The 2018 Ogallala Aquifer Summit took place April 9-10 in Garden City, Kansas. Summit participants provided tremendous input during the Summit’s interactive workshop sessions, Q&A periods, and during the evening social event that featured Kansas’ Water Technology Farms.
Click the image to the right to access the 22-page Summit summary report. This report summarizes ideas and input shared during the Summit, and “next steps” needed to continue momentum generated at the Summit with regard to cross-state relationship building and collaboration.
In addition to the Summit-related media posted below, we welcome you to check out the nine white papers (one from each Ogallala state, plus a ninth paper on crop insurance) that provided background material for the Summit.
Summit media coverage
More than 200 come together to discuss Ogallala Aquifer in Garden City (K-State Research and Extension news)
A common cause (Mark Minton, Garden City Telegram)
Youth take charge at Ogallala Summit (Mark Minton, Garden City Telegram)
Stakeholders gather for first Ogallala Aquifer Summit (
Aquifer viability: What’s the next step? (Tyler Harris, Nebraska Farmer)
Panel discusses aquifer-wide challenges, achievements (Tyler Harris, Nebraska Farmer)
Ogallala Aquifer Summit a First Step — But What’s Next? (John Dobberstein, No-Till Farmer)
Like father, like daughter, for these aquifer advocates (Candace Krebs, Ag Journal)
Ogallala Water Summit gathers stakeholders to work on next steps to sustain aquifer (Amy Kremen, June 2018 Conservation Matters)
Thank you facilitators & notetakers!
Lead facilitator Ryan Golten from Consensus Building Institute provided excellent support in advance of and during this meeting. Thanks to John Heaston of Aquamart for his superb facilitation of the final capstone workshop session. Thanks also to the many fantastic notetakers and facilitators for their terrific work, including: Trudy Rice, Sheryl Carson, Nadine Sigle, Wayne Moore, Faith Orth, Nancy Daniels, Jared Petersilie, A.J. Foster, Sarah Zukoff, Robin Eubank-Callis, Brenda Texarus, Julie Riniker, Pat Melgares, Barb Goode, Lacey Noterman, Andrea Renee Burns, Chuck West, Daran Rudnick, Chris Goemans, Bridget Guerrero, Lacey Moore, Morgan Marley, Joel Schneekloth, Dana Ladner, Erin Haacker, Vaishali Sharda, Jonathan Aguilar, Mark Marsalis, Kevin Wagner, John Tracy, Deb Daniel, Earl Lewis, Katie Ingels, Richard Rockel, and Deb Daniel.
Panels & slideshows
Many thanks to Richard Rockel (Kansas Water Office) for filming and posting these videos from the Summit!
Summit Introductory Keynote: Robert Mace (TX)
From the Great American Desert to the Great American Breadbasket: Managing Groundwater in the High Plains Aquifer
Click here to view the slide show for Robert Mace’s introductory keynote
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Summit Welcome: Lt. Governor Tracey Mann (KS)
Call for action on water conservation: Grace Roth (KS Youth Water Advocate)
Producer panel: Water-wise strategies for sustainable production
- Tom Jones (cattle, Montezuma, KS)
- Roric Paulman (crops, Sutherland, NE)
- Kyle Averhoff (dairy, Garden City, KS)
- Darren Buck (crops, KS & OK)
- R.N Hopper (crops, Petersburg, TX)
- Ronnie Hopper (crops, Petersburg, TX)
Click here to view the producer panel slide show
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Science panel: Science and data in action
- Jim Butler (KU- KS Geological Survey)
- Daran Rudnick (UNL)
- Jourdan Bell (TX A&M)
- Saleh Taghvaeian (OK State Univ.)
- Dave Brauer (USDA-ARS)
- Jim Dobrowolski (USDA-NIFA)
Click here to view the science panel slide show
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Policy Panel: What’s working and new developments
- Rebecca Davis (Topeka, KS Risk Management Agency)
- Syed Huq (Water Resources Director, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, SD)
- Rod Lenz (Water Preservation Partnership and Republican River Water Conservation District, CO)
- Ray Luhman (Groundwater Management District 4, northwest KS)
- Steven Walthour (North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, TX)
Click here to view the policy panel slide show
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