Development of the Ninnescah Field Station and Experimental Tract

Wichita State University, Wichita KS

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides partial support for construction of a new, tornado resistant building at the Ninnescah Field Station and Experimental Tract (NFSET). The station is located 30 mi southwest of Wichita on 133 ha of mixed use land, including unplowed lowland prairie, restored midgrass prairie, riparian woodlands, and wetlands. This location, at the transition between mesic tallgrass prairie and xeric shortgrass steppe, makes it valuable for studies of variation in ecological processes along ecosystem productivity gradients and for the study of ecosystem response to climate change. The proximity to Wichita affords reasonably easy access for faculty and student research, academic field trips, and outreach efforts aimed at students in the Wichita public schools. Between 2001 and 2005, the Ninnescah Field Station supported 55 university courses and 5 scientific articles were published using data from the site. Existing improvements at the site are limited to two trailers that provide limited meeting and office space. The new 3,000 sq. ft. building will support an expanding emphasis in ecology and evolutionary biology, as well as increased inter-university research collaborations and enhanced teaching efforts. The building, which includes laboratory, instructional and library space, will allow immediate integration of field experiences with classroom instruction, computer access, and museum specimens. The value of sites like the NFSET, where scientists can participate in land management decisions and can implement long-term experimental manipulations without concerns about change in land management, is accentuated in Kansas where most land is privately-owned and in row-crop and livestock agriculture. Amid this agricultural landscape, the NFSET preserves remnant prairies that provide research opportunities and increase understanding of the role of prairies in our national identity. In addition, the field station building will enhance existing outreach programs involving the Wichita State University Department of Biological Sciences and the Wichita Public Schools, and will expand opportunities for participants in a recently funded NSF GK-12 program.