About
Aerial view of KOLA with Kearney High School in background, March 2022. (Ethan Freese)
Background
The Kearney Outdoor Learning Area (KOLA) provides a place for outdoor learning and exploration. KOLA occupies about 18 acres and includes a pond, creek, prairie, wetland, and woodland on property belonging to Kearney Public Schools (KPS). It is north of Interstate 80 in an area that has experienced rapid growth.
Click the image above to view the full size.
In 2016, a new campus of Kearney High School opened, and the outdoor classroom was established south of the school in the historic floodplain of the Platte River in partnership with Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary. Kearney High students selected the name KOLA, designed the logo, and have been part of activities at the site since its establishment. University researchers, including from nearby University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), also utilize KOLA as a study site and outdoor laboratory in collaboration with KPS and others.
Introduction to KOLA
Wetlands & Restoration
The landscape of present-day KOLA was modified around the time that Kearney High School was built. A pond was constructed to help filter water from the school’s parking lot and geothermal heating and cooling system prior to reaching Turkey Creek. Several partners provided input on the pond’s design, including Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and the City of Kearney.
In 2016, Audubon and KPS partnered to increase awareness about water and wetland ecosystems and to promote environmental stewardship, through a project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Restoration activities in 2017 included removing invasive vegetation from along the creek, planting seeds of more than 200 native prairie species, and creating a shallow wetland adjacent to the pond.
Ecosystem Monitoring
Following creation of KOLA, UNK partnered with KPS to place a time-lapse camera and other environmental sensors on the wetland complex. These activities were initiated by Mary Harner, a professor in the UNK departments of Communication and Biology, to help educate students and the public and tell the story of wetlands of the Platte River in central Nebraska. She leads Witnessing Watersheds, a program the combines research, communication, and training, based at UNK.
As a research partner with Platte Basin Timelapse, Harner sought to integrate time-lapse imagery from KOLA with other imagery from the existing PBT camera network. A permanent time-lapse camera was installed at KOLA in December 2019, and a sound recorder was placed in January 2020. Combined, these devices started a visual and acoustical archive of landscape change and biological activity at KOLA intended to continue for years to come. Harner also was inspired by the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP) in New Mexico and sought to bring aspects of BEMP to KOLA.
Early spring chorus at KOLA, March 22, 2020
KOLA amphibian calls, May 18, 2020
In 2022, collaborations were expanded at KOLA, including with partners from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). This included drilling three groundwater observation wells, with support from the Conservation and Survey Division. Real-time depth to groundwater data is available from the east well at KOLA. In partnership with Troy Gilmore, planning began for installation of a background image and camera in the stream to visually assess water levels (see gaugecam.org). This setup will support student training in watershed image analysis. Additional discussions and planning began with leaders in Science Literacy programs to explore ways to involve more students with KOLA.
Habitats at KOLA
Prairie
Creek
Pond
Woodland
Partners and Support
Ecological monitoring, student training, and outreach activities at KOLA continue to expand through interdisciplinary activities across the University of Nebraska, supported in part by the Collaboration Initiative. These activities build upon a foundation established by Audubon, Kearney High School, and other partners and will continue to grow.