The Henry S. Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) is a protected environmental research facility at outside Kellogg, Iowa. The 365-acre (148 ha) facility is owned and operated by

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-stu ...

for class use in the study of

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

and student and faculty research. The preserve is named for Henry S. Conard, a bryologist and

ecologist Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

who long served as the chair of the college's Department of

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

. It is located eleven miles from the Grinnell College campus. The former cropland currently occupied by CERA was acquired by Grinnell College in 1968, and a decades-long restoration process has slowly restored the site's

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

, and

oak savanna An oak savanna is a type of savanna—or lightly forested grassland—where oaks (''Quercus ''spp.) are the dominant trees. The terms "oakery" or "woodlands" are also used commonly, though the former is more prevalent when referencing the Medite ...

ecosystems. In 2005, a new Environmental Education Center building was built at CERA. Designed by the firm Holabird and Root, the Center's green design earned it the distinction of being the first building in Iowa to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Rated status. In addition to its role as an environmental preserve and research area, CERA has hosted several artists and their exhibitions. In 2001, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

sculptor

Andy Goldsworthy Andy Goldsworthy (born 26 July 1956) is an English sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural and urban settings. Early life Goldsworthy was born in Cheshire on 26 Ju ...

constructed a stone cairn at the site, one of a series of three across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The cairn, while an example of temporary land art, is expected to last decades and still stands.Grinnell College, Department of Biology
Special Projects at CERA
. Accessed May 10, 2008. The cairn was featured on the album cover of The Maccabees' " Given to the Wild" in 2012. In September 2001, New York photographer

Sandy Skoglund Sandy Skoglund (born September 11, 1946) is an American photographer and installation artist. Skoglund creates surrealist images by building elaborate sets or tableaux, furnishing them with carefully selected colored furniture and other objects, ...

led an art installation workshop at the site, creating an installation along one of CERA's trails.

References

External links

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Henry S. Conard Environmental Research Area HomepageGrinnell College Homepage
Protected areas established in 1968 1968 establishments in Iowa Education in Jasper County, Iowa Grinnell College Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certified buildings Nature centers in Iowa Protected areas of Jasper County, Iowa