http://hppr.org en http://hppr.org/post/playa-renovation-jan-minton-ranch-floyd-tx <p></p><p>We examine Jan Minton's ranch, the family operation she took over in Floyd Co., Texas. It had been "farmed to death," she said, and two playa lakes were in poor condition. Bill Johnson, a U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service biologist, developed a restoration plan that involved silt removal, playa repair, and a native grass and forbs plant buffer around the playas' margins. This story is part two of a four-part series on playa health and originally aired on HPPR on February 19, 2013. The story was repeated April 2, 2013 as part of the Landowner Stories series.</p><p> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:53:21 +0000 Dale Bolton 12486 at http://hppr.org Playa Renovation: Jan Minton Ranch Floyd, TX http://hppr.org/post/playa-health-importance-buffers <p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Research indicates that a buffer surrounding a playa lake, consisting typically of native grasses and forbs, prevents migration of upland topsoil and farm chemicals into lowland wetlands such as playa lakes and rainwater basins. The buffers are important to rangeland playas, but are vital when playas are situated in fields under crop production. This story is part three of a four-part series on playa health. It originally aired on HPPR Tuesday, February 26, 2013.</p><p> Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:01:00 +0000 Dale Bolton 12487 at http://hppr.org Playa Health: The Importance of Buffers