This trip is designed for 10-12 participants and 1-2 professors (organizers).
Arrange for two vehicles, a full size van and some other support vehicle. This will be a long journey and it's best not to pack them in too tight. Some of the roads will be fairly isolated and it's best to have 2 vehicles, just in case. Arrange to cover fuel if one of the participants volunteers to drive. Three vehicles definitely eases congestion. Always keep drinking water in the vehicles.
Participants should pack a bag that would pass through airport carry-on. There will be laundry available at Hays and Dodge City. They can have one other day-pack size bag to carry cameras and personal items.
Participants will be responsible for all transportation to Lawrence and all their meals. Organizers will be responsible for all transportation, lodging, and fees for the trip. Food and lodging will be moderately priced. These are not resort areas we will be going to.
The following information and contacts will be needed by the organizer.
* MCI Roadrunner: This is the shuttle from Kansas City International Airport (MCI) to Lawrence. The cost is $45 roundtrip and the return is good for up to a year. The participants will be responsible for their arrangements and the fare. Reservations should be made at least 24 hrs. in advance because the van can fill up and those with reservations get priority. Phone: 1-888-747-2524
* Lawrence Hotels: The first night will be in the Lawrence Holidome, two blocks South of the Kansas Turnpike / I-70 exit 202 for West Lawrence. Holidome phone: 785-841-7077; Holiday Inn toll free number: 1-800-465-4329. Rooms will be between $58 and $109. The last night could be spent in the historic Eldridge Hotel. It is old fashioned and elegant and on the National Historic Register. It will be a nice end to a pretty hard week on the road. The Eldridge is right in the middle of downtown, making it a good choice for exploring downtown on foot. The rooms run from $79 to $129, a bit more than the Holiday Inn, but well worth it. The Eldridge Hotel number: 785-749-5011
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| Eldrige |
photos courtesy of Travelocity |
Konza Prairie Biological Station: To
set up the educational trip to the Konza, contact:
Valerie F. Wright, Ph.D. She is the director of the educational program.
Phone: 785-587-0381; Fax: 785-532-6653; e-mail: keepkonza@ksu.edu
All requests to use the Konza Prairie site and housing must be made more than two weeks in advance. Be sure to ask about having a docent who can take the group to sites off the trail so that they can do some basic ecology activities. Describe the activities you want to do and see if they are feasible. Ask about taking a soil core sample and stream sampling. The other activities should have very little impact, if done in conjunction with a docent who can take you to acceptable locations for the activities. The more they know about your focus, the more they can tailor the trip to meet your needs.
Fees vary with different types of research and trips. The station fee is $10/person/day, but there is an adult educational program that generally goes for $5/person/day. Inquire with the director about your fee.
Lodging at the Konza is a very reasonable $12/person for double occupancy rooms and $10/person for a space in a communal bunk house. There are 6 double rooms.
The Land Institute: Contact the Land Institute at 785-823-5376 or theland@landinstitute.org to arrange for a guided group tour. Inquire about a chance to talk with some of the researchers or staff.
Sternberg Museum: For group reservations contact Mark Kellerman at 785-628-5298, or e-mail him at
mkellerm@fhsu.edu. There is no charge for teacher groups, so inform him that your TIG group is a teacher group. Inquire about arranging a fossil preparation demonstration. Inquire with Greg Liggett at 785-628-4286 or gliggett@fhsu.edu to inquire about the possibility of arranging a guided fossil dig.
Hays Hotel: The Comfort Inn Hays is .5 mile south of I-70 exit 159. It has a pool and continental breakfast. Rooms go for $68 - $75. Contact: 785-628-8008
Wildcat Canyon and farm: Jeff and Lynnette Withington own the fossil site and farm. They can be contacted by information for Ransom, KS. Castle Rock is on private land, but it has always had public access. Keep in mind that this is private land and treat it with respect.
Bermed House with Solar Cells: Roger and Carrie Ringer can be contacted by information for Quinter, KS.
Smokey Valley Ranch: To arrange the trip call Ruth Palmer at the Nature Conservancy State Office in Topeka: 785-233-4400. Directions to the Smoky Vally Ranch cannot be posted on a public site and are given only when the appointment has been made.
Scott Lake State Park: There is a $6.50/day vehicle fee.
Scott City Hotel: The Chaparral Inn has doubles for $44. Contact: 620-872-2181.
Brookover Feed Yard: Contact Steven Landgraf at 620-275-1726 or stevel@brookover.com to arrange a group tour. There is no fee.
Finney Game Refuge: Arrange for a tour through Friends of Finney Game Refuge to see this sand sage prairie. Contact: 888-845-4663 ext. 9400 or 620-276-9400 or www.genet.com/fofgr
There is a fee of $10/person.
Gray County Wind Farm: The wind farm is public access with an informational kiosk right off the highway, but be sure to stop at the travellers' information center in Garden City to get the brochure. Contact 888-867-3050 toll free for more information or visit www.fplenergy.com
The office address is Gray County Wind Farm, 100 Mexitli St., Montezuma, KS 67867. Stop by on your way through to see if anyone can take you around or maybe into one of the wind generators.
Dodge City hotel: Comfort Inn Dodge City has free continental breakfast and free coffee. Rooms go for $70 - $90. Contact: 620-338-8700.
Cheyenne Bottoms: There is no fee to do the driving tour of Cheyenne Bottoms.
The following materials will need to be supplied by the organizers:
* two coolers for drinks and lunches
* walkie talkie or cell phone for each vehicle
* first aid kit
* laptop with internet access to check weather conditions
* thermometers, sling psychrometer with humidity and dew point charts, portable barometer and
anemometer, cloud charts, and star charts
* a portable shovel,some rock hammers, some brushes, plaster of paris, and work gloves for fossil hunting
* a simple soil coring device
* Some sort of depth measuring sticks. Meter sticks will probably be of sufficient depth for Kings Creek
*Measuring tape of no more than 30 m. or 100 ft.
* Stop watches
*Tennis balls or some other floating item for determining velocity
* Kick nets for retrieving tennis balls and for taking kick samples of benthos
*A copy of a key to macroinvertebrates and a stream quality index
* Magnifying glasses
* Trays, probes and tweezers
* standard compasses and Brunten compasses.
* boxes and labels for rock and fossil samples.
Participants will be required to bring the following:
* journal and writing utensils
* money for meals and personal items
* clothing appropriate for rugged conditions of fossil digging and stream activities (Prairies and chalk
bluffs can be rather prickly, so be sure to bring some long pants in addition to shorts)
* sturdy walking shoes and 'creek shoes' or sandals.
* sun protection: hat, shades, sunscreen etc.
* water bottle or commercial bottled water
* camera and binoculars (optional, but recommended)
* willingness to participate, learn, and cooperate
Valerie F. Wright, Ph.D. She is the director of the educational program.
Phone: 785-587-0381; Fax: 785-532-6653; e-mail: keepkonza@ksu.edu
All requests to use the Konza Prairie site and housing must be made more than two weeks in advance. Be sure to ask about having a docent who can take the group to sites off the trail so that they can do some basic ecology activities. Describe the activities you want to do and see if they are feasible. Ask about taking a soil core sample and stream sampling. The other activities should have very little impact, if done in conjunction with a docent who can take you to acceptable locations for the activities. The more they know about your focus, the more they can tailor the trip to meet your needs.
Fees vary with different types of research and trips. The station fee is $10/person/day, but there is an adult educational program that generally goes for $5/person/day. Inquire with the director about your fee.
Lodging at the Konza is a very reasonable $12/person for double occupancy rooms and $10/person for a space in a communal bunk house. There are 6 double rooms.
The Land Institute: Contact the Land Institute at 785-823-5376 or theland@landinstitute.org to arrange for a guided group tour. Inquire about a chance to talk with some of the researchers or staff.
Sternberg Museum: For group reservations contact Mark Kellerman at 785-628-5298, or e-mail him at
mkellerm@fhsu.edu. There is no charge for teacher groups, so inform him that your TIG group is a teacher group. Inquire about arranging a fossil preparation demonstration. Inquire with Greg Liggett at 785-628-4286 or gliggett@fhsu.edu to inquire about the possibility of arranging a guided fossil dig.
Hays Hotel: The Comfort Inn Hays is .5 mile south of I-70 exit 159. It has a pool and continental breakfast. Rooms go for $68 - $75. Contact: 785-628-8008
Wildcat Canyon and farm: Jeff and Lynnette Withington own the fossil site and farm. They can be contacted by information for Ransom, KS. Castle Rock is on private land, but it has always had public access. Keep in mind that this is private land and treat it with respect.
Bermed House with Solar Cells: Roger and Carrie Ringer can be contacted by information for Quinter, KS.
Smokey Valley Ranch: To arrange the trip call Ruth Palmer at the Nature Conservancy State Office in Topeka: 785-233-4400. Directions to the Smoky Vally Ranch cannot be posted on a public site and are given only when the appointment has been made.
Scott Lake State Park: There is a $6.50/day vehicle fee.
Scott City Hotel: The Chaparral Inn has doubles for $44. Contact: 620-872-2181.
Brookover Feed Yard: Contact Steven Landgraf at 620-275-1726 or stevel@brookover.com to arrange a group tour. There is no fee.
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| Brookover Feed Yard |
Finney Game Refuge: Arrange for a tour through Friends of Finney Game Refuge to see this sand sage prairie. Contact: 888-845-4663 ext. 9400 or 620-276-9400 or www.genet.com/fofgr
There is a fee of $10/person.
Gray County Wind Farm: The wind farm is public access with an informational kiosk right off the highway, but be sure to stop at the travellers' information center in Garden City to get the brochure. Contact 888-867-3050 toll free for more information or visit www.fplenergy.com
The office address is Gray County Wind Farm, 100 Mexitli St., Montezuma, KS 67867. Stop by on your way through to see if anyone can take you around or maybe into one of the wind generators.
Dodge City hotel: Comfort Inn Dodge City has free continental breakfast and free coffee. Rooms go for $70 - $90. Contact: 620-338-8700.
Cheyenne Bottoms: There is no fee to do the driving tour of Cheyenne Bottoms.
The following materials will need to be supplied by the organizers:
* two coolers for drinks and lunches
* walkie talkie or cell phone for each vehicle
* first aid kit
* laptop with internet access to check weather conditions
* thermometers, sling psychrometer with humidity and dew point charts, portable barometer and
anemometer, cloud charts, and star charts
* a portable shovel,some rock hammers, some brushes, plaster of paris, and work gloves for fossil hunting
* a simple soil coring device
* Some sort of depth measuring sticks. Meter sticks will probably be of sufficient depth for Kings Creek
*Measuring tape of no more than 30 m. or 100 ft.
* Stop watches
*Tennis balls or some other floating item for determining velocity
* Kick nets for retrieving tennis balls and for taking kick samples of benthos
*A copy of a key to macroinvertebrates and a stream quality index
* Magnifying glasses
* Trays, probes and tweezers
* standard compasses and Brunten compasses.
* boxes and labels for rock and fossil samples.
Participants will be required to bring the following:
* journal and writing utensils
* money for meals and personal items
* clothing appropriate for rugged conditions of fossil digging and stream activities (Prairies and chalk
bluffs can be rather prickly, so be sure to bring some long pants in addition to shorts)
* sturdy walking shoes and 'creek shoes' or sandals.
* sun protection: hat, shades, sunscreen etc.
* water bottle or commercial bottled water
* camera and binoculars (optional, but recommended)
* willingness to participate, learn, and cooperate
