photo by: Douglas County

Ivan Boyd Prairie Preserve, located 3 miles east of Baldwin City on Highway 56.

The Native Lands Restoration Collaborative and Douglas County will be hosting two native seed collection events next month.

County residents are invited for an afternoon of collecting native seeds from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1, and from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, at Ivan Boyd Prairie Preserve, located east of Baldwin City just off Highway 56 at 184 East 2000 Road. Volunteers are needed to harvest the seeds to benefit local ecological restoration projects and free seed libraries, according to a release from Douglas County.

No experience is required and all ages are welcome to participate. Organizers of the events will provide gloves, tools and education to all of the participants. The release said volunteers should prepare to be outdoors in the tall prairie grass, including wearing long pants and sturdy, closed-toed shoes.

People can RSVP to NativeLandsKS@gmail.com to be notified in the case the event is rescheduled or cancelled due to inclement weather.