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.

As we wrap up another year, we’re so thankful for everyone who has joined us in learning and exploring. Your support, curiosity, and shared enthusiasm have made 2024 a year to remember.

From moss meanders to prescribed fires, seed collecting to herping, and prairie restoration to fungal forays, we’ve loved every moment of growing with you.

Thank you for being part of our community. We wish you a safe and happy New Year, filled with curiosity, discovery, and connection. We can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring our way!

With heartfelt thanks,

~ KU Field Station Staff

January Topic: Home on the Range: Prairie-chickens

Kansas is home to both Greater and Lesser Prairie-chickens, two iconic and increasingly rare species whose presence indicates a healthy prairie ecosystem. Known for their spectacular mating displays and unique booming calls, these charismatic birds face mounting challenges as their habitats shrink. Dr. Jackie Augustine, Audubon of Kansas Executive Director, will share her experiences of studying prairie-chickens for over 20 years, including their fascinating breeding biology, their role in grassland ecosystems, and the complex challenges she, and others, face in conserving these declining populations. Join us to learn about the story of these special birds and the people working to conserve them!

When: Sunday, January 19 at 2 p.m.

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 talks cover a variety of science topics, including research happening at the KU Field Station. Talks are free and open to everyone, but may not interest younger audiences. These talks are intended for members of the general public who want to learn more about science. You do not have to be a scientist to attend!

The days may be getting shorter, the temperatures cooler, and the plants and animals preparing for winter, but that hasn’t kept us inside! We have been having a great time getting outside with groups of kids, staying curious, and learning more about the ecosystems where we live. Whether we're honing our observation skills, practicing scientific thinking, making inferences, or finding signs of wildlife, there’s always something new waiting to be discovered.

Sheena and Wendy spent a week in South Carolina for the Organization of Biological Field Stations' annual meeting with people from ~70 field stations across North America, Central America, South America, Europe, and Africa. The conference took place at Hobcaw Barony, and was hosted by the Clemson University Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science and the University of South Carolina Baruch Marine Field Lab.

Sheena and Wendy shared a poster titled "Dirt, Sweat, and Cheers: Rebuilding Communities Through Restoration," showcasing how ecosystem restoration can bring people together and foster environmental stewardship. Focused on the restoration efforts in the fields surrounding here-ing, the poster highlighted collaborative practices like targeted species removal, seed collection and planting, and prescribed burning. This project has created opportunities to (re)build communities through hands-on restoration activities that connect students, researchers, and community members with the land and with one another. These efforts not only help restore habitats but also build stronger connections among people, deepen their relationship with nature, and inspire a collective commitment to stewardship.

The agenda was full to the brim, featuring a mix of meetings, workshops, presentations, interactive sessions, field trips, and working groups that kept everyone engaged from early morning until late evening each day. Sheena and Wendy attended sessions on topics such as increasing accessibility to field stations, best practices for outreach, addressing the difficult histories of field station lands, building partnerships with Indigenous communities, fundraising, and more.They returned with ideas and strategies to help the KU Field Station grow and continue advancing its mission of fostering scholarly research, environmental education, and science-based stewardship of natural resources.

You're never too young to learn how to make the world a better place, and that's exactly what these young adventurers did during their visit to the KU Field Station. They learned how to identify common prairie grasses and respectfully collect their seeds, then carefully spread them in a freshly burned field as part of the ongoing restoration efforts at the Suzanne Ecke McColl Nature Reserve. We hope these future conservationists return in the spring to see the seeds they planted as they begin to sprout, knowing they are now part of the story of this special place.

If you’ve been waiting to hear about the Cultural Burn Demonstration on November 2, you’ll need to wait just a little longer! This was a really special day for us and many others, and we want to share its story in a way that includes some of the voices of the 50+ people who helped make it such a meaningful experience. Stay tuned!

Not on social media? No problem.

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

Little details of an unfamiliar ecosystem 💚🌱.

Featuring: Longleaf Pine seedlings taking root in the coastal forests of South Carolina.

We're not in Kansas anymore! 🌊🐚

Sheena and Wendy are in South Carolina for the Organization of Biological Field Stations' annual meeting at Hobcaw Barony, hosted by the Clemson University Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science and the University of South Carolina Baruch Marine Field Lab.

Alongside people from ~70 field stations across North America, Central America, South America, Europe, and Africa, this week is a chance to be inspired by all of the ways that field stations around the world connect people to their environment. 🌍💚

🌾🔍🤓

University of Kansas Field Station Mission: 

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

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