Groups push University to protect wetlands

Monday, November 2, 2009

Student and local groups will demonstrate on the Strong Hall lawn this afternoon to pressure the University administration to protect the Baker Wetlands nature area south of Lawrence.

The demonstrators oppose the South Lawrence Trafficway project, a plan to pave over the wetlands and build a highway circling the city. The project, which first emerged in 2002, is still unfunded. It has met with heated opposition from environmental groups and Native American organizations, among others.

The University owns 20 acres of the 640-acre wetlands area, but does not use or actively protect the portion it controls. Jason Hering, president of student environmental group Eco-Justice, said the demonstrators’ goal was to get the University to either use the 20 acres of wetland or to return them to the Native-American groups concerned about their fate.

“The goal is to get attention from the KU administration,” Hering said. “We’re for having them claim and take responsibility for the wetlands.”

Eco-Justice and KU Environs collaborated with the First Nations Student Association and the Wetlands Preservation Organization from Haskell Indian Nations University to organize the demonstration. Hering said he expected about 200 people to attend.

Stephanie Farve, Lawrence senior, plans to attend the event. Farve is president of the KU First Nations Student Association, a community organization for Native-American students. Farve is also a participant in the exchange program between the University and Haskell. She said the wetlands held spiritual and historic significance for Native-American students at Haskell.

“People just don’t know the true history of Haskell and the true history of that area,” she said. “The Baker Wetlands are considered sacred because there are Native-American children buried there.”

Demonstrators will hold signs, distribute fliers and encourage passers-by to sign a petition from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today. The petition will assert support for protection of the wildlife area, which contains more than 471 documented wildlife species.

— Edited by Brenna M. T. Daldorph

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