By Katy Silber, Institute for Applied Ecology
The Land Imprinter at work. Photo credit Mike Gaglio.
Consider the difference between pouring water onto a flat plate versus an ice cube tray. While the plate allows water to flow away, the tray captures and retains every drop. This simple logic is the heart of the KIS (Keyline, Imprinter, Seeding) system. KIS works by breaking up compacted soil and creating deep imprints, creating thousands of miniature reservoirs across the landscape, trapping vital precipitation, organic litter, and seeds—precious resources that would otherwise be swept away by the wind.
This waffle pattern triggers a powerful positive feedback loop for land recovery by creating small sanctuaries for seed germination in otherwise dry, windy “lunarscapes.” As the imprints collect moisture and wind-blown debris, the local microclimate begins to shift. The more litter and precipitation these catchments hold, the more the soil can retain moisture for weeks or even months after a precipitation event. It is an innovative strategy to jumpstart nature’s own recovery process, harnessing resources that are already present on the landscape.
Top: KIS equipment setup. Photo credit Mike Gaglio. Bottom left: The imprinter creates a waffle pattern to capture moisture, seeds, and debris. Bottom right: The keyline plow decompacts the soil to create more effective imprints and looser soil for plant establishment. Photo credit Katy Silber.
The Chihuahuan Desert, a dynamic and rich ecoregion, has been degraded over the last century from land management practices and climate change. Photo credit Katy Silber.
IAE is implementing this creative method to recover two sites in the Chihuahuan Desert of Southwestern New Mexico. Although deserts often evoke the image of barren landscapes with a lone hawk flying overhead (which was indeed the result of our baseline plant and bird surveys), the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion has a dynamic ecological history and is home to thousands of native and endemic species.
The Chihuahuan Desert is the primary wintering ground for migratory birds that breed in the Great Plains, which are the fastest declining group of birds in North America. Since 1970, species that overwinter in the Chihuahuan Desert have experienced a staggering 70% population decline. As native grasslands have been overgrazed, converted to agriculture, encroached by shrubs, or lost to desertification, birds like the Chestnut-collared longspur, Baird’s sparrow, and Sprague’s pipit lose the essential plant cover and food resources they depend on for half of their annual cycle.
In November, we used the KIS system to seed six acres across two sites. Our seed mix consisted of native grasses and flowers to help stabilize soils, restore above and belowground plant structure, and provide key bird resources. We hope these efforts will revitalize important overwintering sites for many declining bird species. We are excited to return to these sites in the coming years to see if our seeds have taken root and our vibrant wildlife communities have returned.
Learn more about the Lordsburg Dust Mitigation Project:
Watch this beautiful documentary by artist Esha Chiocchio featuring Gordon Tooley and the Lordsburg Playa project.
Learn more about KIS on this web page by project partner Mike Gaglio, High Desert Native Plants.
One year after KIS treatment, the landscape comes to life with a burst of annual grasses and wildflowers. This photo represents an optimal first year response to the KIS treatment. Photo credit Mike Gaglio.
Marilee G Berry
This is so exciting to me, and I didn’t know anything about it until now. I followed the links to learn more about both projects (the one by the Institute of Applied Ecology as well as the Lordsburg Playa project). Ever since seeing earthworks in Africa to capture rain, I had wondered if there was a way for machines to be able to do something similar at scale across large parts of New Mexico, and here it is! Thanks so much for sharing this helpful, hopeful article.