Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) is a 3,487 hectare native tallgrass prairie preserve jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University. KPBS is located in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas (39°05’ N, 96°35’ W), a grassland region of rolling hills overlain by shallow limestone soils unsuitable for cultivation.

The Flint Hills region encompasses over 1.6 million hectares in eastern Kansas extending from near the Kansas-Nebraska border south into northeastern Oklahoma. This region includes the largest remaining areas of unplowed tallgrass prairie in North America. The vast majority of KPBS, and the surrounding landscape, has never been plowed and retains much of its native characteristics.

KPBS is operated as a field research station by the KSU Division of Biology and is dedicated to a three-fold mission of long-term ecological research, education, and prairie conservation. It is a unique outdoor laboratory that provides opportunities for the study of tallgrass prairie ecosystems and for basic biological and environmental research on a wide range of taxa and processes. The station is open to scientists and students from throughout the world.

From Manhattan: Take Hwy 177 over the Kansas River. Immediately past the river turn right (west) on to McDowell Creek Road (this road skirts the river and goes under the "KS" hill). Proceed 6 miles until you see the sign for Konza Prairie on your left.

From I-70: Take Exit 307 - McDowell Creek Road; turn north. Proceed 4.5 miles east on McDowell Creek Road; the entrance to Konza Prairie will be on your right.

KPBS and The Nature Conservancy believe it is important to provide a venue for the public to experience a native tallgrass ecosystem. Although KPBS is a privately-owned and university-operated research facility and most of the site is off limits to the public, we maintain publice hiking trails available from dawn to dusk, weather and trail conditions permitting. However, there are rules to preserve the landscape, wildlife, and ecological value of the land around the trails. Continued public access depends on everyone adhering to these rules.