Hello, friend of the KU Field Station!

September absolutely flew by with a whirlwind of classes, field trips, conferences, and the late-summer push to wrap up field work. Each year, we look forward to the slower pace that comes with the end of the growing season, but we aren’t there yet! October promises to be just as busy, with more class visits, ongoing research, prescribed burns, public programs, and exciting developments at the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve.

We can slow down in November, right?

See you out there!
Wendy

Friday, October 3 | 8:00–9:30 p.m. | Armitage Education Center

Join the Astronomy Associates of Lawrence for a night under the stars at the KU Field Station!

The waxing gibbous moon will be a beautiful sight as it brightens toward full. With clear skies, we will be spotting planets, stars, and more! Telescopes will be set up on the lawn behind the Armitage Education Center, offering clear views of the night sky beyond the glow of city lights.

Bring a chair or blanket and settle in under the stars to enjoy the wide open sky, surrounded by the chorus of late summer night sounds, like katydids calling, coyotes singing, and owls hooting. Whether you stay for the entire event or just stop by for a quick look, we’d love to have you join us!

Where: KU Field Station, Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044

What to bring: Cozy clothes, a chair or blanket, a mug for tea/coffee

To RSVP, please email Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu).

This program is weather permitting and requires clear skies, so please make sure to RSVP to receive updates from Wendy in case of changes due to the forecast.

Saturday, October 11 | 10:00 a.m. - noon | Rice Woodland Trailhead

Join us and our partners for a cedar milling field day with the Kansas Forest Service and KU Department of Visual Art!

The new public trail at the Rice Woodland, part of the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve, is underway and on schedule to open in April 2026. We’ve been busy transforming a dense stand of cedar into a parking area at the trailhead, and now we have a surplus of cedar logs.

Come out and learn how to mill lumber and take some home for your own projects! There will be two portable sawmills on site, with demonstrations, opportunities to mill yourself, and staff from the Douglas County Conservation District to share information about Eastern redcedar and programs for landowners.

This field day is part of a series of events leading up to the trail’s grand opening in April 2026. We will have limited quantities of wood to share with participants to create with this winter, and there will be an opportunity to showcase your work in the exhibition An Ode to Eastern Redcedar at the Lumberyard Arts Center in Baldwin City during the grand opening events in April.

Four awards sponsored by the Kansas Forestry Association will be given in this juried exhibition: Best in Show ($200), Best Use of Wood ($100), Original Design ($100), and People’s Choice ($100). There is a $15 entry fee to support the Lumberyard Arts Center. Each participant may submit one entry, and entries must fit within a 3' x 3' x 3' display area. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges.

Where: Rice Woodland Trailhead, Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve

What to bring: Closed-toe shoes, long pants, water, ear protection, eye protection, gloves, sun protection.

Please RSVP to: fieldstation@ku.edu

This event is free, but an RSVP is required so that we can share full event details and other updates with participants.

Sunday, October 12 | 2:00 p.m. | Armitage Education Center, KU Field Station

October Topic: Fly Fishing, Biomimicry, and Architectural Design

One of the most profound challenges of our time lies in learning how to sustainably manage ecosystems increasingly shaped by human activity. We are living through Earth’s sixth mass extinction, with the Anthropocene underscoring humanity’s role as a dominant force reshaping the planet. In this context, the design of buildings, cities, and landscapes can no longer remain peripheral. They must become vital instruments for creating habitats that sustain biodiversity.

Inspired by an unexpected yet familiar pastime and focusing on waterfront edge design, Keith Van de Riet, Associate Professor of Architecture, interweaves biomimicry, art, and science to envision, and actively pursue, a regenerative future. Join Keith for a talk that explores how architectural design can support balance between people and nature.

Where: KU Field Station, Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044

What to bring: A mug for tea/coffee to help us reduce waste.

Please RSVP to Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu) as space is limited. It also helps us plan for seating and snacks!

Science Sundays is a monthly series of talks covering a variety of science topics, including research happening at the KU Field Station. These free talks are open to everyone but may not interest younger audiences. You don't have to be a scientist to attend, just curious about the natural world!

Saturday, October 25 | 10:00 a.m. | Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve

Join us for the fall guided tour of the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve, one of the best examples of eastern deciduous forest in Kansas!

Located near Baldwin City, the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve is part of the KU Field Station. In 1980, a portion of this historic woodland was designated a National Natural Landmark in recognition of its ecological and cultural importance. Due to the sensitivity of this ecosystem, it is not open to the public outside of guided tours in the spring and fall of each year, and scientific studies are done with as little disturbance as possible.

Experts from the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, the KU Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the Kansas Forest Service, and more will lead small groups through the Forest Legacy Preserve, part of the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve. Tour leaders will share their knowledge of this magical ecosystem, highlighting its plants, animals, and history. Participants should be prepared to walk about two miles at a slow pace on uneven, undeveloped forest trails.

When: Saturday, October 25, 10 a.m. - noon

Where: Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve

What to bring: sturdy, closed-toe shoes, water bottle, long pants. 

To register: email Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu). Registration is limited.

Outdoor programs are dependent on the weather, and may cancelled or rescheduled due to windy or rainy conditions. More details, including directions and where to park will be emailed to registrants before the event.

We were excited to host a field trip during the Grassland Restoration Network meeting, which brought together practitioners and researchers from across the U.S. to share knowledge and learn from one another. About 70 participants visited the KU Field Station to see ongoing research on the interactive effects of climate, mycorrhizae, and biodiversity in restored prairie, tour the Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden, and explore how art and community can contribute to grassland restoration.

We had a fantastic day exploring prairies and climate with high school students from Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences! Students got outside, collected real data, and explored how prairies store carbon while learning how prairie restoration can contribute to climate action.

They learned about experimental design and worked with researchers to measure soil moisture, record flowering, and compare remnant and restored prairies firsthand. In small groups, students collected data from different plots in the Rainfall and Diversity Experiment, which they will compile and analyze as a class back at school. They also used random sampling to assess biodiversity in both remnant and restored prairies, leaving them with three datasets to take back to their classrooms.

The visit connected classroom learning with the real world, turning science into something hands-on and tangible instead of just words in a textbook. Working alongside researchers not much older than themselves helped students picture themselves in the role of scientist. Some students are already planning to apply to KU, so this was a preview of their near future. For others, it was a chance to imagine themselves doing research and consider KU as part of their path. Either way, it was inspiring to see them engaged, curious, and picturing their own place in science!

Holding a butterfly in one hand and recording data with the other is a wonderful way for students to experience science as a verb. We teamed up with Baldwin High School, the Baker University Wetlands & Discovery Center, and Monarch Watch to give a group of high school students hands-on experience with data collection and field work. After learning about the ecology and conservation of monarch butterflies, we grabbed nets, tags, and data sheets and tried our luck at catching a few.

Even this late in the season, when nectar sources are becoming scarce, plenty of monarchs were still migrating through Kansas on their way to overwinter in Mexico. Students caught and tagged 14 butterflies in under an hour, including a last second catch (by hand!!) just before boarding the bus back to Baldwin.

A huge thank you to the staff at the Baker University Wetlands & Discovery Center for sharing their space with us, and to the students who added 14 more butterflies to the 2,000,000‑and‑counting total tagged through Monarch Watch!

Sheena Parsons, KU Field Station manager, attended the annual meeting for the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS). This year's meeting was held at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in the mountains of Gothic, Colorado near Crested Butte. The high altitude, steep peaks, and clear streams were in stark contrast to our field station, but a great reminder of the diversity of ecosystems that can be found relatively close to home.

Sheena is serving as an OBFS board member, so she wore two hats during the 5-day meeting. She participated in sessions focused on science communication, building community in the field, accommodations at field stations, field station exchange programs, science advocacy, and fundraising. Meetings like these are invaluable opportunities to strengthen the network of field stations found around the world and further collaborative science and environmental engagement.

Not on social media? No problem.

Here are a few of our favorites from the past month. 

Field station traffic 🐍✨

Wildlife ALWAYS has the right of way around here!

We gave this calm Timber Rattlesnake plenty of space to cross safely. No stress, no rush, and he carried on his travels without so much as a rattle. What a great encounter! 🤩

Saturn’s rings, a glowing moon (with Mare Orientale silhouetted along the edge!!), perfect weather, and great company. 🪐✨🌕

Couldn’t ask for a better night under the stars. Thanks to the Astronomy Associates of Lawrence for sharing the sky with us! 🔭🌟

This is the monthly newsletter for the University of Kansas Field Station community. Each month, we share details about upcoming public programs, volunteer opportunities, and highlights from the month before. 

To read previous issues, please visit our newsletter archives.

If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Wendy at wendyholman@ku.edu.

University of Kansas Field Station Mission: 

   To foster scholarly research, environmental education and science-based stewardship of natural resources.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or online.

The University of Kansas is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.