The recent winter storm brought large amounts of snow to Kansas and the Midwest.  In the midst of a serious drought, the precipitation will provide much needed moisture to Cheyenne Bottoms.

The nearby Fort Hays State University Kansas Wetlands Education Center received about 10 inches of wet snow, yielding about an inch of precipitation.

Jordan Hofmeier, a FHSU Graduate Assistant at KWEC says even the cold temperatures are welcome.

“Snow is  beneficial because it melts slowly, allowing much of the water to infiltrate the ground, ” he says.  “Much less of the water will be lost to runoff, and the low temperatures prevent the water from evaporating.”

According to Hofmeier, early migratory birds are already heading north, and the moisture will provide them with a place to stopover at Cheyenne Bottoms before  the spring rains come.