A year since Prairie Park remnant prairie was sprayed, community workdays planned for nearby site

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Update, 10:05 a.m. Tuesday, April 30:

The workday planned for Tuesday, April 30 has been canceled because of the potential for inclement weather. Other workdays were still scheduled as planned, and people interested in participating can still sign up at the link below.

Original post:

A year has passed since the remnant prairie at Prairie Park Nature Center was errantly sprayed with herbicides. Lawrence community members can visit the site and help restore nearby prairie during upcoming workdays.

The public is invited to “visit this remnant prairie to see how much it has recovered and look at the unsprayed margins to see what has changed since that fateful day,” Ken Lassman writes in this week’s Kaw Valley Almanac. “Come help prairie restoration efforts in adjacent land.”

The workdays are part of multiyear efforts to restore part of the prairie that is near the remnant prairie.

Grassland Heritage Foundation and Native Lands Restoration Collaborative, in partnership with Lawrence Parks and Recreation, will host three spring workdays to educate community members and put in work to clear invasive species from the nearby site, plant wildflowers and learn about protecting native plants.

“This project is a great opportunity to learn more our natural and cultural history!” according to organizers.

The remnant prairie had never been sprayed until a year ago. Parks and Recreation staff members initially said the broadleaf herbicide spray was intentional, but later called it a mistake, attributed to staff turnover and lack of a plan to manage the land.

Map-Prairie-Park-grasslands

Organizers request that those who wish to attend RSVP via the Google form at this link so they can get an accurate count of how many people plan to attend.

They suggest people bring a water bottle, snacks, bug spray and sunscreen, and wear a hat, long pants and closed-toe shoes.

Workdays are planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 11 and Saturday, June 1 at Prairie Park, 2811 Kensington Road in Lawrence.

August Rudisell/Lawrence Times Five acres slated for prairie restoration at Prairie Park are shown above the trail in the lower portion of this drone photo taken Aug. 27, 2022. Mary’s Lake is at the top. The remnant prairie is across the tree line from the restoration area, on the right side of this photo.
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Related posts:

Ken Lassman: My interview with the prairie (Column)

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”It has been just more than one year since the old growth prairie that grows next to the Prairie Park Nature Center was sprayed … I decided: why not go to the source and interview the prairie itself?” Ken Lassman writes in this anthropomorphic column.

A year since Prairie Park remnant prairie was sprayed, community workdays planned for nearby site

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A year has passed since the remnant prairie at Prairie Park Nature Center was errantly sprayed with herbicides. Lawrence community members can visit the site and help restore nearby prairie during upcoming workdays.

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