MAY 2017 • NEBRASKAland 49
such as fundamentals of biology,
ecology and evolution, ornithology,
field epidemiology, predator ecology,
literature and the environment, art and
nature, and photography.
Originally built in 1960 as a Girl
Scout camp, the University leased
Cedar Point in 1975 for field-
based courses and research, and the
University Foundation purchased
the property in 1980. The Nature
Conservancy and the Nebraska
Environmental Trust purchased
surrounding land over the years,
growing the original 38 acres to more
than 500. With student-based research
as the central focus, Cedar Point now
hosts a broad range of research groups
every year.
While mornings and evenings are
for fieldwork, hot afternoons are better
suited for the laboratory. Today in the
Field Animal Behavior lab, two young
men linger over a water tub holding
two male crawdads. Submerged with
them is a ceramic structure offering
safe haven, but male crawdads don't
get along; this space will not be shared.
Cedar Point
Travis Doht and Shelby Lyon shift dirt from a pocket gopher's mound to locate its entrance and lay a trap.
The University of Nebraska's Cedar Point
Biological Station is a field research
facility and experiential classroom
located near Lake McConaughy and the
city of Ogallala in Keith County.
