photo by: Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research

The Field Station’s rammed earth gateway was designed and built by University of Kansas architecture students

Members of the public are invited to tour the University of Kansas Field Station on Saturday as part of a twice-yearly event, where they will get a glimpse of ongoing research projects that are not typically open to the public.

Visitors will have a chance to walk a 1.5-mile loop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 3. at the Field Station’s core research area, located at 350 Wild Horse Road, about 15 minutes north of downtown Lawrence.

Research stations will be set up along the loop that will start and end at the Armitage Education Center, the main building, according to a university press release. Visitors could then walk the loop and talk with researchers.

Founded in 1947, the Field Station is a biological research area that has been managed by the Kansas Biological Survey & Center Ecological Research since the 1990s. Its core research area sits on 1,650 acres and allows faculty, students and visiting researchers to conduct a variety of activities.

Visitors attending Saturday’s event should wear long pants, closed-toe shoes and sun protection, and bring water bottles, the release said, as the walking loop includes interior gravel roads and mowed paths, with uneven footing and some elevation change. The path could also include ticks, poison ivy and wildlife, according to the release.

The Field Station’s Facebook page will provide updates if the event has to be rescheduled due to weather.