A small piece of native prairie tucked away on the University of Kansas campus will be restored this year.

The Prairie Acre, which is actually only one-third of an acre, has never been tilled, plowed or shoveled. It sits behind Blake Hall.

The land has been a campus landmark since 1932. But it is overrun with non-native and invasive plants.

The school hopes a project led by Kelly Kindscher of the Kansas Biological Survey will restore the prairie to its original state. The goal is to restore the native species, maintain the prairie and eventually expand it.

Volunteers will begin removing the non-native plants and collecting seeds of native plants from other prairies this fall. They plan to begin planting this spring.

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Associated Press information from: The Lawrence Journal-World