Haskell Indian Nations University and the City of Lawrence Launch Partnership at Prairie Park

Agreement to expand education, research, and community activities

Haskell Indian Nations University and the City of Lawrence have entered a five-year memorandum of understanding to offer educational activities and research programs at the Prairie Park Nature Center. The partnership is expected to bring education opportunities, research programs and activities to the community.

Located near the Haskell campus, the nature center is a 100-acre preserve operated by the city that includes a seven-acre lake, woodland, prairie areas and an educational facility.

This partnership provides Haskell staff and student interns the opportunity to give an Indigenous perspective and knowledge of the land, culture and methodologies through new events, on-site research and classes funded through the university’s U.S. Department of Agriculture Extension program. Indigenous Knowledge is recognized by the Department of the Interior as one of the many important knowledge systems that contribute to the well-being of the United States and the collective understanding of the natural world “Haskell students and staff have a responsibility to Lawrence and the greater community and vested interests in them, and we are stronger together through partnerships like this,” said Mackie Moore, head of the extension program and the dean of the School of Business. “This program will offer Haskell students the opportunity to work with others, conduct research, explore their interests, and hold internships, which gives them to their communities.”

Haskell students have completed internships at the Prairie Park Nature Center, working up to 20 hours per week to conduct summer youth programs, research, and help with prairie restoration. The prairie habitat restoration aligns with the goals of the Department of the Interior’s Grasslands Keystone Initiative to conserve and restore North America’s central grasslands. Haskell students also work with Prairie Park Nature Center staff to research native grasses.

“This collaboration aligns with our city’s strategic plan and will enable us to intensify our efforts in promoting environmental awareness, sustainability and respect for nature,” said Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture Director Luis Ruiz. “It will also allow us to enrich environmental education at the nature center and offer valuable insights into the cultures of Indigenous people and their relationship with the environment. Additionally, it will spark the creation of new educational opportunities, research programs, and activities for the Lawrence community.”

Student research on prairie flora and fauna provides students the opportunity to gain valuable real-world research experience before entering the job market or graduate-level classes. They also meet students from varying fields of study and work together to restore the area and attract others to it as a local destination. The university pays the students for their work, providing them with what may be their first opportunity to make money using their degree while they study.

Because of this agreement, students spend more time in Lawrence, getting to know the community and working with volunteers who help care for and create programming for the nature center.

“Our students shouldn’t be spending all their time on campus,” Moore said. “Many of them move here to attend Haskell, and they should be learning about the community around them that they are now part of.”

Students from various academic pursuits have already worked on projects that will be completed during the agreement's length, including business majors who have created signage, displays and marketing material for the park. In addition, the nature center provides an outdoor space for more than 900 Haskell students to relax and spend time outdoors.