FNHR Quick Facts: Location: 7 miles NE of campus 1.3 mile self-guided trail Established 1947 Former farm of first governor of Kansas Driving Directions & Map

Background

In the late 1940s, Professor E. Raymond Hall, director of the KU Natural History Museum, recognized the need for a protected area to be used for ecological research and teaching. Dr. Hall led an effort that persuaded the Kansas State Board of Regents to dedicate a site for this purpose in 1947. The 239-hectare (590-acre) site chosen was already under university control, having been donated to KU by Dr. Charles Robinson, first governor of Kansas, and his wife Sara. Robinson had acquired the land in the1860s and the tract had long been known as the "Robinson Pasture." On July 1, 1948 Dr. Henry S. Fitch was hired as superintendent and resident naturalist for the newly created KU Natural History Reservation.

General Focus and Goals

From the time of its establishment, the goal of the reservation has been to serve as a permanent research station for studying native animals and plants, along with their biotic environments. The collaborative efforts of a long line of researchers and investigators working at FNHR have provided unique insights into these interrelationships. Additionally, thousands of students have been afforded unique and valuable learning and training opportunities at FNHR.

Dr. Henry Fitch (left) has been an active educator at KUFS for more than a half century. To learn more about Dr. Fitch, please view the retrospective article available through the KUFS Home Page.

Ecology

Two hundred years ago FNHR was dominated by tallgrass prairie with only limited forest habitat. For a period of about 80 years, beginning in the late 1860's, FNHR was managed as a farm (i.e., crops planted, livestock grazed, and timber harvested). Then in 1948, with designation of the site as a Reservation, it was protected from disturbance and no farming, grazing, burning, or other disruptive activities were permitted. As a consequence, trees and shrubs invaded the grasslands and former tilled fields. This process, known as biological succession, has had a tremendous impact on animal communities as species characteristic of grasslands and open habitats have been drastically reduced or eliminated from the site.