Wildlife Management Plan for Upton County, Texas

Upton County's 1,241 square miles contain 18,682 documented oil and gas wells alongside short-grass prairie and playa lake systems, creating a landscape where industrial infrastructure and ecological management coexist at close range. Today, much of the region has been converted to irrigated cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat, with remaining native rangeland fragmented by center-pivot irrigation circles and wind energy development. The intersection of 3 ecoregions creates a convergence zone where species from multiple regions overlap. This ecological complexity means no single management template applies countywide.

Wildlife management on the High Plains centers on playa lake conservation, CRP grassland management, and rangeland restoration. Playa lakes are the primary recharge mechanism for the Ogallala Aquifer and the single most important wildlife habitat feature in the region. Protecting playas from sedimentation caused by tillage on surrounding cropland, maintaining native grass buffers around playa margins, and managing water levels through careful grazing are essential practices. On CRP contracts converting to wildlife management valuation, landowners should maintain the established grass cover, introduce prescribed fire or patch burning to create structural diversity, and install wildlife-friendly fencing that allows pronghorn passage. Mesquite and prickly pear encroachment on native rangeland requires periodic mechanical treatment followed by targeted herbicide application.