W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) is Michigan State University’s largest off-campus education complex and one of North America’s premier inland field stations.

Located between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan (about 65 miles from MSU’s main campus in East Lansing), the 3,873 acres/1,566 ha station includes W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, W.K. Kellogg Farm, KBS Academic and Research Facilities, W.K. Kellogg Conference Center and Manor House, and Lux Arbor Reserve. The nearby W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest is closely affiliated with KBS.

KBS is a premier site for field experimental research in aquatic and terrestrial ecology that takes advantage of the diverse managed and unmanaged ecosystems. The varied habitats of KBS includes forests, old fields, streams, wetlands, lakes, and agricultural lands.

Shared-use facilities are specifically designated to support the research of resident and non-resident faculty, and funding opportunities are available for graduate students to develop research and participate in educational programs.

World renowned for its contributions to ecological science and evolutionary biology, KBS is home to one of the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER), and is committed to science and ecology education, conservation of natural resources and sustainable agriculture research and demonstration.

Currently, KBS is home to 13 year-round resident faculty members, more than 20 graduate students and research associates, as well as numerous specialists and support staff.

KBS is administered through the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Natural Science.

Year Founded
1951
Year Joined OBFS
1968
Size of Field Station (hectares)
1001-2500
FSML Web Address
https://www.kbs.msu.edu/

Private nonprofit organization?
No
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
Michigan State University
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
LTER and USDA
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated
0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
LTER and USDA
Name of partner
Tribal partners/users
No
MSI/HBCU users
No
Community College users
No
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Visiting a FS/ML

Open to the Public
Yes
Year round staff
21+
Seasonal staff
11-20
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds
50+
Distance to emergency services
0-20 minutes
Library
No
Hiking trails
Yes
Internship employment
Yes

Environmental Information

Biomes
Minimum Elevation
101-300 meters
Maximum Elevation
101-300 meters
Köppen climate classification
D (continental)
Freshwater habitats
Yes
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields
Yes

Research

REU host station
Yes
Dry lab space
Yes
Wet Lab space
Yes
Research vessels available
Yes
GIS capacity on site
Yes
Long term data sets
Yes
On site herbarium or voucher species
Formal Data Management Plan
Yes
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments
Yes
Date Joined OBFS
July 15, 2024