Mark Hilliard of Hale County, Texas, says, "This is cotton country. It's rare to find a pristine playa lake."
He bought the native grassland on which the playa sits from family members, then protected the playa and a grassland buffer with a permanent Wetlands Reserve Easement. He couldn't be more happy with NRCS assistance removing sediment from the playa to improve its function and create bird habitat. NRCS conservationist Blake McLemore discusses what's involved in negotiating a perpetual easement.
Part two of a four-part series on landowner stories. It orginally aired 5/20/14.