Photo | Eric Dyck
Image shows the a drone photo from the location of the proposed development, looking east. The left side of the photo shows the wetland complex and stream on the New Boston Crossing grounds which connects to the Haskell-Baker wetlands via a culvert under the road. The field west of the road on the New Boston Crossing grounds, shows the animal use in the corridor along the Wakarusa River. The only barrier between the New Boston Crossing project and the Baker wetlands is the South Michigan Road.
Dominique Sexton, Wakarusa Member, Sierra Club Kansas Chapter
South of Lawrence, Kansas on the corner of K-10 and US highway 59, directly west of the Baker University Wetlands Discovery Center, a project called "New Boston Crossing" has been proposed. Originally, a mixed use project with a promise of affordable housing, has now evolved into an exclusively commercial sports complex under the new name of "Ten59". This project is directly west from the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center and will irrevocably destroy over 60 acres of Wakarusa River floodplain and 3 acres of Wakarusa wetlands. The developer plans to do this by "fill and build", a tactic that takes soil from the ground and physically elevates the land out of the boundary of the floodplain, a practice that is often condemned for it's ability to shift the flooding impacts downstream. The developer's Jeff Lange and Phil Bundy from Wichita have attempted to put commercial on this land since the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway (SLT) in 2014, with a total of 5 denied attempts to develop this land. With each denial, the developer has encroached further and further into the sensitive ecosystem of the Wakarusa River floodplain, threatening the fragility of the Haskell-Baker wetland complex which sits directly downstream of the development.
The Haskell-Baker wetland complex is one of the largest remnants of the once expansive Wakarusa Wetlands. A portion of these wetlands were named a National Nature Landmark in 1969. Multiple City of Lawrence and Douglas County documents exalt how precious this area is to our region and how environmentally sensitive it is. Both Haskell and Baker have amplified their restoration and stewardship of the wetlands since the loss of the wetlands in 2014 for the SLT and the Haskell-Baker wetlands are universally cherished in our region and beyond. This development threatens the progress of all this by creating a precedence for other landowners in the Wakarusa River Valley to fill the floodplain and sell their land for commercial development.
The environmental concerns for this project cannot be understated. The development will increase physical, light, and noise pollution. The alteration and removal of over 60 acres of floodplain will compound the flooding that already occurs in the region and simultaneously remove our region's ability to withstand potential future drought. The floodplain will not be able to naturally filter our waters, mitigate flooding, retain water during drought, or offer habitat to native flora and fauna. In the Baker wetlands alone, 278 species of birds, 98 vertebrate species, and 487 plant species have been documented. On the neighboring property that is to be developed, the future site of the New Boston Crossing, regionally rare plants such as Missouri sedge (carex missourensis), Green Dragon (Arisaema draconium), Star sedge (Carex radiata), and Marsh spike-rush (Eleoch aris palustris) have been found.
Beyond the environmental concerns, this project has raised concerns with historical and cultural heritage in the Wakarusa River Valley. The proposed development near the historic Haskell Farm (now the Historic Baker Wetlands) and its proximity to the Wakarusa River, where Indigenous children attempted to escape severe abuse, has raised concerns among the Haskell Board of Regents, staff, and the community who demand implementation of ground penetrating radar. This demands are based on oral history and has been proven true by the fact that the Department of Interior (DOI) recently published a report verifying that there is at least one unmarked burial in the Haskell Wetland Complex. Later, archaeological contractors began invasive testing on the site of New Boston Crossing without visiting the Haskell Cultural Museum, or informing themselves of the sensitive nature of this project. Upon discovering pre-contact artifacts, they dismissed the importance of these objects as "every day items" and did not notify Tribes before making the findings public. Despite the Haskell Board of Regents sending a letter directly to the developers, they have shown no sensitivity or respect for the Indigenous community. We cannot continue the legacy of brushing off our Indigenous relative's concerns in the name of "progress".
To learn more about this project and how you can help stop it, please visit savethewakarusarivervalley.org.