photo by: Bremen Keasey

An owl sits on its perch at the Prairie Park Nature Center on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

Proposed cuts across the Lawrence Parks and Recreation budget mean that the Prairie Park Nature Center might have to rehome its eagles, owls and other animals.

As the Journal-World previously reported, the proposed 2025 budget for Lawrence has cuts totaling $660,000 across the parks and rec department — including eliminating three vacant full-time jobs, decreasing part-time staffing hours and cutting $204,000 of the department’s operating expenses.

For the Prairie Park Nature Center, that means some of its collection of live animals could be rehomed.

Lindsay Hart, an assistant director for the Parks and Recreation department, said the proposed cuts take out about $4,000 from the center, which will mostly affect its operations budget, directly impacting the ability to properly feed and take care of some of its animals.

Hart said the center divided its animals into two groups: educational animals, which are involved in educational programming, and display animals, which are showcased at the visitor center of the 100-acre nature preserve. If the proposed budget were to pass without any changes, Hart said it could mean some of the display animals would be removed from the center.

Hart said the center would struggle to properly feed the birds of prey — the center has a bald eagle and a couple of different types of owls in its collection — and the first of those that would likely need to be rehomed would be the eagles. Additionally, some of the snakes might also need to be rehomed.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

A bald eagle perches at the Prairie Park Nature Center on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

Hart said the center would prioritize keeping the educational animals so that fewer of its services would be impacted.

“Although we don’t want to cut anything, our basic goal is not to cut any expenses that would impact education programs,” Hart said.

It’s not the first time in recent memory the Prairie Park Nature Center has faced proposed budget cuts.

Back in 2022, the initial proposed budget for the following year floated the idea of adding admission fees for recreation centers and closing down the Prairie Park Nature Center.

After a large public outcry — including about 100 people protesting outside of City Hall and dozens of parents, children, volunteers and other residents addressing the City Commission — the commissioners dropped the budget cut plan and instead passed a budget that included funding for the center.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

The visitor center at Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence is pictured Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

Update: The Parks and Rec Department notified the Journal-World Thursday that it is still working to remedy funding gaps that would affect Prairie Park Nature Center. Luis Ruiz, the Parks and Rec director, said the city is looking at using the city’s Special Recreation Fund to fund the $4,000 for the center.