This year, with help from a $25,000 ConocoPhillips grant, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) embarked on a project to restore and enhance 760 acres of wetland habitat. The project was made possible with support from DU, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the George Stumps Wildlife Trust Fund, and the Playa Lakes Joint Venture. The first unit—encompassing 34 acres—was completed last February, with additional restoration work continuing through the fall. 

The refuge, located in south-central Kansas, is a sand prairie wetland complex with various types of wetlands that support a diversity of wildlife, including migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. It is one of the most important migration "stepping stones" in the southern Great Plains and is recognized as a Ramsar wetland of international importance.