Douglas County drains Haskell wetlands, causes animal holocaust

Students from Haskell Indian Nations University‘s Wetlands Preservation Organization are staging a protest today from 3 (now!) to 6 p.m. on 31st Street near the wetlands on the university’s property.

Conservationists are upset because sometime late last week, Douglas County public works employees removed a beaver dam — a “natural obstruction” — causing water to drain from the northern end of the historic wetlands.

“It looks like a lot of animals panicked and crossed the street to get

to the water on the other side, and got run over,” says Stephanie Farve, a senior and Environmental Studies major at Kansas University who takes classes at Haskell.

So far, Farve’s organization has counted 98 dead animals on the road, mostly frogs, snakes, birds and turtles.