Land tenure and landscape change: a comparison of public-private lands in the southern High Plains

Fagin, Todd; Vadjunec, Jacqueline M.; Colston, Nicole M.; Wenger, Kathyrn; Graham, Amy K.

doi:10.1186/s13717-016-0056-2

Cited by 9 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Moreover, the comparative approach of studying adjacent counties with different water governance regimes provides further insight into the CPI dynamics. Similar research in the study area looking at differential land tenure regimes [58], indicates that differential governance of public lands, in part, explains land management decisions and consequent environmental outcomes. Our results here indicate that water management decisions may be influenced by state level policy, as well as more localized formal and informal governance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The themes explored in the key informant interviews are informed by 100s of hours of participant observation, as well as the results of previous research completed in conjunction with a larger National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project in Summer 2014 [58]. Human subject protocols for the project ensure participant confidentiality.…”

Section: Qualitative Field Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The primary drivers mentioned in this article may, therefore, be limited to the specific perspectives of our stratified sample. However, our extensive fieldwork experiences in the region since 2008 [47,58,68,69] suggests that these arguments are likely representative of the entire study area. Future research could be expanded to add more detailed information about ecological data such as saturation thickness, crop circle size and adjustments, agricultural change from agricultural census data, among others to better tease out and compare other potential drivers of change beyond individual perceptions of such change.…”

Section: Scope and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Groundwater Governance and the Growth of Center Pivot Irrigation in Cimarron County, OK and Union County, NM: Implications for Community Vulnerability to Drought

Wenger

Vadjunec

Fagin

2017

Water

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Cimarron County, Oklahoma and Union County, New Mexico, neighboring counties in the Southern High Plains, are part of a vital agricultural region in the United States. This region experiences extended periods of cyclical drought threatening its ability to produce, creating an incentive for extensive center pivot irrigation (CPI). Center pivots draw from the rapidly depleting High Plains Aquifer System. As a result, the prospect of long-term sustainability for these agricultural communities is questionable. We use Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems to quantify growth in land irrigated by CPI between the 1950s and 2014, and key informant interviews to explore local perspectives on the causes and impact of such growth. In Cimarron County, OK, CPI increased by the mid-1980s, and has continually increased since. Results suggest adaptation to drought, a depleting aquifer, high corn prices, and less rigid groundwater regulations contribute to CPI growth. Conversely, CPI in Union County, NM, increased until 2010, and then declined. Results also suggest that drought-related agricultural changes and more aggressive well drilling regulations contribute to this decrease. Nevertheless, in both counties, there is a growing concern over the depleting aquifer, the long-term sustainability of CPI, and the region's economic future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Qualitative Field Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Scope and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Groundwater Governance and the Growth of Center Pivot Irrigation in Cimarron County, OK and Union County, NM: Implications for Community Vulnerability to Drought

Wenger

Vadjunec

Fagin

2017

Water

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“…Building on 10 years of mixed-method, ethnographic, and participatory fieldwork [52][53][54], we examine the relationship between evolving common property land and water resources, landscape patterns, and social-ecological processes within a southern portion of the High Plains (Ogallala) Aquifer (hereafter, HPA). Our past research focused on adaptation of ranchers and farmers to drought in the grasslands of the American West using mainly Social-Ecological Resilience and Governance theory in Union County, NM and Cimarron County, OK specifically (see http://biosurvey.ou.edu/ Grasslands/main.html).…”

Section: Methods: Synthesizing Results Of Previous and Expanded Reseamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agricultural Census, vegetation data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and others. We also draw on results from previously published research including a remote sensing LULCC analysis of woody plant encroachment [53], a time series analysis of the growth and contraction of Center Pivot Irrigation (CPI) in relation to changing governance [54], and ethnographic research (key-informant interviews and oral histories) on the governance and contested nature of public lands [52]. Here, we expand our study site to include Dallam County, TX as it has a longer history of industrialized agriculture and a distinct governance resource regime, thus providing depth to our framework.…”

Section: Methods: Synthesizing Results Of Previous and Expanded Reseamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Land Systems Science Framework for Bridging Land System Architecture and Landscape Ecology: A Case Study from the Southern High Plains

Vadjunec

Frazier

Kedron

et al. 2018

Land

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Abstract:Resource-use decisions affect the ecological and human components of the coupled human and natural system (CHANS), but a critique of some frameworks is that they do not address the complexity and tradeoffs within and between the two systems. Land system architecture (LA) was suggested to account for these tradeoffs at multiple levels/scales. LA and landscape ecology (LE) focus on landscape structure (i.e., composition and configuration of land-use and land-cover change [LULCC]) and the processes (social-ecological) resulting from and shaping LULCC. Drawing on mixed-methods research in the Southern Great Plains, we develop a framework that incorporates LA, LE, and governance theory. Public land and water are commons resources threatened by overuse, degradation, and climate change. Resource use is exacerbated by public land and water policies at the state-and local-levels. Our framework provides a foundation for investigating the mechanisms of land systems science (LSS) couplings across multiple levels/scales to understand how and why governance impacts human LULCC decisions (LA) and how those LULCC patterns influence, and are influenced by, the underlying ecological processes (LE). This framework provides a mechanism for investigating the feedbacks between and among the different system components in a CHANS that subsequently impact future human design decisions.

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Fine‐scale accuracy assessment of the 2016 National Land Cover Dataset for stream‐based wildlife habitat

2023

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Efficiently and effectively identifying and assessing potential wildlife habitat and important ecological resources is essential as rapid anthropogenic land use change alters and detrimentally affects terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Accuracy assessment of remotely sensed data supports ecological planning and management decisions, and is especially important when using freely available, coarse‐resolution spatial datasets, such as the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD). A popular dataset designed for application at larger regional to national spatial scales, the NLCD has been used in finer scale studies outside of its intended use, often without the imperative support of field‐based accuracy assessment. We ground‐truthed stratified random sampling points to assess the accuracy of the 2016 NLCD at a fine spatial scale relevant to stream‐based ecological research. Our results demonstrated an overall accuracy of <65%, less than the United States Geological Survey recommended accuracy of ≥85%. Results indicated that the NLCD may not be effective as a tool for stream‐level studies and could provide erroneous results for fine‐scale habitat assessment and planning when used as the only reference dataset. When conducting ecological research, it is important to consider the appropriate scale, resolution, and limitations of available datasets to achieve the most accurate results.

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Land tenure and landscape change: a comparison of public-private lands in the southern High Plains

Cited by 9 publications

References 24 publications

Groundwater Governance and the Growth of Center Pivot Irrigation in Cimarron County, OK and Union County, NM: Implications for Community Vulnerability to Drought

Groundwater Governance and the Growth of Center Pivot Irrigation in Cimarron County, OK and Union County, NM: Implications for Community Vulnerability to Drought

A Land Systems Science Framework for Bridging Land System Architecture and Landscape Ecology: A Case Study from the Southern High Plains

Fine‐scale accuracy assessment of the 2016 National Land Cover Dataset for stream‐based wildlife habitat

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