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FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2003

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas has submitted public comments in opposition to a proposed highway project near Haskell Indian Nations University.

The Kansas Department of Transportation wants to extend a highway near the tribal college. Haskell alumni, Haskell students, tribes and environmentalists say it will damage historic wetlands, where burial grounds and other important sites are located.

"The proposed project will destroy historically and culturally significant areas of the Haskell Indian Nations University and Baker Wetlands," said Jackie Mitchell, a Prairie Band council member.

Because the project impacts wetlands, the state needs the approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In a final environmental impact statement, the agency said it would support the extension, a decision Mitchell criticized.

"It disturbs me to see the Army Corps blatantly disregarding a very important part of our history. They basically want to bulldoze the past away, as if it never happened," said Mitchell.

Relevant Links:
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation - http://www.pbpindiantribe.com
Haskell Indian Nations University - http://www.haskell.edu

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