Keith Clay to direct new nature preserve at IUB

By Richard Doty

The preserve consists of two sites: Griffy Woods, a 185-acre site adjacent to the City of Bloomington’s Griffy Nature Preserve north of the campus, and Moore’s Creek, a 261-acre site in southern Monroe County adjoining Lake Monroe and contiguous with federally owned land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The preserve consists of two sites: Griffy Woods, a 185-acre site adjacent to the City of Bloomington’s Griffy Nature Preserve north of the campus, and Moore’s Creek, a 261-acre site in southern Monroe County adjoining Lake Monroe and contiguous with federally owned land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Clay, an IU faculty member since 1986, is director of the IUB Department of Biology’s Plant Science Program. He was one of 13 faculty members on an IUB task force from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation that recommended creation of the preserve. Michael Hamburger, IUB associate professor of geological sciences and the chairman of the special task force which recommended the preserve, predicted an immediate benefit for science students and faculty studying everything from life cycles of migratory birds to long-term regeneration of forests to myriad other subjects. “This project will provide a portal from the classroom into the natural world,” said Hamburger.

The IU Board of Trustees approved the designation in May, and Clay said formal administration of the two sites is expected to begin in January. Research and teaching are already ongoing at both sites.

The Griffy property will emphasize undergraduate education, student research and public education. The Moore’s Creek site will be used primarily for faculty and graduate research. Both areas are expected to support research in fields such as ecology, botany, zoology, geology, environmental sciences and hydrology. A recent study identified more than 40 undergraduate courses serving nearly 3,000 students annually in field experiences on lands near IU.

Clay said the four goals for the preserves are to provide natural environments for teaching; to provide a long-term laboratory for natural science research for faculty and students; to support interdisciplinary studies that can lead to scientific discoveries; and to provide a resource for public environmental sciences education.

Clay said his duties as director will involve working closely with an executive committee of five tenured faculty members and a larger advisory committee that also will include non-university representatives. The university hopes to work closely with adjacent landowners, such as the City of Bloomington and Army Corps of Engineers, that have similar goals for their property. There are no present plans to construct facilities on either site, but long-range plans may include one or two field laboratories/outdoor classrooms, he said. Parking and trails will be improved through assistance from the Office of the Vice President for Administration.

Funding for the preserve will come primarily from the IU Bloomington chancellor’s office as well as a variety of other IU sources. Officials hope to work closely with the IU Foundation and the Office of Sponsored Research Services to develop funding opportunities.

http://www.indiana.edu/~preserve/