Public tour of KU Field Station’s Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve set for Oct. 30


Individuals walking through Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve with fall foliage.
The last public tour of Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve was in October 2019. Credit: Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research 

Editor's note: As of Oct. 20, this event is now at full capacity.

LAWRENCE — The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas will host a public tour of the KU Field Station’s Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 30. Scientists from the research center and from the Kansas Forest Service will lead the tour, which will follow a trail into the woods to a high bluff overlooking Coal Creek. Visitors will experience the oak-hickory forest in fall color, with topographical variations and historical features more visible during partial leaf fall.

The entire Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve is a long-term research site and is open only by scheduled tour. Scientific studies within the area are done with as little disturbance as possible so as not to damage the sensitive ecosystem.

The tour is free, but the number of participants is limited to 50; participants must register by emailing Jennifer Delisle of the research center. Registration is first come, first served, and registrants will receive a reply with directions and parking instructions. Trails are primitive, and participants should wear appropriate footwear and bring water, a hat and insect repellent. The tour will be canceled if weather is inclement.

The entire historic Baldwin Woods area was designated in 1980 as a National Natural Landmark. The KU Field Station preserves 456 contiguous acres of the larger Baldwin Woods ecosystem, with parts of the Forest Preserve held by KU Endowment in perpetuity for the Field Station.

The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, a KU designated research center, was established at KU in 1911. It houses a variety of ecological research labs and remote sensing/GIS programs in Takeru Higuchi Hall and the West District greenhouse. It also manages the 3,700-acre KU Field Station, a site for study in the sciences, arts and humanities.

Tue, 10/19/2021

author

Kirsten Bosnak

Media Contacts

Kirsten Bosnak

Kansas Biological Survey

785-864-6267