Environmental Research
Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas

Celebrating 25 years at the Nature Conservancy
Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve, Barton County, KS

Overview

Cheyenne Bottoms, a large natural depression near the center of Kansas, is considered to be the premier wetland of the state (Zimmerman 1990; Aber and Aber 2025). We began aerial and ground observations at the Nature Conservancy (TNC) Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve (CBP) in the spring of 2002. Since then, we have returned every year during the growing season—spring, summer and autumn. This year—2026—marks the 25th year for our environmental research at CBP.

Our primary method is kite aerial photography (KAP) to capture the bird's-eye view of what the marshes and pools look like from above. Our typical flying height is 300 to 500 feet above the ground. A few times, we have employed a small helium blimp to acquire similar aerial views, but we have not utilized unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly known as drones. Kites are a passive, quiet method for aerial photography that does not disturb the birds or other wildlife.

**Wide-angle KAP overviews, June 2026**
View westward	View northward	View to northeast

Late spring 2026 – Deception Creek

We visited CBP in late spring for another round of kite aerial photography under a mostly cloudy sky. We found water level had declined since the previous autumn—see 2025. Extensive mudflats were exposed, and water was quite shallow in pools, scarcely more than puddles. These conditions are optimum for migrating shorebirds, of which there were many. Water smartweed (Polygonum amphibium) occupied much of the mudflat margins along with small clumps of great bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani).

**Closer KAP views, June 2026**
	Northward views of the bare mudflat with bright-green water smartweed along the margins. Dark lines across the mudflat are tracks left by cattle.
	Left: Deception Creek in the background and a small pool around its delta at scene center. The water is so shallow that cattle tracks can be seen. Right: vertical shot over marsh margin showing bright-green water smartweed with small, dark-green clumps of bulrush on right.

Vegetation along marsh margin
Left: red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) in a clump of great bulrush, surrounded by water smartweed.
Right: poison hemlock (Conium maculatum L.) is blooming with tiny white flowers. It's a common wetland plant in Kansas.

**Vegetation along marsh margin**
	Left: red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) in a clump of great bulrush, surrounded by water smartweed. Right: poison hemlock (Conium maculatum L.) is blooming with tiny white flowers. It's a common wetland plant in Kansas.

Equipment failure

During our KAP session, our kite-line reel suffered a catastropic failure. The knob for winding the line and securing the reel broke off without warning. This reel was more than 25 years old and never had experienced this kind of breakdown before. This put a temporary halt for our kite flying. Fortunately we had a backup reel and were able to continue with KAP and complete the session. Later we repaired the reel with a shorter handle for the knob.

**Kite-line reel failure**
	Reel for kite line in normal operation (left) attached to a secure anchor on the ground. Note the blue strap to prevent the reel from turning. After the knob broke off the long handle (right). Only the inner knob remained, which made the reel quite difficult to operate.
	Repaired kite-line reel with a shorter handle for the outer knob. This reel was used again in October 2026.

Return to beginning.

Early autumn 2026 – Deception Creek

We visited TNC Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve again in early autumn. The summer had been hot and dry across central and southern Kansas, and Cheyenne Bottoms was listed in the severe drought category by the end of the season. But at the end of September something remarkable happened; the remnants of Hurricane Polo swept across western Kansas.

Kansas drought status for September 22, 2026. TNC Cheyenne
Bottoms Preserve (*). From the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Storm systems associated with hurricanes are quite rare in Kansas. For the most part, these originate in the Gulf of Mexico. The most notable was Hurricane Carla (1961). Its main impact was in Texas, and its remnant tropical cyclone moved northward dumping 4 to nearly 9 inches (100-225 mm) of rain in parts of Kansas (Meyer 2026). Hurricane storms systems derived from the Pacific Ocean are even more unusual. Hurricane Paine (1986) is an example; it crossed the southern tip of Baja Califoria, moved into mainland Mexico, and its remnants continued into Texas. It combined with an advancing cold front that released heavy rain over Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas (Perry, Aldridge and Ross 2000).

Hurricane Polo made landfall in Baja California with maximum sustained wind of 110 mph on September 29th. After crossing the Sea of Cortez it weakened into a tropical storm heading toward the northeast. Widespread flooding took place in northwestern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. The remnants of Hurricane Polo then merged with an early fall storm system over Kansas and produced copious amounts of rain especially in the western and northern portions of the state, where 7-day rain totals ending Oct. 1 were typically 4 to 8 inches (100-200 mm; Kansas Mesonet 2026). During strong El Niño years, such as 2026, the Pacific is unusually active and has more tropical storms and hurricanes—see NPR.

Kansas drought status for October 6, 2026. TNC Cheyenne
Bottoms Preserve (*). From the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Barton County was on the eastern edge of this massive storm system, and TNC Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve received 3 inches of rainfall. This certainly refreshed the marshes and pools in the preserve, but drought status stubbornly remained in the moderate to severe category. We were able to document the consequences of this dramatic weather event. We conducted kite aerial photography (KAP) in early October from the parking area at the nature trail under warm, sunny conditions just one week after the rain ended.

**Wide-angle KAP overviews, October 2026**
View to northwest	View northward	View to northeast

We observed water filling the central and western pools as well as the pool at the mouth of Deception Creek. Emergent vegetation covered both lower, wetter soils and higher, drier zones. The dominant vegetation consisted of water smartweed (Polygonum amphibium), some of which was still flowering, and common reed (Phargmites); the latter is considered invasive and not desirable. Also present were smaller clumps of cattail and bulrush. Overall the emergent vegetation presented a patchy mosaic with a marked difference in appearance between dry and wet marsh zones.

**Closer KAP views of the marsh/pool complex**
	Looking northward. Upper portions of images show dry marsh; lower parts display wet marsh. Rusty-brown vegetation is water smartweed; green patches are mostly common reed with some cattail and bulrush.
	Looking westward over the margin of the dry marsh. Rusty-brown vegetation is water smartweed; green patches are mostly common reed with some cattail and bulrush. Access road at upper left; kite flyers in upper left corner (left image).
	The wooden observation tower collapsed from a windstorm in late September. It seemed the main posts had rotted in the ground. The tower was lying in pieces, and it had been partly disassembled. The tower had stood since 2009—see tower as it appeared in May 2011.

Ground shots of the marsh/pool complex
Left: water smartweed (Polygonum amphibium) in bloom with pale pink flowers and green leaves. Right: patch of bulrush at scene center surrounded by water smartweed.
Left: cluster of cattail at scene center surrounded by water smartweed. Right: collapsed and partly disassembled tower on the ground. A victim of the storms spawned by Hurricane Polo.