This is an area with bountiful land for agriculture, but Quivira is also an important natural resource and habitat.

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in south-central Kansas is the center of an ongoing standoff over water rights at the refuge, with the battle spilling over into state court.

A flock of birds were seen spinning in circles at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, officials say. Screengrab from video by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

After a years-long battle over water rights at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, a group has launched a new legal challenge designed to prompt action.

After a years-long battle over water rights at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, a group has launched a new legal challenge designed to prompt action.

Amid an ongoing standoff over water rights at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in south-central Kansas, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, called on the federal government to back off an effort to ...

A flock of birds were seen spinning in circles at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, officials say. Screengrab from video by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A flock of birds were seen spinning in circles at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, officials say. Screengrab from video by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran is calling on a federal agency to back off its effort to enforce its water right at Kansas' Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.

A flock of birds were seen spinning in circles at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, officials say. Screengrab from video by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A flock of birds were seen spinning in circles at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, officials say. Screengrab from video by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A flock of birds were seen spinning in circles at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, officials say. Screengrab from video by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.