Patches of Prairie 24 January 2005
Education on Konza Prairie – ZOWIE!
Konza Prairie Biological Station has always had education as part of its three-fold mission, which also includes research and conservation. Students of all ages find Konza a unique outdoor laboratory where they can study the ecosystem and compare it to other areas more affected by human activities. Undergraduate and graduate level programs provide training for many students in biology, entomology, agronomy, art, architecture and numerous other departments at Kansas State University. Outside college groups and adult professional groups are hosted by researchers in the Division of Biology.
All K-12, public and/or adult programs are developed through the Konza Environmental Education Program (KEEP). The objective is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of the tallgrass prairie, to teach students the process and value of science, and to inform the general public about KPBS research programs and results. Visitors interacting with KEEP should leave with an understanding of the importance of management and conservation of the prairie as well as its natural history and ecology.
The Friends of Konza Prairie (FOKP) supports KEEP both financially and with advisory committees. FOKP plays a major role in education on Konza since it provides funds toward the salary of the Environmental Educator, the Docent Program and acts as the non-profit basis for many grant proposals.
That’s a brief definition and structure of education at KPBS. A further look at what KEEP provides would include things like a hike on a prairie trail where students can experience the wonder of the tallgrass prairie and the creatures that live in it. Many students that come to Konza have never seen the ecosystem they live in and have little understanding of its diversity and importance in their lives. After a hike with a trained docent, some Kansas sun and wind in their faces, students see a difference between this grassland and, say, their ball field or lawn. They begin to realize that there are wild places in Kansas worth saving for the future, just as they have been taught to save the rainforest or the desert or wetlands. Poetry written by students during their experience at Konza often tells of the joy and wonder of their experience. On the KEEP web site are posted some of these poems. Please see them at www.ksu.edu/konza/keep in the section called “Kids on Konza.”
Here’s an example.
Outrageously tall plains that are
Never ending.
Zowie!
All the grasshoppers are
Prancing around the
Resting buffalo in the tall plains.
As
I sit and watch them
Rowdy kids excitedly screaming,
Interested in everything here.
Exhaustedly we get back on the bus.
-Sara 2004