SCHOOLYARD LTER
FINAL PROJECT LIST

1.   Long-term inventories of King's Creek stream invertebrates

Students will use Surber samplers to extract samples of aquatic invertebrates for observation and simple classification at the stream.  The samples will be placed in vials, labeled for date, location and collectors, and will be kept at Konza.  This can be done spring or fall.

a.    Long-term changes in King's Creek stream channel monitored with digital photography

After collecting stream invertebrates, students will observe 2 areas of King's Creek off of the Nature Trail.  Digital photographs will be taken of the geomorphology of the stream channel.  Students will then be able to compare the photographs on the KEEP Schoolyard LTER web site with those taken prior to their visit by other classes, to note any changes in the stream channel.  This can be done spring or fall.

2.   Long-term inventories of tall grass prairie insects

a.    Grasshoppers

Students will use sweep nets and kill jars to collect grasshoppers in selected areas of Konza Prairie.  They will follow similar transects and sampling procedures as the LTER researchers.  They will collect samples from each transect and place them in a ziplock bag that will be labeled for site, collector, and school.  The students will either come back for a return visit to mount and identify the grasshoppers, or finish the same day as sampling.  This will work best in the fall when adult grasshoppers are plentiful.

b.   Gall insect sampling

As part of a trip to the Hulbert Fire Demonstration Plots, students will be assigned specific plots where Canada goldenrod is abundant to observe the number of insects galls found on these plants.  Students will count 100 stems each and record the number of stems that are ungalled, have ball galls or have elliptical galls.  This is a fall project.

3.   Effect of fire on plant diversity

The Hulbert Fire Demonstration Plots will be used to help students understand the effect that fire can play in plant diversity in the tall grass prairie.  Students will take samples using a 0.1 sq. m. measuring device by counting all of the stems within that device.  They will average the data from the plots they sample and compare them.  At school, they can enter their data onto the KEEP web site and compare the number of grasses, forbs, and woody species found on the various burn treatments.  This can be done spring or fall.

a.    Plant collecting

Areas that have been allotted for educational purposes will be used for students to make plant collections.  A teacher or docent will take a plant press on a trail hike.  Each child will have the opportunity to press one native prairie plant.  If the specimen is well done, it will be added to the herbarium collection with their name and school on it.  Students can take their specimen back to school to add to their class collection, or for younger children, to use for a possible art project.  This can be done spring or fall.

b.   Long-term changes due to fire treatments monitored with digital photography

As part of a Bison Loop tour, a small group of students will hike from the bison loop along the fire guard to adjacent watersheds that have a 20-year and an annual fire treatment.  In the year 2000, the treatments of these units will be reversed.  Students will take digital photographs which will help them monitor the changes that will occur over time in these two watersheds.  Photos will be on the KEEP web site.  Since this is the first time such a reversal will take place on Konza Prairie, it is a unique opportunity to monitor the long-term changes.  This can be done spring or fall.