Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma Migratory 

Birds, Butterflies and Pollinators SAFE

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Playa 

Lake and Rainwater Basin Joint Ventures are partners in 

implementing a State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement 

(SAFE) project to enroll agricultural land containing playas 

in parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. Playa wetlands 

are shallow depressions that often fill with water after 

rainstorms. The purpose of the Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma 

Migratory Birds, Butterflies and Pollinators SAFE is to 

restore playas to their proper function, providing benefits 

that include improved water quality, water recharge for the 

Ogallala Aquifer, and habitat for migrating waterfowl, cranes, 

and shorebirds.

Background

SAFE is part of the USDA Conservation Reserve Program 

(CRP). CRP is a federally funded voluntary program that 

contracts with landowners and agricultural producers to 

establish and manage vegetative covers that control soil 

erosion, improve water quality, and provide wildlife habitat. 

SAFE is a unique type of CRP that offers organizations 

the opportunity to partner with the USDA to establish 

habitat for high-priority wildlife species on agricultural 

land. SAFE sponsors work with the USDA to identify the 

wildlife species, the vegetative cover that provides habitat 

for the target species, and the location in the state where 

the habitat is needed. A partnership is formed between the 

SAFE sponsor and the USDA, and federal funds are made 

available to allow for CRP enrollment on eligible land within 

the SAFE project location.

Target Wildlife Species

The goal of the Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma Migratory 

Birds, Butterflies and Pollinators SAFE project is to provide 

habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl such as the 

Northern pintail, shorebirds such as the declining Baird’s 

sandpiper and Hudsonian godwit and waterbirds including 

the whooping crane. 

In addition to providing habitat for migratory birds, the 

seeding mixtures that will be used will contain a variety of 

forbs, including milkweed to maximize habitat for pollinators 

and other priority species like monarch butterflies.

Habitat

Landowners and agricultural producers participating in 

Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma Migratory Birds, Butterflies 

and Pollinators SAFE are required to develop a conservation 

plan with assistance from the USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) or a technical service provider. 

The conservation plan will provide details on how to restore 

playa hydrology, establish buffers, and manage habitat for 

the target species. The playa wetlands being restored will 

provide essential roosting, loafing, and foraging habitat 

for millions of migrating birds that rely on these wetland 

habitats. In addition to the wildlife benefits, the restored 

playa wetlands will increase recharge to the Ogallala Aquifer. 

After the habitat is established, it will need to be maintained 

and managed with appropriate management activities such 

as prescribed burning, prescribed grazing, interseeding 

forbs/legumes and selective use of herbicides. Proper 

habitat establishment, maintenance, and management will 

maximize benefits for wetland dependent species.

MARCH 2023 KANSAS, NEBRASKA, OKLAHOMA
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE) 2

Project Location

The Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma Migratory Birds, 

Butterflies and Pollinators SAFE project location:

Kansas—Cheyenne, Clark, Finney, Ford, Gove, Graham, Grant, 

Gray, Greely, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Lane, 

Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Rawlins, Scott, Seward, Sheridan, 

Sherman, Stanton, Stevens, Thomas, Wallace, Wichita.

Nebraska—Adams, Banner, Buffalo, Butler, Chase, 

Cheyenne, Clay, Custer, Dawson, Deuel, Dundy, Fillmore, 

Franklin, Frontier, Garden, Gosper, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, 

Hayes, Hitchcock, Kearney, Keith, Kimball, Lincoln, Logan, 

Nuckolls, Perkins, Phelps, Polk, Saline, Seward, Sherman, 

Thayer, Valley, Webster, York.

Oklahoma—Beaver, Cimarron, Texas.

Eligible CRP Practices

This SAFE project uses the following CRP practices:

 CP38B-23A, Wetland Restoration non-floodplain

Haying and Grazing

All current non-emergency and emergency haying and 

grazing provisions are authorized for this SAFE project.

When using grazing to meet the management activity 

requirement, grazing must be completed using state 

developed guidance.

Eligibility Requirements

Because SAFE is part of CRP, certain land and participant 

eligibility rules apply. To begin with, land must be in the 

project area and meet cropping history. CRP participant 

eligibility rules also apply to SAFE.

Payments and Incentives

In exchange for participation in CRP SAFE, the Farm 

Service Agency (FSA) provides participants with annual 

per acre rental payments, cost-share to assist with habitat 

establishment expenses, and in some cases additional 

monetary incentives. 

This project uses a competitive bid process, whereby 

landowners submit an offer to enroll their playa acres for 

the amount they are willing to accept as an annual payment. 

Offers must be between the average NASS irrigated rental 

rates and dryland rates for the applicable physical location 

of the offered acreage. Offers will compete for enrollment 

and scoring will favor those tracts with larger playas, greater 

wetland acres, offers that contain the entire playa wetland, 

are over declining portions of the Ogallala Aquifer, and have 

lower bid offers.

For More Information

This fact sheet is provided for informational purposes only; 

other restrictions or requirements may apply. Consult your 

local FSA office for details. For more information, contact 

your local service center and USDA Farm Service Agency 

office: farmers.gov/service-locator.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. fsa.usda.gov
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE)

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. fsa.usda.gov

Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma Migratory Birds, Butterflies 

and Pollinators SAFE Project Map

MARCH 2023