The federal government and a group of central Kansas farmers have signed an agreement over water rights in Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. During a stakeholder meeting in St. John, Kan. the agreement is an effort to end water rights in sensitive areas of the refuge and allow water rights in less sensitive areas. The agreement also highlights a need to remove water-depleting, invasive trees.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service the 22,000-acre refuge is home to more than 200 bird species, 60 types of butterflies, 400 varieties of plants and 50 different reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.
Stakeholders have been trying to reach an agreement on water rights in the area since 2013. Recently Senator Jerry Moran and the new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director stepped in to help. The long-sought agreement means local farmers can continue irrigating their crops. The next step in the agreement involves more environmental testing.
