Standing at the reserve are from left, Ian McColl, Robert McColl and Kevin McColl. Robert and Suzanne McColl were the major donors who contributed toward the 160-acre land purchase.

10/01/07

Land reserve will buffer important tallgrass prairie near Lawrence

LAWRENCE – Thanks to private donors, a piece of Douglas County’s ecological treasure will be protected for future generations. The 160-acre Suzanne Ecke McColl Nature Reserve was dedicated on Saturday by University of Kansas Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway. The land will be part of KU’s Field Station and Ecological Reserves, three miles north of Lawrence.

In the early 1800s, vast tallgrass prairies covered much of what is now Douglas County. As settlers moved in, the prairie gradually disappeared. Today, less than 1 percent of the county’s original native prairie remains.

The addition of this land ensures that KU can protect the valuable and historic Rockefeller Prairie from the effects of possible future development. Along with buffering the 10-acre native prairie, the new land creates opportunities for additional research, education and recreation for the KU community and the general public.

Robert McColl, KU Professor Emeritus of Geography and East Asian Studies, funded a major portion of the land purchase in honor of his wife, Suzanne. Other major donors include Dave and Barbara Clark; Tensie Oldfather; the Ethel and Raymond Rice Foundation; Elizabeth Avery Schultz; the Wallace Genetic Foundation; and the Wilderness Community Education Foundation.

Plans for the site include construction of a 1,200-foot-long handicapped accessible nature trail which will wind around the prairie and lead to an overlook 240 feet above the Kaw River Valley. A hiking trail on the McColl reserve will link to several miles of existing trails on other areas of the field station’s land.

Flower gardens will exhibit various prairie wildflowers, as well as Native American and medicinal herbs. Also, a Monarch Watch Waystation is planned to attract and nourish migrating butterflies.

The Suzanne Ecke McColl Nature Reserve is the newest part of KU’s Field Station and Ecological Reserves program, which manages 3,404 acres. Of that, 1,636 acres is north of Lawrence. Since 1947, KU has used the land for teaching and research.

Fundraising is ongoing to develop research, teaching and hiking areas at the Suzanne Ecke McColl Nature Reserve. Gifts are welcomed by KU Endowment, the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

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