Manhattan ? A long-term research project at the Konza Prairie will continue for at least six more years.

Kansas State University announced Thursday that the school’s Konza Prairie Biological Station has received a $6.76 million grant renewal from the National Science Foundation. It is the seventh consecutive renewal of the grant since 1980, bringing the total funding for the research to $29 million.

The Konza Prairie research station is jointly owned by Kansas State and The Nature Conservancy and managed by the university’s Division of Biology.

The university says the 8,600-acre native tallgrass prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.

Projects at Konza Prairie include research on grassland responses to fire and grazing, woody plant encroachment, climate change and nutrient enrichment.