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Dr. Kelly Kindscher

Ph.D. University of Kansas, 1991

Associate Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey
Courtesy Associate Professor, Environmental Studies Program
Courtesy Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Phone (785) 864-1529
Fax (785) 864-1537
Mailing Address 135 Higuchi Hall
2101 Constant Ave.
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66047-3729
Email kindscher@ku.edu

Go To: | Courses Taught | Research Interests & Projects | Selected References | Professional Service Activities | Memberships | Links |

Courses Taught
Research Interests & Projects

Prairie and Montane Meadow Plant Communities:
My research focuses on the plant species composition and community dynamics of prairies, wetlands, and other meadow communities in Kansas, the Great Plains, and Inter-Mountain Western United States. Specific projects include tallgrass prairie hay meadows in eastern Kansas, native prairie plant communities, meadow communities of Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks, and mixed grass prairie plant community classification in the Central Great Plains.

Associated Projects:

Restoration of Wetlands, Prairies, and other Habitats:
I am interested in understanding the dynamics of plant community restoration to create functional habitats that best replicate natural communities. Specific projects include a 70-acre tallgrass prairie and wet prairie restoration site east of Paola, Kansas, and wetlands at the Nature Conservancy's Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve, and the Sante Fe wetland mitigation site for the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany is the science of studying cultural use of plant materials. Current research efforts are focused on use of native medicinal plants, especially the harvest, use and conservation status of Echinacea, the purple coneflower. Also, I am involved in collaborative research on active chemical constituents on native plants with ethnobotanical histories, and I am a collaborator with other researchers on a project on Native Plants and Medicine at Haskell Indian Nations University.

Associated Projects:

Conservation of Midwest/Great Plains ecosystems:
Good science is needed to make good decisions in how we use our natural resources. Currently, I serve on the Executive Committee of the University of Kansas and provide land management advice to the Nature Conservancy and the Kansas Land Trust. I am also the conservation easement chair for the Tallgrass Legacy Alliance--a rancher agency group in the Flint Hills of Kansas dedicated to the conservation of tallgrass prairie, and I am vice-president of the Kansas Land Trust.

Selected Recent References
Professional Service Activities
Memberships
Links

Kansas Biological Survey
Kansas Natural Heritage Inventory
Environmental Studies Program
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology