The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council announces the 2019 Natural & Cultural Grant Program. Members of the public interested in the conservation of local landmarks and conservation of natural areas within Douglas County are invited to attend upcoming grant information sessions at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. They will be:

• Friday, Jan. 4 -  4:30-5:30 p.m., Meeting Room C.
• Tuesday, Jan. 22 – 10:30-11:30 a.m., Meeting Room B.

Project categories include: historic structures, agriculture, prairie, woodlands, waterways, habitat restoration/preservation, and Freedom’s Frontier themes such as the Civil War/Pre-Civil War heritage, settlement stories, the enduring struggle for freedom, and pre-settlement history. All projects must take place in Douglas County.

Interested applicants must meet with Heritage Conservation Council Program Coordinator Jan Shupert-Arick before Feb. 26. She can be reached at JShupertArick@dgcoks.gov or 785-330-2878. The application deadline is 5 p.m. March 7.

Applicants may include: nonprofit organizations, universities, K-12 schools, or any unit of local government within Douglas County. Individuals, families, businesses or out of the county organizations or units of government must have a Douglas County partner in order to apply.

Past grant projects have included: funding for a digitization project at the Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum, exhibit development at the Watkins Museum of History, a replacement roof at the Territorial Capital Museum in Lecompton, building improvements to the Eudora Community Museum, a Friends of the Kaw project for native riparian restoration along the Kaw River, documentation of arched stone cellars in Douglas County by the University of Kansas Center for Research, restoration of the Oak Hill Cemetery Receiving Vault, forest restoration in Baldwin Woods, and support of the Hamilton Conservation Easement in Lawrence.

For more information, visit the Heritage Conservation Council’s website.