Visitors to enjoy tours of bison enclosure, hay wagon rides, access to restricted areas
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's Konza Prairie Biological Station will holds its biennial Visitors' Day on Saturday, Sept. 27. The event will give visitors a chance to view and walk the historic Kansas Flint Hills and the tallgrass prairie and view on-going research at this unique area of the state.

The Konza Prairie Biological Station is a preeminent center for grassland research. The 8,600-acre native tallgrass prairie preserve is dedicated to a three-fold mission of long-term ecological research, education, and prairie conservation.

For Visitors' Day, the Konza will open its gates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering guided access to normally restricted areas and giving visitors the opportunity to see a bison herd or hike the trail system. Visitors also will see live animal displays and research exhibits at the station headquarters while learning about tallgrass prairie conservation and management. Konza Prairie researchers, guest instructors, and staff will provide information about research being conducted on the area, history of the site, Flint Hills geology, tallgrass prairie flora and fauna, and other natural history.

Other activities include driving tours of the bison enclosure, hay wagon rides, tours of the Hokanson homestead along Kings Creek, and guided hikes. Special activities for youth will be held at the Hulbert Education Center in the lower level of the ranch house.

Friends of the Konza Prairie will be on hand to offer Konza Prairie T-shirts, hats, posters, mugs, and other items for sale. The Nature Conservancy will host an information booth and offer book sales.

The Konza Prairie Biological Station is owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University and is operated as a field research station by the K-State Division of Biology. Konza Prairie is 6 miles south of Manhattan along McDowell Creek Road. To get to the station headquarters, take Konza Lane past the nature trail kiosk. The headquarters is around the corner to the right.

While most of the Konza Prairie Preserve is closed to visitors the rest of the year, a 6-mile series of nature trail loops is open to the public year-round from dawn to dusk. For more information, phone 785-587-0381 or email konzaed@k-state.edu. More information on the Konza also is available online at www.k-state.edu/konza.

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