KU Field Station will host biennial Visitors’ Day Oct. 3

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Field Station will open its core research area to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 3. The event is held every two years.

Members of the public will be welcomed behind the scenes to tour restricted-access research areas at the Field Station and learn about ongoing research projects. Stations will be set up along a 1.5-mile loop that starts and ends at the Armitage Education Center, the main building. Visitors should check in at the welcome table outside when they arrive, then may walk the loop (the entire route or just part of the way) at their own pace, stopping to talk with researchers.

Visitors should come to the Field Station's core research area headquarters at 350 Wild Horse Road, about 15 minutes north of downtown Lawrence. They should proceed through a large, rammed-earth gateway sign at the entrance, then pass through a second gate toward the Armitage Education Center, which has restrooms and parking areas.
 
The walking loop includes interior gravel roads and mowed paths, with uneven footing and some elevation change. Ticks, poison ivy and wildlife may be present. Visitors should wear long pants, closed-toe shoes and sun protection, and bring water bottles.

Weather-related updates will be made on the KU Field Station’s Facebook event page. The event also is posted on the KU Events Calendar. 

The Field Station was initiated in 1947 with the arrival of Henry Fitch, herpetologist, at KU and the establishment of the 590-acre tract now known as the Fitch Natural History Reservation.

In addition to the 1,650-acre core research area, the Field Station also includes the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve and the Anderson County Prairie Preserve. It is managed by the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, a KU research center housing a variety of environmental research labs and remote sensing/GIS programs in Takeru Higuchi Hall, Smissman Labs and the West District greenhouse.