Manhattan residents and K-State students will have a rare opportunity Saturday to see one of the only tallgrass prairies left in the country. This Saturday, Konza Prairie Biological Station is welcoming everyone to attend Visitors’ Day at the Konza from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    Annie Baker, Konza Prairie education assistant, said this event has been a Konza Prairie tradition since the 1980s.
    “What makes this day special is since this is a research area, it is not open to the public, but on this day it is an opportunity for people to come and see what its like and see what goes on over here,” said Dr. Valerie Wright, Konza Prairie environmental educator and naturalist.
    During the day, children can participate in activities like the grasshopper grab, which will show students how researchers collect and study grasshoppers. Baker said a fire truck will also be on site so children can dress up with the equipment and use the hose.
    “People are welcome to come and go on the site as they wish,” Baker said. “We want to share with the public what kinds of research is being done here and the activities that are happening.”
    During the event, there will be opportunities to watch informational videos about the prairie ecology. Many of the tallgrass prairies are disappearing, leaving 4 percent of them left in the country, Wright said.
    The Konza Prairie is a native tallgrass prairie that has never been plowed. 
    “The prairie will be a treat to see since there has been a lot of rain. The grass is tall and there are a lot of flowers,” she said.
    In addition to the children’s activities, visitors of all ages can enjoy hiking through the prairie, seeing bison herds and riding hay wagons. Baker said the driving bison tour and the hay wagon rides are about an hour long..
    “The tallgrass prairie is the ecosystem in which we live and not many people know that is endangered,” Baker said. “I want to educate others why conservation is important and why research is important because this is an endangered ecosystem.
    Visitors’ Day is sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, K-State Biology and Friends of Konza Prairie.