The Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) is located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, 17 miles from campus. The nearly 300- acre site was established in 1967 by Macalester College with the help of a major gift from Katharine Ordway. The many natural habitats found at Ordway Field Station include:

• tall grass prairie
• oak savanna and woodland
• riparian forests
• seasonal and permanent ponds and springs
• a backwater lake, adjacent to the Mississippi River

These lands have been set aside by the college for biological and environmental education, research, and the protection and management of natural environments. Many different academic departments use this extraordinary facility for teaching and research including the departments of biology, environmental studies, geology, and theater and dance.

Any group or individual wishing to visit or utilize the field station for exploratory, teaching, research, management or other activities needs to receive prior approval. Please plan to contact the director or the associate director early in the process.

In 2009 the college was awarded a $25,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund the development of a strategic plan for Ordway field station. Work on the strategic plan is ongoing and continues to focus on the field station’s four part mission of education, research, sustainability and civic engagement.