Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence celebrates 25 years

Share this post or save for later

Prairie Park Nature Center on Saturday celebrated 25 years of preserving local wildlife and native species in Lawrence.

The center’s birds, reptiles and other animal friends came out to play during the free community celebration.

People in attendance caught and tagged monarch butterflies, enjoyed shaved ice, and other crafts and learning activities ensued outside. At one station, Haskell Indian Nations University students led corn husk doll-making.

Inside the center, visitors popped around to see turtles, fish, birds of prey and more.

Kicking off the festivities Saturday was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new pavilion that’s among native prairie behind the center. Students in a University of Kansas architecture class designed the outdoor classroom and community space, and it was built almost entirely out of old road signs and other repurposed materials. (Read more in this article.)

Prairie Park Nature Center is located at 2730 Harper St. with hours of operation set at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The park is always open to the public.

Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times Two raccoons row a motionless canoe toward a mounted jackalope inside the Prairie Park Nature Center.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times A beaver that appears to be scheming lurks behind tall grass in a display inside the Prairie Park Nature Center.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times A black-tailed prairie dog chews on an antler, which is something black-tailed prairie dogs enjoy doing.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times The black-tailed prairie dog looks back with a knowing gaze before slowly retreating into its tunnel.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times Although this bald eagle may appear angry, that is just its natural resting face.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times This underappreciated turkey vulture takes the opportunity to to model for the camera.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times This scarlet macaw sometimes loudly screeches, startling visitors at the Prairie Park Nature Center.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the Prairie Park Nature Center staff constructed a large cardboard cake decorated with festive taxidermied animals.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times The taxidermied party raccoon presents a sparkly fuzz ball to visitors to the Prairie Park Nature Center.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times Despite its hard afterlife, this squirrel eagerly contributes to the festivities at the Prairie Park Nature Center.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times Although often mocked for his single fang, this party snake still strikes fear into the workers at the Prairie Park Nature Center.
If our local journalism matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters


Click here to learn more about our newsletters first

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.

Molly Adams (she/her), photojournalist and news operations coordinator for The Lawrence Times, can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com. Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

Latest Lawrence news:

MORE …

Previous Article

KU architecture students celebrate new outdoor classroom, pavilion at Prairie Park Nature Center

Next Article

Families find community in Lawrence home-schooling group that rose ‘from the ashes of COVID’