By Nicole Poitra, NACD Northern Plains Region Representative 

Along the Arkansas River, from John Martin Reservoir in Colorado to Dodge City, Kansas, an invasive plant has transformed portions of the river corridor. Now, conservation partners and landowners are working together to transform that landscape by removing invasive tamarisks, restoring native vegetation, improving wildlife habitat, and finding a beneficial use for the material being removed. 

Tamarisk, also known as salt cedar, is a non-native woody plant that has spread throughout portions of the Arkansas River floodplain and many other river systems throughout the Midwest. Dense stands can replace native vegetation, alter natural hydrology, reduce grazing productivity, and degrade wildlife habitat. 

For Abram Lollar, Regional Biologist with Ducks Unlimited, the problem is more than simply having too many trees. One of the challenges has been changing the perception that dense, woody cover automatically means better wildlife habitat. When tamarisk is allowed to spread unchecked, it can form a monoculture that leaves little room for the diverse native grasses, shrubs, and other vegetation wildlife need for food and cover. 

Those concerns helped lead to a collaborative effort to restore portions of the Arkansas River corridor. With more than 90 percent of the area privately owned, the work depends heavily on voluntary participation and relationships with landowners. 

From Removal to Restoration 

The work doesn’t end when the tamarisk comes down. 

Once a participating property is identified and mapped, tamarisk is removed, chipped, and hauled to a local dairy, where the chips are used as livestock bedding. After the material has served that purpose, it is ultimately applied to the dairy’s crop fields as a soil amendment. 

Rather than creating another waste product, the process gives the invasive vegetation another purpose. 

“It’s kind of taking something bad and turning it into something good,” said Lollar. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved.” 

After removal, Ducks Unlimited works with landowners to restore the disturbed areas by establishing native grasses and forbs. Existing native vegetation, including native shrubs and deciduous trees, is preserved whenever possible. Follow-up treatment is also important to control new tamarisk seedlings and protect the investment made in restoration. 

Partnerships Make the Work Possible 

The scale of the project makes partnerships essential. 

Ducks Unlimited works directly with private landowners to plan and carry out restoration, with local conservation districts playing an important role in connecting the project with landowners. The Kearny County Conservation District has been the primary district involved, with Finney and Hamilton County Conservation Districts also supporting the effort. The districts help promote the project, educate landowners about the restoration work, and connect interested landowners with Ducks Unlimited. 

Kearny County Conservation District also provides cost-share assistance to landowners for native grass seed and follow-up treatments to control tamarisk resprouts. This local support helps ensure restoration continues after the initial removal and gives native vegetation a better opportunity to become established. 

A local dairy has also become an important partner by providing beneficial use for the removed tamarisk. The partnership has received support through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), with project materials reporting 1,176 acres of wetland and riparian habitat restored along the Arkansas River and another 1,176 acres committed through the grant partnership. 

The project demonstrates how conservation can create benefits across sectors. Landowners gain healthier and more usable landscapes; agricultural operations benefit from restored grasslands and the reuse of organic material, and wildlife gains more diverse habitat. 

Seeing the Difference on the Ground 

While acreage and project statistics help demonstrate progress, some of the most meaningful results have come directly from landowners. 

Lollar recalled hearing from one landowner after restoration who could see across the river, something they said hadn’t been possible in roughly 50 years. Others have contacted him after noticing plants and wildlife they had not previously seen on their properties. 

One experience in particular has stayed with him. 

A landowner contacted Lollar after seeing hundreds of unfamiliar large birds on the restored property. The birds were sandhill cranes. Before restoration, dense tamarisk had left them little suitable habitat to use. Within months of the work, wildlife was already making use of the restored area. 

Similar reports have followed, with landowners seeing elk, mule deer, wild turkeys, and other wildlife using areas where native vegetation has been allowed to return. 

For some landowners, those changes have also helped challenge long-held assumptions about what good wildlife habitats should look like. Lollar described working with landowners who were initially hesitant to remove dense woody cover because they believed it was necessary for hunting and wildlife. Seeing animals use the restored grassland has helped demonstrate the value of a more diverse habitat. 

Challenges and the Work Ahead 

Restoration on this scale is not without challenges. Funding remains one of the largest obstacles, along with gaining access to privately owned land and overcoming misconceptions about the value of dense tamarisk stands. 

But the changes already visible along the river show what can happen when landowners and conservation partners work toward the same goal. 

The effort is about much more than removing an invasive species. It is about restoring the function of the Arkansas River corridor, bringing back native vegetation, creating better habitat, supporting working lands, and helping landowners see the benefits of conservation firsthand. 

Perhaps most importantly, the project is creating changes that landowners and their families can see for themselves, from being able to look across the river again to watching wildlife return to places where it had been absent for years. 

Along the Arkansas River, removing tamarisk is only the beginning. The larger goal is restoring a healthier, more diverse landscape that can continue providing benefits for agriculture, wildlife, water resources, and future generations. 

Tags: northern plains region