Prairie Wetland Conservation Area

About the Program
Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s Prairie Wetland Conservation Area (PWCA) is located in the Murray Gill section of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas. The 440-acre site has historically aimed to restore the property to a mixed-grassland prairie and wetland habitat. Today, the site boasts 82 acres of wetland, 348 acres of grassland and 10 acres of woodland habitat while continuing to enhance and preserve native plant communities for wildlife. The team monitors wildlife using trail cameras that document various wildlife species. The site serves as a migratory stopover for avian species, and since the inception of the restoration project, 162 avian species have been observed on-site.

Practices and Impacts

• In 2003, the PWCA seeded the property, yielding 348 acres of grassland habitat. Employees actively manage the grassland habitat to control invasive woody encroachment using techniques such as chemical treatment, annual mowing and controlled burns. Employees maintain the site to increase native wildlife populations, and the enhancement and restoration supports key habitat needs by providing wildlife with safe breeding habitat, shelter, water and foraging opportunities.
• A wetland restoration project began in 2002 which consisted of creating/enhancing wetlands within the PWCA and planting native grasses. Based on a new wetland delineation conducted in 2023, the wetland now totals 104 acres of wetlands — an increase of 22 acres.
• A five-acre pollinator meadow has been created by seeding a portion of the grassland with native wildflowers.  This meadow now has 24 different species of forbs observed in the 2023 monitoring season, with 83% of them being native. This is an increase from only six species. 
• The project team monitors the pollinator meadow and has found that after only one year, there are a variety of small bees and six different butterfly species already using the meadow. 
• The grassland and wetland areas are being managed for a variety of different birds that utilize these habitats. Observations have shown at least 27 bird species have been utilizing the grassland for breeding and 44 using the wetland as their primary breeding habitat.