Innovative Conservancy Offers Model for Groundwater Conservation

The Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy, a nonprofit organization in New Mexico, is focused on conserving groundwater in the declining Ogallala Aquifer with an innovative model that utilizes conservation easements. The organization supports transitioning irrigated farmland and ranchland to dryland cropping or grazing land. It’s the first land trust to use paid conservation easements as a tool for groundwater protection, establishing a model that could be used elsewhere in the region and that can contribute to groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat.