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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS FIELD STATION
Kansas Biological Survey &
Center for Ecological Research
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This is the monthly newsletter for the University of Kansas Field Station community.
Each month, we share details about upcoming public programs, volunteer opportunities, and highlights from the month before.
Newsletter archives can be found at https://biosurvey.ku.edu/ku-field-station-newsletter.
Please email wendyholman@ku.edu if you have questions or would like more information.
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A Note From the KU Field Station
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This edition of the newsletter marks the end of our first full year of hosting regular public programs. We want to thank you for being part of our community and for the support, enthusiasm, and vibrant curiosity you have shared with us over the past year.
From Science Sundays to Night Sounds, prescribed fires to trail maintenance, and botany to herpetology, we have loved learning alongside you.
We wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy New Year full of wild spaces and wonder. We can't wait to see what next year will bring.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
With gratitude,
~ KU Field Station
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December: Public Programs
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December 21: Solstice Stargazing
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Join the Lawrence Astronomy Associates in celebrating the winter solstice by exploring the wonders of the night sky! On December 21, the North Pole will be at its maximum tilt away from the sun, marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. The moon will be just past the first quarter, providing an excellent opportunity for observation through telescopes. Jupiter and Saturn should also be prominently visible, accompanied by countless stars and constellations. Telescopes will be set up just outside of the Armitage Education Center, allowing you to easily warm up if the night air gets chilly, and we will have the fireplace on and hot drinks ready to share.
This program is weather permitting, so please RSVP to receive updates from Wendy in case of changes due to the forecast.
When: 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 21, 2023
Where: KU Field Station, Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044
What to bring: A mug for tea/coffee to help us reduce waste.
Please RSVP to Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu) as space is limited.
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One of the biggest highlights of November was the successful completion of the much anticipated prescribed burn of the Rice Woodlands, part of the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve. We often think of prairies when we think about the use of prescribed fire, but it is a tool land stewards can use to promote health in other ecosystems, such as woodlands, as well. Fire suppression, especially in forests and woodlands, has been a common practice since European colonization. The strategic application of fire in the right location and at the right time is highly beneficial to the diverse ecosystems in our region. Without fire, our forests and woodlands transition away from open understory communities dominated by fire-adapted species to dense communities of shade-loving species with thick layers of accumulated leaf litter.
After four years of collaborative planning and preparation with the Kansas Forest Service, and many near-burn days disrupted by wind or other weather conditions, we were so excited to see this become a reality. The 39-acre fire was low, slow, and controlled - exactly as planned - thanks to an incredible team of over thirty people from the Kansas Forest Service, neighboring fire departments, and the KU Field Station. This fire posed minimal threat to healthy trees or other fire-adapted species, such as the oak and hickory trees that dominate this ecosystem. It will open up the understory and revitalize the spring ephemerals that the Baldwin Woods are known for and help to set back some of the fire-sensitive species that have been building up over the years without fire. We look forward to walking these woods in the spring to see the changes brought by this refreshing fire.
We are incredibly grateful for all of those who helped make this burn happen!
Read more about the burn in this KCUR article by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, environment reporter with the Kansas News Service.
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The Kansas Herpetological Society celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and the annual meeting was hosted by KU on the first weekend of November. This year also marked the 75th anniversary of the KU Field Station, so it was very fitting that part of the pre-conference festivities included tours of the Fitch Natural History Reserve. It was so wonderful to see new and old friends connect on the trails, laughing and sharing memories of Henry Fitch and his influence on their love of reptiles and amphibians. Warm temperatures had many snakes moving toward their overwintering locations, and attendees got to see five species of snakes during their tours.
Harry Greene, a renowned herpetologist and plenary speaker at the conference, joined us and shared his memories from visiting the Fitch Natural History Reservation to be mentored by Henry Fitch as a high school student. Harry is pictured above, holding a North American Racer in front of the entrance to the Fitch Natural History Reservation.
Two of Henry Fitch's children, Alice and Chet, also came out to walk around their childhood stomping grounds with us. They shared lots of great stories about growing up on the Fitch Natural History Reservation, from sledding down the hills and across the frozen back pond, to road cruising for snakes at night with their father. If you have been to the trailhead at the Fitch Natural History Reservation, you have seen the house where they grew up, now at the end of a wooded driveway. Alice and Chet remember being able to stand there and see clear to the road, for there were no trees there when they were young. Alice and Chet are pictured above with the new KU Field Station 75th anniversary t-shirts, featuring an illustration of a copperhead that was commissioned by their father for a publication.
The nostalgia was strong, as was excitement for the future and the continuation of herpetology research at the KU Field Station.
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Not on social media? No problem.
Here are a few of our favorite photos from the past month.
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We are FALLing for this very berry season! 🤓
Tomorrow's weather looks like a perfect day to get outside and enjoy the five miles of public trails at the KU Field Station. All of these berries and berry-like structures can be found along our public trail system.
🔆 Can you find all 10 species this weekend?! 🔆
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Follow-up monitoring is an important part of any burn, especially in woodlands where downed wood can smolder for days.
Being weather aware and understanding fire behavior are crucial parts of post-fire mop-up (extinguishing). The flashy part of the burn at Rice Woodlands may be over and the burn unit remains 100% contained, but KU Field Station staff continue to monitor the site. There is a burn ban in effect in Douglas County today, so we are paying special attention to any spots that are still smoldering within 100ft of the perimeter. Smoldering wood has been sprayed with water, broken up with a rake, or moved further into the unit. You may catch a glimpse of smoke coming from the interior of the unit over the next few days, but that is normal for a woodland burn.
The forecast for this weekend brings lower temperatures and chances of rain, which will help extinguish any remaining smolders. We will continue to keep an eye on the burn unit until everything is out, but things are looking great!
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Have you seen this Eastern Cottonwood at the Fitch Natural History Reservation, and wondered just *how* big it is?
EJ Jamison with the Kansas Forest Service led students from KU SEEDS on a tree trek this morning, and we stopped to measure this impressive Cottonwood. Foresters measure the diameter and circumference of trees at chest height, from the uphill side if growing on a slope. This tree measured 68" in diameter, which works out to a circumference of 17'10"!
We asked EJ her least favorite question: How old do you think this tree is? Short answer: Old! Long answer: Eastern Cottonwoods typically live 70-150 years, but can live to be 400 years old in ideal conditions.
You can find this amazing tree on the Fitch Biology Loop. It's a perfect weekend to give it a visit and think about the stories it could tell.
PS: As big as this tree is, it is far from being a Kansas Champion Tree. The current Kansas Champion Eastern Cottonwood is located in Sheridan County and measured a whopping 37'7" in circumference in 2020!! 🤯
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 We loved learning about fossils with Andy Connolly from the Kansas Geological Survey and 3rd graders in Basehor-Linwood School District USD 458! 
Students explored the diverse ecosystems, including oceans, rainforests, and grasslands that have covered Kansas throughout geological history. They analyzed fossils from different time periods, ranging from 300 million to 20,000 years ago, while using hands-on observation to gather evidence about the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. We were so impressed by these future paleontologists and their incredible teachers!
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🍂 It was all smiles at Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve with this group from Lawrence Public Library's Retirement Bootcamp before the snow fell! 🍂
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Keep in touch with the KU Field Station!
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University of Kansas Field Station Mission:
To foster scholarly research, environmental education and science-based stewardship of natural resources.
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