New PSU laboratory dedicated w/ link to learn more about Nature Reach at PSU

By Andra Bryan Stefanoni

news@joplinglobe.com

PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Pittsburg State University Natural History Reserve Laboratory carries two titles of distinction: It is the least expensive building constructed by the university, at least in recent years, and it is the first environmentally “green” university structure.

University and city officials, members of the Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society, employees of Westar Energy, and staff members of Nature Reach — an outreach program of the PSU biology department — gathered Wednesday at the 80-acre reserve near Pittsburg to formally dedicate the structure.

The 2,400-square-foot structure, built with Eco-Block insulating concrete forms and costing about $50,000, is a replacement for the former lab, last remodeled in about 1960.

“When I came to PSU as a faculty member in 1981, I was out here looking things over one day and reached up to touch the blackboard, and my finger went through it,” said Jim Triplett, professor of biology. “A grad student and I jacked up the building to replace the sills, and it just leaned over on its foundation. There was major termite damage, it was outdated with no water or electricity, and was pretty much done for.”

Four years ago, Delia Lister, director of Nature Reach, obtained permission for remodeling the building, but an inspection revealed that demolition and new construction were necessary.

With support from PSU, more than 100 construction students worked to rebuild the lab during the past four years.

Among the highlights:

n It is sided in recycled, bright-green metal that used to be the siding for the Southeast Kansas Recycling Center, with the cost covered by the Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society.

n It features an energy-saving heat pump that runs at 40 percent of the consumption of a traditional heating source, Triplett said.

n Energy savings generated by the construction materials could be as much as 50 percent.

Nearby, new cages built by Westar Energy’s Green Team, HCC Contractors and other area volunteers, and funded by an anonymous donation of $6,000, provide shelter to what Lister calls the stars of the show: seven raptors, or birds of prey.

The non-releasable birds, which have been injured or imprinted early in life by humans, are used in programs for thousands of school-age children each year throughout Southeast Kansas.

PSU field biology majors gain practical experience at the lab, caring for the raptors and studying habitat, Lister said.