Douglas County Heritage Forums

Baldwin City, Feb.15Lawrence, Feb. 20

Lecompton, March 3Eudora, March 10

Held in 2018 by the Kansas Biological Survey as part of a project funded by the

Douglas County Heritage Conservation Commission

Mt. Oread, 1867. Photo by Alexander Gardner.

University Archives, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries.

Douglas County was nearly 90% prairie prior to Euro-American settlement. This prairie landscape was dominated by warm-season grasses like big bluestem, Indian grass, and little bluestem, and a great variety of sedges and wildflowers.

Baldwin woods – Photo courtesy Edward Robison IIIBaldwin Woods

Photo: Edward Robison III

Oak-hickory forest would have occurred on some uplands such as the Baldwin Woods area.

Woodlands along rivers and streams would have been dominated by cottonwoods and sycamores, or by a mix of ash, elm, and hackberry.

Less than 0.5% of the original Douglas County prairie remains.

In 2014/2015 the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council awarded a grant to the Kansas Biological Survey to conduct a survey of high-quality prairies and forests.

In that survey, 76 parcels of high-quality prairie (1,352 acres) and 27 tracts of high-quality forest(2,530 acres) were identified.

Remaining parcels of high-quality prairie

and forest in Douglas County

Loss of native prairie continues due to encroachment of woody plants, conversion to row-crop agriculture, invasion of non-native grasses, and residential development.

For the 10-year period of 2005-2015, 18% of high-quality prairie acres in the county was lost.

The county now has much more tree cover than prior to Euro-American settlement. This map shows current forest distribution (green) in relation to historic forest distribution (red hatching). Woody vegetation has encroached upon much of the historic prairie landscape, and much of the historic forest is gone; 82% of today’s woodlands occur where once there was prairie.

A woodland growing on former prairie ground is very different from a woodland growing in an area that has always been forest. Both the tree species composition and the understory wildflowers are different. Indicators of higher quality forest (clockwise from top left): maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) and three woodland wildflowers, bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) and American bellflower (Campanula americana). These and other wildflowers are seen in highest quality forests.

Why do we care about native prairies and forests?

• They are part of our natural heritage.

• They provide context for our cultural history.

• They combine recreation and education experiences.

• They provide important habitat for rare and unusual species.

Regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia, on rattlesnake master, Eryngium yuccifolium.

Results of a 2014 survey of Douglas County residents show strong support for:

• Better protection of natural resources (77%)• Walking paths and trails (72%)• Maintaining rural character (69%)• Protecting high value farmland (75%)

Comprehensive Plan Community Survey*

Get Outdoors Kansas K. Kindscher Juniper Hill Farms

* Survey conducted in 2014 on behalf of the City of Lawrence/Douglas County

Survey respondents who identified as important:

• Parks, recreation and open space (94%)• Preserving historic buildings (92%)• Managing future growth (91)

Courtesy/KDOT

Comprehensive Plan Community Survey (cont.)

Courtesy/Panoramio Courtesy/Mrs. Mass

The community forums held by the Kansas Biological Survey in Feb/March 2018 were part of a project funded by the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council to address the question of how to go about protecting this natural heritage.

• To identify areas where prairies and forests can be protected, especially those that occur near historic features.

• To gather input from county residents about how to link multiple areas using habitat corridors, hike/bike trails, public parks, etc.

The project has two main purposes:

Identifying project areas

Here is an example of how we go about addressing the first project goal of identifying places where prairies and forests can be protected.

First Church on the west side of Lawrence hosts a remnant prairie with wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail. Thus this site contains both a natural feature and a historic feature. The property managers are interested in conservation of these areas. There is another small native prairie nearby that could be linked to the prairie on the Church site.

As a bonus, the site contains a walking trail that is open to the public.

Linking multiple project areas

To address the second main project goal we are looking for a few larger landscapes in the county where a network of connected places can be envisioned.

Linking multiple project areas

Areas important to our natural and cultural history occur in isolation across the modern landscape. We are looking for opportunities to provide connectivity among these features. We hope to work with both private and public landowners to create connections using trails, habitat corridors, and human stories.

Recognizing valuable natural areas

We hope to connect with private landowners interested in restoring their prairies and forests to their pre-settlement condition. Many of our prairies have been invaded by woody plants and invasive species. Our forests often are dominated by less desirable trees and have lost their understory wildflowers.

Recognizing high-quality forest

Images courtesy of C. Masterson

High quality old growth forests contain many species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers. If you’ve seen these species on your land you may have a piece of our natural history. We’d love to visit it with you!

Images courtesy of C. Masterson

Recognizing native prairie

High-quality tallgrass prairie contains hundreds of species of grasses and wildflowers. Have you seen these plants on your property? We’d love to visit your property with you and create a plant list.

Images courtesy of C. Masterson

Grassland and woodland improvement

• Management of non-native species

• Management of tree/shrub invasions

• Creation of pollinator habitat

• Native grass, tree, and wildflower planting

Images courtesy of C. Masterson

There are many steps you can take to improve the condition of your native prairie or forest, or to provide habitat corridors that provide connectivity throughout the landscape. The agencies and organizations listed on the following slide can help you achieve your goals.

Resources in Douglas County

Katy DhungelDistrict Forester

kdhungel@ksu.edu

Aaron Deters

District Wildlife

Biologist

aaron.deters@ks.gov

(Douglas County Conservation District)

Sue Ann FunkEducation and Outreach

Coordinator

http://www.douglasccd.com/

Bob Culbertson

Wetland Specialist

http://www.kaws.org/

Jerry Jost

Executive Director

http://www.klt.org/

Kim BellemereEducation and Membership

Coordinator

http://www.grasslandheritage.org/