Internet, airwaves disseminate information on ephemeral wetlands vital to wildlife, aquifer, as playa numbers "double"

According to new surveys, the number of ephemeral wetlands called playas in Kansas may be double what has been previously counted. A study by University of Kansas researchers is finding that there may be as many as 25,000 playas in western Kansas. KU's Dr. Bill Johnson credits new research techniques for the higher count.

The Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) presents these latest findings through an internet interview with Johnson on their website. Called Playa Country Radio, the broadcast is part of a larger effort to keep interested parties informed about the status of these important wetlands. Playa Country also airs weekly on 31 public and farm radio stations, and can be heard in eastern Colorado and New Mexico, western Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, and the Texas Panhandle. (To listen to past shows, visit the Playa Country Radio Archive.

The Playa Lakes Joint Venture is a partnership of conservation groups, wildlife agencies, and private landowners dedicated to conserving playa wetlands and other wildlife habitats in the Great Plains.

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