Mary’s Lake, adjacent to Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence, will be getting a makeover aimed at advancing work to nurture the surrounding habitat.
The project, set to be completed by May 2026, will include building a larger dock, adding new field observation equipment, involving Haskell Indian Nations University students in shoreline habitat restoration and more, according to a City of Lawrence news release.
Dara Wilson, Prairie Park Nature Center supervisor, said the goal is to further engage the community in environmentalism.
“It’s easy to overlook the impact of green spaces, but with this grant, Mary’s Lake and Prairie Park have the potential to transform into exemplary green spaces within our community — promoting environmental awareness and stewardship,” Wilson said in the release.
According to the city’s website, the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department purchased the Mary’s Lake property in 1991 and added the Prairie Park Nature Center in 1999. The 7-acre lake, residing on the south side of the park, has a boardwalk and fishing docks as well as a study pond facing Prairie Park Elementary School.
Prairie Park Nature Center in May was one of four recipients of a special open space grant from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council and was awarded $71,000 to aid multiple layers of its upcoming project. The grants were made possible through a one-time allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (COVID-19 relief) funds.
A new, larger fishing dock will allow more space for visitors and for adding interactive features, including a wildlife viewing scope, according to the release. Getting additional canoes will create opportunities for on-the-water activities related to watershed conservation and recycling.
Updates will be made to 25 educational signs in the area, sharing history and research on habitat conservation, native biodiversity, endangered and invasive species, and more. And there are plans to implement a community science photo station that people can use to track the restoration of the prairie over time and then share images with others on a website.
Also funded by the grant is a collaboration with Haskell and the Kansas Biological Survey, according to the release.
Through an internship program with Prairie Park, Haskell student interns will keep watch of the area around the lake and replace invasive species with beneficial native shoreline plants.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to showcase Indigenous leadership in this conservation initiative,” Rachel Neff, Prairie Park Nature Center nature programmer, said in the release. “Our role is to support Haskell students in their work as they engage in water quality monitoring at our lake, design educational signage for our trails, lead their own environmental education programs, and develop a website for our community science photo station.”
Prairie Park Nature Center also recently became home to an outdoor classroom constructed by KU architecture students.
Students with Keith Van de Riet’s Architecture 509 class Designbuild Studio held an open house in February to share their plans for the outdoor classroom. They held an in-progress open house in May to welcome the community to see their work so far. The structure is now complete. Read more about the project at this link.
Prairie Park Nature Center, located at 2730 Harper St. in Lawrence, is free to visit. Learn more on the city’s website, lawrenceks.org.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
