Notes about sediment in a tallgrass prairie (Konza Prairie site)

TitleNotes about sediment in a tallgrass prairie (Konza Prairie site)
Publication TypeBook Chapter
Year of Publication1986
AuthorsKoelliker, JK
Book TitleSediment Movement at LTER sites: Mechanics, Measurements, and Integration with Hydrology
Pagination35 -38
PublisherState Water Survey Contract Report 387
CityChampaign,IL
Accession NumberKNZ00122
Keywordstallgrass prairie
Abstract

The Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KPNRA) is an 8616-acre tract of native tallgrass prairie set aside for ecological research purposes and administered by the Division of Biology at Kansas State University in Manhattan. It is one of the eleven Long-Term Ecological Research sites (LTER) funded by the National Science Foundation. It was acquired by The Nature Conservancy in 1971 and 1977. The research objectives of KPRNA are to evaluate the roles of fire and grazing by native ungulates (bison, elk, and pronghorn antelope) in maintaining the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, through a variety of short- and long-term research projects. The KPRNA management plan includes an array of watersheds upon which is imposed a schedule of prescribed burning at intervals of 1, 2, 4, and 10 years. There are other watersheds that are left unburned, some that are burned in an alternating cycle (3 years burned and 3 left unburned), and some areas that are burned only in years following years with precipitation grater than 1.2 times normal. Native ungulates will be introduced in the near future