photo by: Contributed/Baker University

Baker University announced in a press release Thursday it would permanently protect around 1,000 acres of wildlife around the Baker University Wetlands.

Baker University has finalized a measure that it says will permanently protect nearly 1,000 acres of land in and around the Baker Wetlands from development.

The school announced in a press release Thursday afternoon that it finalized the restricted deed covenant with the Douglas County Register of Deeds to reserve the land “exclusively for educational, research and conservation purposes.” The measure will prohibit future development on nearly 1,000 acres of biodiverse upland and riparian habitat, including over 600 acres of wetlands, just south of Lawrence.

Baker University President Hoot Gibson said in the press release the school “couldn’t be happier with this outcome,” and that the measure “demonstrates the importance of the wetlands to the community, landscape and region.”

The wetlands have long been an educational and natural resource for Baker and the Lawrence community. The wetlands have a Discovery Center where students can learn more about the environment and biodiversity, and there are 11 miles of trails that are open to the public. Additionally, it has been a key site for Baker faculty and students for science labs and research projects.

Roger Boyd, former director of the Baker University Wetlands and longtime biology instructor at the university, said “hundreds” of his biology students experienced the wetlands through classroom activities. The fact that it is protected in its entirety ensures it will continue the mission of education, research and conservation, he said.

“It is a valued area for students and the community alike to experience and enjoy the many trails and natural habitat in the area,” Boyd said in a press release.

The university explored selling a 16-acre parcel of land that neighbored the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center, at 1365 North 1250 Road, to a developer for an affordable housing project in April 2024, as the Journal-World reported. But Baker’s Board of Trustees voted in May 2024 to keep the land after opposition including a student protest on campus and a letter from the Haskell Indian Nations University Board of Regents, as the Journal-World reported.

Since that vote, Baker University formed partnerships with Ducks Unlimited and the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams, or KAWS, and hired a full-time wetlands director to help manage the local ecosystem, as the Journal-World reported.

Andrew Rutter, the wetlands director, said he is thrilled the university took “proactive steps” to protect the wetlands in perpetuity, saying the school was committed to being a steward for the wetlands.

“This is an important step demonstrating this amazing resource being available for generations to come,” Rutter said.