About KSR

KSR is the biological field station of the University of Kansas. It encompasses nearly 3,000 acres in several named tracts near Lawrence, KS. It receives an average of more than 1,000 visitors annually. More than 165 KU students have earned advanced degrees based directly on research conducted at KSR, and countless others have participated in field trips, workshops, and other forms of instruction and education. Each year KU and visiting faculty, staff, and students conduct funded research at KSR, and their work has resulted in a cumulative total of more than 700 scientific publications and millions of dollars in research support for the University.

• KSR Headquarters is located four miles northeast of Lawrence on the John H. Nelson Tract.
• Kansas Aquatic Mesocosm Program is located here with more than 100 experimental ponds and other aquatic sites.
• In 2007, the completion of a 2,800 sq ft building addition (funded by the National Science Foundation) will provide two new laboratories, two classrooms, a kitchen, and space for large meetings and conferences.

KSR's Rockefeller Prairie

Less than 0.5% of Douglas County's original 300,000 acres of tallgrass prairie remains. The Rockefeller Prairie is a high-quality, 10-acre remnant that has been protected under the careful stewardship of KSR since 1956.  It was purchased for KU via a personal donation of funds from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who recognized its scientific and legacy value; and the site now bears his name.

This prairie sustains a rich plant diversity including more than 200 known species. The list of plants includes two federally endangered species, the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid and Mead's Milkweed, and KSR is notably one of only four sites in the world where these two species occur together.

The Rockefeller Prairie is extremely vulnerable because it lies on the western edge of KSR property, adjacent to land currently for sale and possible development.