Konza Prairie Research Natural Area is an 8,600 acre tallgrass prairie preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy and managed by the Division of Biology at Kansas State University. It is one of the largest land tracts in North America dedicated to research on the ecological processes that characterize and maintain the tallgrass prairie. Research supported by Kansas State University, The Nature Conservancy, the Kansas Agricultural Experimental Science Foundation, and numerous other agencies focuses on the major forces that shape the prairie: fire, grazing by large mammals, and climate. More than 50 watersheds are systematically burned at varying frequencies and in different seasons to analyze how fire affects and sustains the tallgrass prairie. Native bison and domestic livestock graze selected watersheds to determine how grazers and fire together influence the biological diversity and productivity of the prairie ecosystem. Researchers from across the United States and the world study soils, hydrology, and plant, insect, bird, and mammal populations in this living laboratory. Access is limited because of ongoing scientific research and the presence of bison, but a public nature trail is open daily from dawn to dusk.