Bull Shoals Field Station

Southwest Missouri State University

Annual Report

2003

 

 

Janice Schnake Greene, Ph.D.

Director

JaniceGreene@missouristate.edu

Overview

            The Bull Shoals Field Station (BSFS) of Southwest Missouri State University entered its 4th year of operation in 2003.  This year, nearly 500 public school and university students have had the opportunity to engage in direct study of the natural world expressed throughout the varied ecosystems represented on the Drury Wildlife Area.  Additionally, university faculty and students have collected data through research on the site and made important contributions to the field of ecology as a result.  In September, the Station hosted the two-day annual meeting of the Central Plains Society of Mammalogists that brought researchers from 4 states to the area.

            This year, the National Science Foundation recommended a BSFS proposal for funding to upgrade the electrical and plumbing infrastructure and install a septic system at the Frank Drury house.  We are still waiting on the final word.  Drs. Emmett Redd and Janice Greene have proposed a value-added feature of this work by submitting a project proposal to the PBS series, “This Old House” which, if selected, will give widespread exposure to the operations and improvements of the Station.  In addition, we installed the refurbished generator at the Frank Drury house in April to provide an electricity source for activities. 

            One highlight of 2003 was the September acquisition of a residence at 547 Drury Road, just outside the gate leading to the Field Station.  By purchasing existing facilities, we are able to preserve the land around the field station and accommodate classes immediately for overnight field trips.  This facility is already equipped with running water, plumbing, electricity, and phone services. 

             

 

Classes, Workshops, & Meetings

  •   Missouri State
    • Science in the Outdoors – EPA funded teacher workshop
    • Teaching Outdoor Research
    • Herpetology
    • Plant Taxonomy
    • Limnology
    • Entomology
    • Mammalogy
    • Plant Ecology
    • Leopold Education Project – Facilitator Workshop
  •   Non-Missouri State
    • College of the Ozarks – Limnology (Spring and Fall)
    • Kansas State University – Entomology
    • Marshfield High School
    • Study Middle School (Spud-Buster program – 4 days)
  • Central Plains Society of Mammalogists – Fall meeting
    • On September 26-27, 2003, Drs. Tom Tomasi, Lynn Robbins, and Mark McKnight hosted the annual meeting of the Central Plains Society of Mammalogists at BSFS.  Nearly 50 people from 8 universities attended this 2-day event.  Presentations were conducted in the outbuilding at the newly acquired house on Drury Road while dinners and overnight accommodations were provided at the Frank Drury House.

 

 

Research

  •   Graduate Students
    • Aubrey, Doug – Physiology and Demography of Oak and Hickory Seedling and Saplings as a Function of Habitat Type and Fire (Alexander Wait, advisor)
    • Brown, Pam – Herbivory of Oak Seedlings and Saplings as a Function of Habitat Type and Fire (Alexander Wait, advisor)
    • Boyles, Justin – Roosting Ecology of Evening Bats (Lynn Robbins, advisor)
    • Mormann, Brad – Winter Ecology of Bats (Lynn Robbins, advisor)
    • Schoppet, Corinne – Acorn Consumption by Mammals (Tom Tomasi, advisor)
    • Rapp, Whitney – Tadpole Frequency in Rural versus Urban Ponds (attempted; Janice Greene, advisor)
  •   Undergraduate Student
    • Pulley, David - Soil Respiration as a Function of Habitat Type and Fire (Alexander Wait, advisor)

 

Manuscripts

§         Boyles, J.G., J. C. Timpone, and L.W. Robbins.  2003.  Winter Records and Notes on the Roosting  Ecology of Red Bats, Lasiurus borealis and Evening Bats, Nycticeius humeralis in Missouri.  Bat Research News, 44:59-61.

§         Havel, J.E. and K.R. Pattinson.  2003.  Spatial Distribution and Seasonal Dynamics of Plankton in a Terminal Multiple-Series Reservoir.  Lake and Reservoir Management, 19:1-13.

§         Greene, J. S., and R. Aram.  In preparation.  FIELDS Project:  Outdoor teacher training.  Journal of Science Teacher Education.

 

Presentations & Outreach

  • Janice S. Greene, Ph.D
    • Environment and the Human Spirit.  English Week panel on the effects of pollution.  Southwest Missouri State University.  March, 2003.
    • Water quality: Concerns and realities in southwest Missouri.  Environmental Forum.  Southwest Missouri State University.  April 23, 2003.
    • Greene, J., T. McPheeters, K. Fields, and W. Rapp.  2003.  FIELDS Project: Field Instructional Experiences in Lesson Development in Science.  National Association of Biology Teachers Annual Conference.
  • Lynn Robbins, Ph.D.
    • Boyles, J.G., and L.W. Robbins. 2003.  Late-winter and Summer Roosting Habits of the   Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis).  33rd Annual North American Symposium on Bat Research.  Lincoln, NE.
  • D. Alexander Wait, Ph.D.
    • Pulley, D., and D.A. Wait. 2004. Does fire stimulate soil respiration and nutrient cycling in Ozark forests? Missouri Natural Resource Conference. Osage Beach, MO. (poster)
    • Brown, P., and D.A. Wait. 2004. Is arthropod herbivory in Ozark forests affected by prescribed burns? Missouri Natural Resource Conference. Osage Beach, MO. (oral)
    • Aubrey, D.P., and D.A. Wait. 2004. Effects of prescribed fire on canopy coverage and seedling and sapling response to a changing light environment in an Ozark forest. Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Osage Beach, MO. (oral)
    • Aubrey, D.P, and D.A. Wait. 2002. Fire effects on seedling and sapling composition in an Ozark forest: a demographic and physiological approach. Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Osage Beach, MO; and, Missouri Academy of Sciences, Springfield, MO. (poster)

Grants

  • Greene, J. 2003.  $99,395 (5 year project).  Water quality monitoring of Beaver Creek and Bull Shoals Lake.  Upper White River Basin Foundation.
  • Greene, J.  2003.  Submitted.  Field and Aquatic Investigations of Missouri Ecosystems:  From microbes to mammals.  National Science Foundation.
  • Greene, J., and E. Redd.  2003.  $61,000 (recommended for funding).  National Science Foundation.  Facilities improvement at the Bull Shoals Field Station.
  • Greene, J., and E. Redd.  Submitted.  PBS – This Old House Productions.  Facilities improvement at the Bull Shoals Field Station.
  • Robbins, L.  2003.  $2,850. Biology of Bats at the Drury/Mincy Wildlife Area.  Missouri Dept. of Conservation. 

 

Facilities

The September 2003 acquisition of the residence and large garage on 5 acres at 547 Drury Road was immediately put to use to host the annual meeting of the Central Plains Society of Mammalogists.  This fall, graduate students are making use of the “domestic” facilities at this location for overnight accommodations while conducting research on the Station property.

Although the original Frank Drury Stone House continues to serve suitably as a

classroom, laboratory, and “home-base” for fieldwork, the amenities for basic comforts offered at the new residence provide options not yet available at the stone house.

            Preparations are underway to construct a Picnic Pavilion at the original Field Station site.  Supporters of BSFS have come forward to donate building materials and contribute labor to bring the project from plan to reality.

            Upon receipt of the official notice of the award from the National Science Foundation ($61,000; Status:  recommended for funding) the plans to upgrade the electrical wiring, plumbing, and installation of a septic system specially designed for the BSFS site will move from the drawing board to excavation and installation.

 

 

Additional Activities Related to BSFS

  • Greene, Janice S.:
    • Served as a member of an outside Advisory Committee for the new Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve.
    • Attended Organization of Biological Field Stations Conference.  Alberta, Canada.
    • Exhibited at Missouri Natural Resources Conference.  January 2003
    • Participated in Christmas Bird Count with Greater Ozarks Audubon Society members.  Dec. 28, 2002.  List available.
    • Spoke with legislators about the need for water quality education and long-term monitoring.
  • Moll, Don:
    • Conducted fall roadrunner surveys at BSFS and Drury Wildlife Area in preparation of organizing a graduate student project concerning the species ecology and distribution in southwestern Missouri.
  • Havel, John:
    • Spoke with legislators about nutrient pollution in Bull Shoals Lake and other area impoundments.

 

Future

            The Bull Shoals Field Station continues to grow in facilities and usage.  The BSFS Committee, composed of faculty members from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Geography, Geology, and Planning Departments, has the following recommendations for next year.

 

§         Long-term monitoring

o                               Continue weather station data collection and posting

o       Continue Christmas bird count data collection

o       Conduct an insect survey

o       Conduct a lichen survey

o       Develop plant monitoring protocols

§         Develop grid system on Drury area

§         Develop application process for research projects

§         Complete the picnic pavilion

§         Develop approved fee structure

§         Annual Field Day – May 22

§         Possible additional Field Days for the public