Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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researchers take a CLOSER Students, worldwide researchers study Konza Prairie Natural Resource Area, yet others miss the importance of ecological studies in Manhattan ' s backyard. BY STACI HAUSCHILD A drive down the highway could not tell the prairie ' s complete story. Konza Prairie Natural Resource Area fit the typical description of Kansas, but few people knew the grassland ' s details. Konza is pretty much an anomaly. Karoline Jam senior in biology, said. The rest of the United States and Midwest is not like this at all. Konza Prairie researchers made ecological and environmental discoveries, but students and Manhattan residents did not realize the the prairie ' s importance to ecological studies, Jan said. I get frustrated with people ' s apathy and ignorance toward environmental issues, Jarr said. I probably sound like a hippie granola nut, but people fail to realize and understand that they are part of the ecosystem and environment. Konza Prairie, one of one percent of natural prairies left in the world, was located just south of Manhattan. The Nature Conservancy and K-State owned the 8,600-acre research area, founded in 1971 and named after the Konza Indians. Sly Miller, junior in biology from Omaha, Neb., chose to attend K-State because of Konza ' s research opportunities. There is virtually no prairie left, Miller said. Konza is one of the only prairies in its natural state. A lot of people don ' t think of Konza as a natural prairie area, but it ' s a great place to experience what we are learning in class Molly Magill, senior in microbiology, said Konza Prairie ' s uses were not limited to research. A lot of my friends have a favorable opinion of it, she said. My friends who are totally detached from research go out to walk the trails. Research activities on the prairie centered on ecology. Jan worked on two different Konza Prairie research projects for 21 2 years. One project focused on prairie restoration. Along with Sara Baer, graduate student in biology, she planted native grasses and (orbs (flowering plants) to research the effects of resource heterogenity, the mixture of different resources on an area. Although the project would not be completed until next year, Jarr said the natural grasses and (orbs had grown past her head. It ' s amazing, she said. Not many restoration projects respond this quickly. konza prairie 13

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Brian Haug. sophomore in park resources management works on an Koh° cal research project. Haug worked 20 hours per week. The National Science Foundation chose Konza Prairie as one of 11 Long•Term Ecological Research sites in the United States. LTER researchers collected and maintained more than 70 long-term data sets containing information about weather, sods. vegetation. animal populations and ecosystem processes. (Photo by Steven Deminge° Testing the densities of native grasses. Nick Stiles, junior in business administration, works on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area Oct. 8 with Joanne Skidmore. Texas A M alumna. and research assistant Amanda Kuhl. graduate student in biology. While students in biology and other related majors benerded from working on Konza Prairie, others simply enjoyed working outside. I like to come outside? Stiles said. It ' s relaxing, and I gel paid? (Photo by Steven Domingo° Joanne Skidmore. Texas A M alumna, tests the diversity of native grasses, including big bluestern, little bluestern and Indiangrass. Wildflowers. reptiles. bison, mammals, amphibians and 208 bird species inhabited Konza Prairie. Researchers from all over the world visited Konza Prairie to study ecology. Skidmore said NASA officials used Konza Prairie to investigate the effects of carbon dioxide mitigation on the greenhouse effect. (Photo by Steven Demingo° 12 student life

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a night out ON THE Female students had weekly opportunities to take advantage of free cover charges, lower-priced drink specials at four Manhattan bars. BY JENNIFER BIEBER The line moved slowly while patrons waited patiently to file inside. The music poured onto the street, calling the dancers to the dance floor. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening women in Manhattan ventured out for Ladies Night Bars offered Ladies ' Nights on different nights. Ladies could get into Longhorn ' s, Porter ' s, Silverado ' s and Kicker ' s on the designated Ladies Nights without a cover charge. Matt Church, Longhorn ' s manager, said besides game days, Wednesday nights were their busiest time. ' Them were a wide variety of people who attended Ladies Night, Church said. They ranged from college students to Fort Riley residents, cowboys and girls to greek-affiliated persons. Melissa Goering, freshman in business administration, went to Longhorn ' s with her friend Selina Cammer, sophomore in agribusiness. Ladies ' Night on Wednesday is good because it gives you a break from classes, school and everything. And it ' s free, Goering said. Derec Yakel, Longhorn ' s bouncer and junior in agriculture technology management, spent most of his time working the door and surveying the crowd for problems. The best thing about Longhorn ' s is that everyone is friendly, and it is a laid-back atmosphere, Yakel said. 1 have just as much fun, if not more, at Longhorn ' s than at any bar in Aggieville. The people who came to Longhorn ' s usually became regulars and in many cases, Yakel ' s friends. I have made more friends here than anywhere else. Yakel said. Everyone will always say continued on page IS 14 student life