From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for June 17, 1986:

• Kelly Kindscher, a Lawrence man who had devoted the past decade to the study of native plants, said that an area just east of where 27th Street came to a dead end in the Chaparral neighborhood was “Lawrence’s only remaining native prairie.” Kindscher had been working to save the small grassy vestige for years, and now the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department was coming to his aid. The city had purchased a 25-acre site, including the seven-acre prairie, with plans for a park. The prairie portion would be kept in its natural state, according to Fred DeVictor, parks director.
• Douglas County Extension agricultural agent Jack Lindquist announced that “the majority of the county [was] in a drought-stress situation right now.” Lindquist said that there was no immediate cause for panic but that farmers were beginning to wonder when the “mini-drought” was going to break.