For opponents of the South Lawrence Trafficway, a Sunday night meeting served as something of a last-minute pep talk a chance to crystallize thoughts and figure out the best game plan.

In a public hearing Thursday, the coalition of various organizations will present to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reasons to save the Baker Wetlands and move farther south the trafficway that would connect the Kansas Turnpike with Kansas Highway 10. The hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. in Building 21 at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2110 Harper St.

The Corps, represented at the hearing by district engineer Col. Donald Curtis Jr., will eventually make a decision as to whether the wetlands can be filled in, and the key to success is attendance and articulate reasons, said Bob Eye, an attorney representing wetlands preservationists.

“It’s our job to move them off of indifference and to move them away from those who would support paving the wetlands,” he said to a crowd of about 50 people.

To accomplish these goals, those at the meeting played devil’s advocate with one another, trying to find weaknesses in arguments. They also discussed questions and concerns they wanted addressed at the hearing.

“Are you going to take out the trees that the monarchs roost in? That’s one of my big questions,” said Sierra Club representative Bev Worster.

Following an environmental impact study, two viable options exist for the trafficway. One is a 42nd Street alignment south of the Wakarusa River that would cost $128 million. The second and the one strongly opposed by those at Sunday’s meeting is a 32nd Street alignment, which would cost $105 million and run through the wetlands.