Emporia State owns several parcels of land in the county and surrounding area, on which rest facilities offered to students in fields of biology, earth sciences and chemistry, known as The Natural Areas, a system of properties managed by the university for Scientific Research. One such facility is the F. B. and Rena G. Ross Natural History Reservation, which is dedicated to use by students and faculty for projects and field use.

“It serves as a good place for students to come out and conduct their own research and ask scientific questions that they are interested in finding out the answers,” said Heather Kraus, graduate student in biology.

Kraus lives on the site, and served as the land’s caretaker last semester.

“I will go out and walk the trails sometimes, and it’s nice to watch the sunsets out on the back area and hear no noise,” Kraus said, “It’s very peaceful.”

According to William Jensen, associate professor of biological sciences and director of ESU Natural Areas, the site has been used for field trips by courses within the department of biological sciences.

“It is used for demonstration purposes during field trips and also for independent research projects by students and also by faculty as well,” Jensen said.

The Ross Natural History Reservation is also available to visiting scientists and professors from other universities. The Reservation boasts 200 acres of land comprised of grasslands, woodlands and aquatic sites.

“We’ve had researchers from the University of Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and even the University of California,” Jensen said.

As director, Jensen oversees the Natural Areas, which includes the Ross Natural History Reservation and seven other properties in the county.

The Natural Areas, according to the official Emporia State Natural Areas website, are dedicated to “fulfilling the mission of teaching, research, and preservation since 1958.”

In 1958, F. B. Ross and his wife, Rena G., granted the Kansas State Teachers’ College access to their land, what became known at the F. B. and Rena G. Ross Natural History Reservation. In 1961, 200 acres of this tract, on which the building stands, was gifted to the State of Kansas to be operated by the college as a teaching facility.