photo by: Baker University

Baker University Wetlands.

Floodwater management and controlling invasive species of plants are a couple of the challenges at the Baker Wetlands that Baker University’s new nonprofit partnerships are aiming to address.

Earlier this month, Baker University announced its partnerships with Ducks Unlimited and the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams, or KAWS. It also announced the hiring of a full-time wetlands director with expertise in managing these ecosystems, Andrew Rutter.

“The site has been maintained fairly well over the years, but there is room for improvement,” said Rutter, who previously served as KAWS’ Upper Wakarusa Watershed coordinator.

photo by: Contributed

Wetlands Director at Baker University Andrew Rutter

Rutter, who has 12 years of experience working in wildlife and wetland management, said a wetland can present a lot of difficulties for its caretakers. Dikes are a key component of flood management, and they’re used to protect land from flooding and erosion. But Rutter said they can be undermined by muskrats and beavers and that can create leaks over time.

Additionally, he said hybrid cattails – aquatic, perennial wetland plants – have become another problem that isn’t often on people’s radar. Rutter said that what once used to be open, shallow habitats for shore birds throughout the wetlands have turned into a monoculture of these invasive plants.

“We’ve got a (long) list of invasive species as well as issues with woody plant encroachment into areas where we’re trying to maintain prairie ecosystems and wetland ecosystems,” Rutter said.

Rutter said that when dealing with issues like invasive plants, it’s easy to lose perspective since you’re focused on them every day.

“But it’s something that you look back on three to five years in the future and say ‘Man, I really made a difference here. I really changed the landscape. I really changed the viewshed there so that people could see and appreciate this resource,'” Rutter said. “And I think that’s what I’m most excited about.”

The newly established partnerships with KAWS and Ducks Unlimited will be crucial for making this happen, he said. As the Journal-World has reported, Ducks Unlimited will provide support from its team of biologists, land managers, fundraisers and engineers, and KAWS will provide local watershed protection staff.

“The beauty of the partnership for all parties involved is that Baker University didn’t just hire me, they hired on the expertise of folks at KAWS and Ducks Unlimited to facilitate this position and ensure that it’s successful in the future,” Rutter said.

As the partnership begins its work, Rutter wants people to know that the goal is to keep the wetlands healthy as a community resource for the long haul.

“Baker University is interested in the long-term persistence of the property as a field station and an educational opportunity for research for their students as well as public outreach and environmental education,” Rutter said.