New Mexico State University

Agricultural Lands of the Western Us Are Diverse and Correspondingly Have Different Responses or Vulnerabilities to Drought and Climate Change. Developing Short and Long-term Management Strategies That Are Proactive Rather Than Reactive Is Essential for Maintaining Economic and Environmental Viability. This Is Especially True for Non-irrigated Lands, Which Depend on Uncontrolled Natural Inputs, Such as Precipitation, That Will Become More Unpredictable With Increased Climate Variability. Using Land-use and Land-cover Analyses in the Southern Great Plains in Conjunction With Descriptive Interviews and Surveys of Land Managers and Residents Across Three Counties (union County, NM, Cimarron County, Ok, and Las Animas, Co), We Will Identify How Individuals Make Land and Groundwater Management Decisions. Based on the Premise That Sustainable Management Solutions Are More Effectively Developed and More Likely Adopted Using Participatory Approaches Including Citizen Science, Our Research Andextension Teams Will Foster the Co-production of Knowledge and Disseminate This Information in Formal and Informal Programs and Educational Materials.grazing Lands and Irrigated Agriculture Are Directly Impacted If Well-produced Water Availability Is Reduced or Water Quality Is Impaired. Rather Than Being Taken by Surprise, Monitoring and Analyzing Groundwater and Precipitation Data Will Allow Producers to Plan for Various Scenarios. Such Monitoring Strategies Have the Potential to Influence Production Enterprises and Make Salient the Need to Develop Adaptive Management Strategies. as Such, an Understanding of Groundwater Resources and Climate Patterns Can Help Inform Strategic Land Management Decisions at Both Local and Regional Scales. Coupling This Information With Other Types of Monitoring (e.g., Precipitation, Plant Productivity) at the Ranch or Farm Level Can Provide the Fine Scale Information Many Landowners Desire to Make Management Decisions About Their Properties, While Contributing to Regional and National Datasets.