Coordinators:

Jason Hering, Jason711 (@t) ku.edu (785) 341-4911 

Jacki Murdock, j1989 (@t) ku.edu (816) 726-4324 

England Porter (in S. Korea), Englandgp (@t) gmail.com

Here are a few of our previous trips: 

March 27-29 Trip to Galena Kansas, an area that is continually affected by lead mining that was done previously. which will include tours, information, and a tour of other sites around South East Kansas 

April 3rd from 6-10pm at the ECM, we will be hosting wine and cheese party to raise funds for the wetland preservation effort, rally and legal fund, formal event with a silent auction of wetland themed art form a variety of artists for the area and beyond. (if you would like to submit art please contact Jenn Hunt at 316-641-8422) 

April 4-5 Prairie Chicken Boom at K-state (for more info contact Jason Hering) 

April 11-12 Canoeing trip through a cave in Columbus Missouri. Leaving Saturday evening. 

April 21 Gardening workshop all day on the patio of the Kansas Union 

April 25th Green Burial at the Relays room of the Burge Union from 2-6pm. This will be a panel discussion about the practice of 'green burial'. 

May 2 Rally for the wetland 10am- 3pm on the west side of South Park. We will have speakers on native rights, wetland preservation, and environmental justice. This will be a celebration of the wetlands. There will also be food and music!!! 

Other organizations we are working with: 

Lawrence Fruit Tree Project - Working on projects such as planning small fruit and nut tree orchards for local schools and the ECM! 

KU Environs - Working on projects such as LED lighting for campus, new bike racks, South Lawrence Trafficway lawsuit co-litigant, and increasing local foods in KU Dining Services. They have four groups within Environs this semester,  Campus Sustainability, Preservation, Education and Awareness, and Local Foods. 

Wetland Preservation Organization - Working on projects such as the SLT Trafficway lawsuit, tours of the wetlands, and helping to create plans for a proposed boardwalk between the Haskell campus and 32st street.

Just Food - Gathering food for donation to the Lawrence Shelter or the ECKAN food pantry program

The Wakarusa Wetlands Immersion Trips in fall and spring provide an opportunity to reflect on our actions and to "connect our hearts with our heads" as participants learn through experience.

It is said that several hundred American Indian children, the victims of sexual and physical abuse are buried at the site of the Wakarusa wetlands. These children were mostly escapees from when Haskell was a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school and ran a child-labor farm program at the site of the wetlands in the 1920's. Some of the children died of exposure while running away, some committed suicide as a last resort to escape the humiliating abuse, and others died of unknown reasons. The vast wetlands was once a sacred gathering place where the Kaw, Pawnee, and Osage collected white egret feathers and white milkweed tassels among other important plants and animal items which they traded. Today the wetlands houses sweat lodges and the great Medicine Wheel, a monument to the spiritual link between the wetlands and the people. Also, school children come from all over Lawrence every fall to tag the migrating Monarch butterflies which flock to the wetlands because of its abundance of milkweed. For many native cultures butterflies represent the souls of the dead, especially children. Considering the terrible history of the boarding school this event is both very meaningful and joyful.

In terms of biodiversity, the wetlands is home to bobcats, migrating Texas salamanders, numerous rare bird species, and a plethora of plants unique to the wetlands.

The trip will give us a chance to enjoy and learn more about the Wakarusa wetlands which are being threatened by the South Lawrence Trafficway proposal; a plan crafted by the Kansas Department of Transportation that would put a traffic-way through the wetlands to ease traffic on 23rd Street. The proposal raises several questions: Is it worth a few minutes of reduced commuting time to bury the history of Haskell and the biodiversity of the wetlands under a highway? Are there underlying motives to minimize or ignore the history of human rights offenses against American Indians in our area? Are we prepared to let developers take something from us that is this special and unique?