Pittsburg State University Natural Areas

Abstract

The Robb Prairie was donated to the University in 1986 by the heirs of the late Ernest Robb who recognized the natural values of the area, and although grazing and haying it, never plowed it. The area is a low prairie 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) in extent and lies on the floodplain of Cow Creek. Water stands on part of the prairie in the early spring and after heavy rainfall. When Cow Creek floods, the site can be completely inundated, sometimes to a depth of more than 3 feet (1 meter). Dominant vegetation includes big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), switchgrass (Panicum spp.), sedges (Cyperus spp.), false dragonhead (Physostegia spp.), and blazing star (Liatris spp.). The greatest value of the Robb Prairie is as a public showcase for the values of native prairie because it is located at the south edge of Pittsburg, bounded by two busy roads, one of which is State Highway 69. A large identifying sign faces the highway. An information board is maintained with interpretive brochures and displays that are periodically changed. A mowed trail is maintained. A parking lot large enough for school buses has been built on county property just north of the site. The Prairie will be burned approximately every three years. The Natural History Research Reserve is a 79-acre (32-ha) site of partially reclaimed strip-mine land located 4.5 miles southwest of the University. The Reserve was acquired by the University in 1949. Natural succession since the late 1930's has resulted in a brushy woodland complex in which cottonwood (Populus deltoides), American elm (Ulmus americanus), sumacs (Rhus spp.), poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), and shrub dogwood (Cornus spp.) are common. Remnants of an orchard and a vineyard are present. The soil is thin and plant growth has been slow.