Morgan Clark is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Janzen Lab at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. She studies behavioral ecology, working to understand how individual animals exhibit consistent variation in behavior and how these behavior types may influence their interactions with one another and their environment. As a kid, I fell in love with art in an after-school program called “Bright Futures”. Each day after school, for a specific segment of the year, I would have the opportunity to learn about art across various media from local artists and instructors. I carried this with
Prairie strips that pay – upcoming MiSTRIPS Field Day
As a follow up to the 2025 Cultivating Resilience Winter Conference, Ottawa Conservation District has partnered up with the Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station and Shady Side Farm to bring you a field day focused on incorporating prairie strips into your farmland operations and crop fields. Strategically placed native prairie strips in crop fields can increase local pollinator biodiversity, improve local water quality and soil health, and can increase your farm profitability! Attendees will learn from MSU staff and MiSTRIPS farmer, Mike Bronkema from Shady Side Farm, about
Listening first: How KBS is expanding the reach of conservation research
The Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) LTER program has pioneered research in sustainable farming practices and conservation in agricultural landscapes for decades, yet many of these practices are underused on farms. We need a deeper understanding about the barriers faced by farmers when adopting conservation practices, and the stronger connections between existing research and farmer needs. As part of the APEAL Public Engagement with Science (PES) Working Group, Dr. Liz Schultheis, the KBS LTER Outreach & Education Coordinator, along with partners at KBS and MSU
Announcing the 2025 KBS LTER Artists-in-Residence!
Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters will be well represented this year among the Farmscapes to Forests: Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Artist-in-Residence Program. The 2025 Artists-in-Residence at MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) will include an assistant professor, post-doctoral research associate, and recent graduate, all from the College of Arts & Letters. They will be joined by an artist from New York to complete the 2025 artist-in-residence cohort at KBS, which is located in Hickory Corners, Michigan. Launched in 2022 in
Collaboration between Michigan farmers and LTER researchers provides insights into soil health at the margins of agricultural fields
The multi-year collaboration aims to leverage farmer knowledge and experience and combine it with soil sampling to determine how soil conditions are impacted by being on the edge of agricultural fields, leading to useful management recommendations for creating productive farmlands. Intensive agriculture requires widespread adoption of conservation practices to mitigate loss of ecosystem services. Planting native perennial vegetation at the edge-of-fields (EOF) is a conservation practice shown to improve soil health and protect water quality. The deep root systems and stiff stems of
Bird Sanctuary to feature poetry by Artist in Residence, Mikayla Thompson, this April
During the month of April, the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary is celebrating National Poetry Month by placing poems along the Sanctuary’s Paved Path. Be inspired by both nature and the art of poetry as you walk the trail. The Poetry on the Trail event will share several poems by KBS faculty, Kadeem Gilbert, and 2025 KBS LTER Artists in Residence, Mikayla Thompson, whose work explores grief, love, and joy through her poetry depicting relationships between herself, her loved ones, and the natural world. This activity will be available during the Sanctuary’s standard operating hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kara Haas, KBS LTER K-12 Partnership Coordinator, wins MSU award for community engagement
Kara Haas, coordinator for the KBS LTER K-12 Partnership program, has been honored with an award from the Michigan State University Office of University Outreach and Engagement. The Graduate Student Award for Community Engagement Scholarship recognizes students for exemplary community-engaged scholarship during their years of graduate study. The award is given annually, to up to four students per year. Educators voice their support Among the statements of support for her nomination: “One of Kara’s greatest strengths is disseminating the scientific information gathered
Using community-engaged scholarship to address conservation barriers in rural Michigan croplands
Cynthia Fiser is a PhD candidate in the Landis Lab at Michigan State University, Department of Entomology and a 2024 KBS Broader Impacts Fellow. Her research looks at the ecological and social impacts of perennial prairie strips in row crop agriculture. Change starts with people. Grassroots efforts that encourage people to learn, adapt, and share with others can help facilitate both community and individual capacity building. In the academic community, we pride ourselves that we know what the problems are, and it is our research that will be the solution. However,
MSU KBS broader impacts: Mentoring the next generation of community-engaged scholars
Post by Cynthia Fiser, graduate student in Doug Landis’s lab in the Michigan State University Department of Entomology and 2024 Broader Impacts Fellow. Her research looks at the impact of perennial prairie strips on the dispersal of ground beetles in row crop agriculture. Broader impacts, the practical component or long-term goal of most research projects, are often delegated to the final section of a grant proposal, paper, or presentation. However, broader impacts are front and center to successful research at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station. The
Good Neighbors: An evening with KBS LTER Artist-in-Residence, Trevor Grabill
On the evening of Friday, July 19th, over 50 members of the public and Kellogg Biological Station community joined us for an evening exploring the intersection of art and science. The Good Neighbors event took place at the Overlook Building in the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, and featured new work by Kalamazoo printmaker and 2023 KBS LTER artist-in-residence, Trevor Grabill. Trevor shared woodcut prints inspired by their time spent learning about ongoing research at the biological station. Attendees enjoyed refreshments, mingling, and a chance to meet with the artist and
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