of Amarillo and Lubbock. These numbers attest to just how valuable urban water sources are, especially during dry years.”

Kraai said the geese are leaving the water inside town twice a day to feed outside the city limits, and some are flying 50-60 miles or more to eat.

“We have plans to begin a three-year project this fall, in which we will put transmitters on some of these birds to really learn how far they are willing to fly to feed, as well as many other details about their movements and behaviors,” Kraai said. “The sport of hunting Canada Geese has significantly grown in recent years, especially from a commercial standpoint. There are a lot of outfitters chasing them now, and (the geese) are under more pressure than they ever have been, so we want to learn more about them in order to ensure their prosperous future here in Texas.”

THE FUTURE OF PLAYAS IN TEXAS

The Texas Playa Conservation Initiative (TxPCI) is working with landowners and other stakeholders across the Panhandle and West Texas to incentivize restoring and rejuvenating healthy playas. TxPCI’s leading partners include TPWD, Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV), Ducks Unlimited (DU), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and USDA NRCS.

TxPCI restoration facilitates the recharge of the Ogallala Aquifer, which has a major impact on natural water supply for the region. The partnership has funded and coordinated restoration of more than 1,100 acres to date, and seeks additional funding and help to drive awareness and support from the landowners across the area. Landowners who participate receive a one-time incentive payment per acre for restoring their playas, as long as they agree not to re-pit or dig out the playa for 10 years.

This landowner-friendly program benefits the aquifer below the playa of the participating landowner. By having a healthy playa, they are helping put clean water back into the aquifer below their land for future use. Plus, wildlife benefits from healthy playas as well.

The playa-dense region that TxPCI works within covers 46,000 square miles, and is home to more than 1.2 million people. Healthy playas can help provide access to clean, reliable water, which will be important to keeping families in the region and keeping growth strong.

Although the threat to playas is real, there is hope. With the support from landowners and conservation-minded Texans, our playa wetlands have a chance at significantly benefiting wildlife and the people that call this region home.