Kansas Land Trust - Events
Celebrating 15 Years of Conservation Easements in Kansas!
Akin Prairie ~ Wildflower Walk
Led by Kelly Kindscher
Saturday, May 23rd, 1 - 2 p.m.
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Both walks are free and open to the public. Families are encouraged to attend.
Participants should bring binoculars and wear sturdy walking shoes, long pants, sunscreen,
insect repellent, and a hat.
Directions: Two miles east of Lawrence on K-10, take the E. 1900 Rd (Douglas Co. 1057) exit and go south two miles to N. 1150 Road. Take N. 1150 to the west (right) about .4 mi. The prairie is on the south, at the top of the hill. KLT signs will mark the way. You’ll see an iron gate, and just inside the fence, a small memorial to Ms. Akin.Respectful daytime public access is allowed anytime.
The Akin Prairie provides a wonderful setting to identify prairie grasses and wildflowers and to hear the interesting lore surrounding them. This wonderful 16 acre tract of native prairie has been protected as a memorial to Dorothy Akin and her love of colorful prairie wildflowers. Dorothy’s surviving husband, Tom, and their children donated the conservation easement to KLT in 1994, the first in the State of Kansas. This 15-year anniversary will be commemorated with a sign dedication made possible by the Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund.
Kelly Kindscher is a Plant Ecologist and Associate Scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey. He is currently Secretary and a founder of KLT as well as author of Edible WildPlants of the Prairie and Medicinal Plans of the Prairie.
Celebrating Lawrence's Newest City Park!
Lichtwardt Property ~ Bird Walk
Led by Steve Roels
Saturday, May 30th, 9 - 10 a.m.
Directions: From W. 6th Street, head north on Folks Road for less than one mile and the parking area will be on the left (west), just before the intersection with Peterson Road.
In 2001, Bob and Betty Lichtwardt donated a conservation easement to KLT on their 37 acres of rugged, heavily forested land in rapidly developing NW Lawrence. They then donated ownership of the land itself to the City of Lawrence for use as a natural park area with hiking trails. A neighboring easement on the Kelly/Varvil property was donated the following year to form a 96-acre total, contiguous protected area. These easements promote the health of the Baldwin Creek watershed by restricting all development on the property except for unpaved trails. The first of these trails and a public parking area were recently completed. This milestone will be commemorated with a sign placement made possible by the Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund.
Steve Roels is KU graduate student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He is active with the Jayhawk Audubon Society and is a former Conservation Associate at KLT. Steve graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Michigan) in May 2006. Previously, Steve served as a field surveyor for the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. He has a life list of over 500 bird species from around the world.
For more on the Lichtwardts' story, click here.
Lawrence GiveBack cards will be available for distribution to all participants in these walks.
Kansas Land Trust, Inc.
16 East 13th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
