Landowner Norman Burge manages property in both Texas and Curry County, New Mexico — and it was New Mexico’s shrinking water supply that convinced him playa restoration mattered. When a biologist pointed out a pit in one of his playas, Norman saw an opportunity to help recharge a water table that had already grown dangerously thin.
The restoration didn’t change much about his daily operation, since his acres have been in CRP for decades. But filling the pit changed how he understood playas. What once looked like a “leaky bowl” turned out to be a natural recharge system, something eastern New Mexico needs more than ever.
Norman has watched irrigation history transform over his lifetime. The loud engines that once powered wells across Curry County have gone silent, and wells that supported families and livestock are now dry. Even windmills on his own land no longer pump water.
He knows restoring one playa won’t solve the region’s water crisis, but it’s a step toward slowing the decline. “It’s just doing my part,” he says — a way to contribute, even on a small scale.
For Norman, stewardship means thinking long-term. Just as people plant trees for future generations, he believes restoring playas is an investment in New Mexico’s future.
Across the High Plains, Norman’s effort is part of a larger push to keep water and wildlife on the landscape — one restored playa at a time.
