Visit the Land Institute
Weekly Scientist-Led Tours
Tours are offered on Fridays at 10:30 a.m.* and last approximately 60-90 minutes (depending on the number of questions you bring!). Tours are led by a member of our research team and cover our seven research programs, our history, and our local and global impact.
The typical guided walking tour meets at the main office before heading to the Wauhob Prairie Overlook of our research plots, then continuing on through our campus to the research buildings and greenhouses.
Tours are free: to reserve a spot, please use the form above to let us know you’re coming so we can best accommodate your group. We are also happy to host large groups and field trips – our tour coordinator, Amanda Wagner, will contact you to ensure we can appropriately accommodate your group’s size and visit type.
*Please note: Tours are not available during major holidays, as well as the week before, the week of, and the week after Prairie Festival.
Marty Bender Nature Area
Beginning at Prairie Festival 2019, The Land Institute is pleased to officially welcome the public to visit our Marty Bender Nature Area. The 206-acre nature area is located one mile north of The Land Institute’s main campus.
The nature area features a trail of nearly three miles through prairie and woods along the Smoky Hill River in traditional Kaw Nation homelands. Several scientific research plots are located on site. Additional features include art installations, plant and wildlife viewing, a tree swing and picnic area, scenic overlooks of the river and Salina region, and a community book share box.
With the generous support of private philanthropists, The Land Institute acquired the nature area property in 2002 from the trust of Oliver Haag. The “Haag Place” was used in the past for farming and ranching. In 2004, the land was named in commemoration of Marty Bender, former energy scientist at The Land Institute, who was also a naturalist. In 2018, local volunteers and friends of The Land Institute, designed and made the trail in collaboration with institute staff. They milled local Osage orange wood for benches and signage along the trail. As a site for research, education, and community engagement, the nature area has since hosted events such as tours, community work days, and Ecosphere Studies workshops.
Nature area guidelines are posted at the entrance. To share ideas, or to ask questions, contact ecosphere@landinstitute.org.
See a virtual tour of Marty Bender Nature Area
Prairie Festival
Our annual Prairie Festival, held the last full weekend of September on The Land Institute’s home campus outside Salina, Kansas, offers a unique opportunity to listen to presentations in the Big Barn and interact with some of the world’s most compelling authors, thinkers, artists, and advocates focused on agriculture, food, the environment, science, sustainability, and social and environmental justice.
In addition, our science staff provides tours and an in-depth update on our plant breeding and ecology work and partnerships. There’s great food (some featuring perennial ingredients), music, art, the Hedge Fire Circle, sunrise yoga and always a few surprises. Keep an eye on our Festival page for upcoming speakers and for registration (usually opens in July).