Macalester College is awarded a grant to develop a new strategic plan for the college?s biological field station at the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (KONHSA). Established over 40 years ago, KONHSA contains at least ten major plant communities, several seasonal and permanent ponds and springs, and abuts a backwater lake adjacent to the Mississippi River. KONHSA?s location within a rapidly expanding major metropolitan area provides unique opportunities to study the impacts of human activities on ecological and geological processes and makes it a valuable component of larger educational, research and conservation networks. This project will consist of a series of conferences, workshops, meetings, and site visits focused on educational programming, research opportunities, facilities needs, and operational sustainability for the field station.
A comprehensive, 18-month planning process will engage researchers in biology, geology, environmental science, and geography to stimulate curriculum development and expansion of research opportunities for students and faculty at Macalester and other local colleges. The project will also investigate possible participation in collaborative ecological research networks such as the Great Lakes and Central States Ecological Observatory (GLACEO), a member of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and/or other collaborative networks. The planning process will also engage area schools, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the National Park Service, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and municipal governments to strengthen the station?s relationship with off-campus agencies, educators, and policy professionals.
