Coon Creek Wildlife Area

Coon Creek Wetlands

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The Coon Creek Wildlife Area is on the north side of Clinton Lake near Lawrence, Kansas. Over the last few years volunteers have been working on habitat restoration and trail development. Clinton Lake is a federal reservoir with serious water quality issues related to sediment loads. Streambank and wetland stabilization are helping slow erosion in the Coon Creek branch. Additionally these projects are helping the community learn about the process of wetland restoration. Coon CreekFlickr Picture Set

In 2005 KVHA received a Five Star Grant to incorporate community volunteers in the creation and restoration of a wetland area in the Wakarusa watershed above Clinton Lake. During the course of this project 3 acres of wetlands were created and 100 feet of buffers were restored. Overall 15 acres of wetlands were improved. This project directly engaged 10 partners and directly involved over 200 people. The Coon Creek wetland project is a part of a broader cooperative initiative to protect the Wakarusa watershed. Over 70 people representing diverse stakeholder groups were involved with watershed protection efforts in the last 18 months. Slide show on the Coon Creek Wetland Construction

Early in May 2007 these hearty Webelos planted 75 trees out at a very wet Coon Creek wetland area. This is the first spring since the wetland development phase was completed - we’re excited to see the cells full of water!

There’s more pictures of Coon Creek at flickr

Scrapbook

[slideshow id=144115188090654817&w=525&h=150]

Funding for restoring the wetlands has come from a variety of sources including the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams and the United States Corps of Engineers.