Today marks the official launch of the Prairie Restoration Project, which will restore 122 acres of land behind Roos Field to native habitat.

Events in honor of the project begin at the water tower with a blessing of the land by the Spokane Tribe of Indians and keynote addresses from a tribal leader and President Mary Cullinan at 1:30 p.m. today.

A formal presentation of the Lucy Covington historical marker will follow from 2:15-2:30 p.m. in the schoolhouse on campus.

A reception highlighting details of the restoration project and both student and faculty research concludes the day’s events from 2:30-4 p.m. in PUB 317.

“We will be starting to plant about 10 acres of native plants that we have grown in a greenhouse around Fall of this year,” project manager and sustainability coordinator Erik Budsberg said. “We will experiment with these 10 acres for a year and by fall of 2020 we will start planting all of the prairie.”