University of Kansas researchers will soon be searching the county for stone-arch cellars and distinctive cultural and heritage sites with grant money the Douglas County Commission awarded Wednesday.

Commissioners approved the recommendations of the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council to award four 2017 Natural and Cultural Heritage Conservation Grants totaling $260,000. The largest grant, at $104,457, was awarded to the University of Kansas Center for Research to identify and protect potential natural and cultural resource sites in the county. In its grant application, the center states the project’s goal is “identifying a portfolio of potential project areas where high quality prairies and forests can be protected, with a focus on those that occur at or near historic buildings and structures.” The center further proposed to develop detailed plans to link multiple project areas through habitat corridors, trails and public parks.

Commissioner Nancy Thellman said the grant was a logical followup to a $147,000 grant awarded to the center through the same program in 2014 for an inventory of natural areas in the county. Douglas County and Lawrence planners have since used that survey to better conserve natural areas and to plan parks, trails and other amenities, she said.

The other grants approved were:

• Another grant to the KU Center for Research, this one for $55,589, to identify stone-arch cellars in Douglas County built from 1850 to 1915. The project would explore the cellars’ uses, construction methods and variations.

• A $73,194 grant to the Haskell Indian Nations University Cultural Center and Museum for a documentary on the October 1926 opening and dedication of Haskell Stadium and the World War I Memorial Archway. The grant award was less than the $124,000 requested for the documentary and will fund the first phase of the film, including pre-production research, digital archiving, filming of family accounts of the dedication and other relevant interviews.

• A $26,769 grant to the Lecompton Historical Society for the partial roof replacement of the Territorial Capital Museum.