Konza Prairie Research Natural Area

1872 C.P. Dewey purchased first parcel of real estate (175 acres) which is now the northwest corner of the Konza Prairie
1911-1920 Limestone barn and house built for Dewey Ranch as a residence for employees; today the house serves as Konza Prairie headquarters and education center (named and dedicated as the Hulbert Center for Research in 1997)
1930 Ranch sold by Dewey - there were several owners prior to the purchase by The Nature Conservancy

1951 The Nature Conservancy incorporated in District of Columbia as a non-profit, private, membership governed organization
1956 Lloyd Hulbert first presented the idea of a prairie field station for ecological research to KSU
1971 Original land for Konza Prairie, excluding the Dewey Ranch, acquired by The Nature Conservancy (December 30) for Kansas State University
1972 Management plan developed; burning of watershed sized units at prescribed intervals
1977 Dewey Ranch purchased in January by The Nature Conservancy after several years of negotiations with McKnight family, the last private owner of the land
1979 Anonymous donor of funds for purchase of land and Dewey Ranch identified after her death - Katharine Ordway. Additional 480 acres added to west side of Konza Prairie. King's Creek, a central tract of 2619 acres on KPRNA, added to the U.S. Geological Survey's network of benchmark watersheds
1980 Official dedication of Konza Prairie Research Natural Area Network of sites dedicated to long-term ecological research (LTER) started by the National Science Foundation
1986 Lloyd Hulbert died - served as first director of Konza Prairie until his death
1986 Konza Prairie featured on television series "The Making of a Continent" by the British Broadcasting Corporation (November)
1987 Ted Barkley named coordinator of Konza Prairie. Bison introduced to Konza; Bison and Cattle Grazing Management Plan developed and implemented
1987-1989 NASA Satellite Land Surface Climatology Projects conducted during the summer
1988 Maintenance building renovated and converted into laboratories
1988 Plots near Hulbert Memorial renamed Hulbert Experimental Burning Plots
1990 Donald W. Kaufman named coordinator of Konza Prairie
1992 Ted Barkley named coordinator of Konza Prairie (January). Cattle grazing treatments began and bison grazing area expanded
1993 Jim Reichman named director of Konza Prairie. Friends of Konza established
1995 David Hartnett named director of Konza Prairie
1997 Celebration of 25th Anniversary for Konza (May). Renovated Dewey Ranch house renamed the Hulbert Center for Research Environmental Educator position added and Konza Environmental Education Program (KEEP) created
1997-1998 New bison corral facilities constructed
1998 Tallgrass prairie restorations initiated on cultivated fields
1999 New fire station and maintenance building constructed. Laboratory/shop building renovated for laboratory expansion

Creator Source: Local Authority File