11/16/07
Once again the South Lawrence Trafficway is in the news, but this time progress on the project may actually be taking place. With the help of Baker University Director of Natural Areas Roger Boyd, an agreement has been reached that will definitely benefit the university in the future if the Federal Highway Administration selects it as the best of three alternatives.
Although there are mixed feelings over the recent transactions, Baker’s interests were taken into account. If chosen, the university will give the government 56 acres of wetlands that have been the center of controversy for years. In return, Baker will receive more than 250 acres to restore to the wetland state and funds to build a visitor’s center.
These acres will be available for Baker students to use for research. Plus, the visitor’s center will provide the community with employment opportunities and various other resources.
The university would not only receive more acreage than it would lose, but the land itself would be much more isolated than the wetlands are now. This means there would be less traffic on all sides of the land, allowing a more natural state.
The trafficway has been in the works for many years and the need is large. There is no transition between K-10 and the Kansas Turnpike, and drivers are forced to travel through Lawrence streets. This process clogs up traffic, causes excessive air pollution and makes the streets much more accident-prone.
The wetlands were originally used as farmland by Haskell Indian Nations University and were restored starting in the 1960s.
In 1968, the federal government granted the land to Baker under the condition it be used for educational or environmental purposes. In 2001, the Kansas State Historical Society stated it believed Haskell’s and Baker’s wetlands should be considered a part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Boyd has been a part of this for a very long time, and his work should be commended. The wetlands have been very instrumental in the studies of biology students and getting a whole new location of acreage for research simply means the biology department will be that much more respected and successful in the future.