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Volunteers are needed to maintain nature trails, clear brush, remove invasive plants, pick up litter and debris, and generally spruce up the Battlefield and the park for this year's touring season. There will be work for both adults and children. Volunteers should have work gloves, wear sturdy clothing and footwear, and consider bringing appropriate tools. Water and food will be provided! We look forward to working with you to improve our park!
Join us for a pancake breakfast to celebrate our 2nd annual maple syrup rendering AND the 20th anniversary of Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park!! Pancakes will be prepared and served by our board members! 🥞 Pancakes will be served from 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Suggested donation $10. Bottles of syrup produced from our historic maple grove will be available with the purchase of a membership to Black Jack.
The commemoration of the 167th Anniversary of the Battle of Black Jack, fought on June 2, 1856, will take place on Saturday, June 3, 2023. The exact times of our reenactments are TBA. We plan to host one reenactment early in the day and another in the afternoon or evening. We also plan to have live music! We will keep you updated! Donations are welcome! Help keep this tradition alive!
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About
Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park is a non-profit organization devoted to preserving and sharing the history of the Battle of Black Jack, Pearson Farmstead, woodland nature trails, and restored native prairie area. We are located east of Baldwin City, Ks on 56 Hwy at 163 E 2000 Road, Wellsville, KS 66092
Projects
Help us preserve the Pearson house and restore the prairie. Whether a novice or seasoned professional, Black Jack can use your skills as a volunteer. Our volunteers regularly help us with park clean up, general maintenance, or perhaps a special project we are planning. To learn more about helping at Black Jack, click below.
Donate
Your time and charitable giving are greatly appreciated. Black Jack is one of only a few non-profits in Kansas that can boast that less than 10 percent of our donations go toward operating costs. This means that your contribution is going directly into action and helping maintain and preserve the Battlefield, prairie and history of our site.
Becoming a member is easy! Click the Become a Member link below and you can begin your membership with a secure payment through Paypal.
Membership Levels:
Student - $10.00 - Non Voting Member
Individual - $35.00
Supporting - $50.00 - $99.00
Sustaining - $100.00 - $249.00
Patron - $250.00 - $999.00
Benefactor - $1000.00 and up
Lifetime Member - $2000.00
Select your Membership Or Donate Today!
Prairie Restoration and Management
Prairies have historically been sustained by the disturbance mechanisms of fire and grazing. Fires set by lightning or Native Americans would burn for long distances before going out and grazers including bison, elk, and deer would feast on the lush green growth that followed.
These processes of disturbance kept trees and shrubs from invading the prairie ecosystem where it has dominated the Great Plains landscape for 10,000 years since the last ice age. But times have changed. Due to a highly fragmented landscape, fires now must be prescribed by people and grazers now are mostly represented by area-restricted cattle. Mowers and swathers help simulate both of these activities too. The key now is that people must purposefully implement disturbance regimes of fire and/or cutting in order to resist the invasion of woody plants and restore/maintain prairie plant communities dominated by grasses, hedges, and wildflowers.
Sponsors
