Resources and Facilities

Monahan Outdoor Education Center

The largest natural area is the Monahan Outdoor Education Center. This 156 acre site is a reclaimed coal tipple area - an area where coal was washed and separated from other material. It includes a prairie restored over abandoned coal waste, a wetland, strip pit, wooded areas, and a small unreclaimed parcel of land and large strip pit. At the site there is a restricted access road and pavilion. This area is used for undergraduate natural history projects and both undergraduate and graduate research. The Monahan is near the town of Cherokee, a short distance from campus.

Natural History Reserve

The oldest area is the 79-acre Natural History Reserve. Mined for coal in the early 1900s, this site was given to the University and maintained as a farm. Later, the Biology Department came to manage the site. Today, the site includes a small caretakers residence, a barn and cages for the Nature Reach raptor rehabilitation program and a research building used for aquatic studies and the raptor program. The research building contains water used for the birds and for four large fish tanks. A large strip pit is adjacent to the building and has a floating dock and several fish aquacultural cages, used for teaching and research. Several boats are also kept at this site for work at the main pit and nearby lakes and pits.

Robb Prairie

The Robb Prairie is a small "postage-stamp" prairie within one mile of campus. It is used mostly for educational purposes, a quick field trip from campus.

O'Malley Prairies

The Department also manages the O'Malley Prairie, actually two small prairies maintained primarily for their ecological value.

Horace A. Hays Mammal Museum

Although called the mammal museum, this facility contains birds as well as growing collection of fossils. Both instruction and research are supported. For more information, contact Dr. Steve Ford.

T. M. Sperry Herbarium

The T. M. Sperry Herbarium houses over 55,000 plant specimens, including vascular and nonvascular plants. The Herbarium also houses a seed collection and many specimens from South America. Visit the Sperry Herbarium web site to learn more about the Herbarium or contact Dr. Steve Timme.

The Greenhouse

Most classes will use some of the material grown and maintained in the greenhouse. It is located on the top of Heckert-Wells Hall. For more information, contact Dr. James Dawson.

Nature Reach Nature Programs

Nature Reach is an environmental education program housing many live animals, including reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Nature Reach includes on-campus and off-campus natural history programs. These programs provide valuable environmental and ecological education to schools in southeast Kansas. For more information, e-mail Nature Reach.

Entomological Collections

Approximately five thousand insects are included in this collection of insects from southeast Kansas and the four-state area as well as selected specimens from the tropics. The collection is housed in modern cabinets and is used for reference in classes. Among the features of the museum are (1) a collection of green lace wings (genus Chrysopa) (2) insects of the pecan tree canopy, and (3) a collection of weevils (family Curculionidae). For information about the collection, contact Dr. Dave Gordon.

Fish and Herptile Collections

Fish and herpetological collections are maintained by the department. They are used extensively for instruction. Students learn curation and can access a reference collection to help identification. The collection is also a research depository. For information, contact Dr. Jim Triplett.

Environmental Quality Lab

This lab supports instruction and research at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Many inorganic water quality tests can be performed here. A research-grade microscope allows all students to perform more exact identifications of aquatic invertebrates. For information, contact Dr. Joe Arruda.