Cheyenne Bottoms: Efforts to Save a Threatened Wetland

In Kansas, at the center of this nation's heartland, lies a very valuable wetland known as Cheyenne Bottoms. This state acquired the area in the late 1950s in order to preserve it for future generations. Yet today, Kansas' largest wetland is threatened by a lack of water and other problems. During its 1985 session, the Kansas Legislature took a first step toward saving the wetland when it authorized- but only partially funded- a study of Cheyenne Bottoms. Protection, however, is far from certain and the ultimate villain may be a lack of money to complete the study and, ultimately, to fund restoration of the wetland.