Kellogg Biological Station (KBS), the largest off-campus learning center at Michigan State University, is located in Ross Township, south of Hickory Corners, Michigan. It is about 65 miles (105 km) from the main campus. Many of the buildings were built by Will Keith Kellogg, who created Kellogg's cereal. The station is named after him. KBS has about 16.5 square kilometers (4,100 acres) of land. It works with nearby state lands and preserves to support big studies by biologists. The National Science Foundation has a Long-Term Ecological Research site at KBS. KBS provides classes for undergraduate and graduate students studying biology-related subjects. One program, called Enhancing Linkages between Mathematics and Ecology (ELME), includes three weeks of math lessons and four weeks of fieldwork.
W.K. Kellogg Manor House
A major part of the Biological Station is W.K. Kellogg's Manor House. It is located at 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners, Michigan. The house is 110 feet (34 meters) above Gull Lake, offering beautiful views of the lake.
The Manor House was designed by the architectural firm Benjamin and Benjamin. Built in 1925, it was used as a summer home by W.K. Kellogg and his second wife, Dr. Carrie Staines. They lived there until 1942. The house was built in a Tudor Revival style. It includes leaded glass bay windows, oak coffered ceilings, a Ludowici roof, and Rookwood tile in the bathrooms and fireplaces. The 32-acre (13-hectare) estate also has a carriage house, greenhouse with a potting shed, a caretaker’s cottage, boathouse, an authentic Dutch windmill, and several gardens.
After World War II ended, the house was used by the Coast Guard as an induction and training center. As more wounded soldiers needed care, the Manor House became a home for injured veterans. In 1951, ownership of the estate changed. After Mr. Kellogg’s death, the house and surrounding land were given to Michigan State University. From the 32 acres (13 hectares) and buildings, the Kellogg Biological Station was created. In 1998, the Kellogg Foundation provided a grant to restore the Manor House to its original condition. The project was completed. Today, the two-story home is used for conferences and weddings.
Kellogg Bird Sanctuary
A place at the biological station is the Bird Sanctuary. Inspired by a similar wildlife refuge in Canada, the Bird Sanctuary is a home for many wild birds and waterfowl, such as trumpeter swans, Canada geese, diving and dabbling ducks, herons, cranes, songbirds, and others. The Sanctuary has played an important role in helping Canada geese and trumpeter swans return to the Midwest. It also serves as a key stop for birds that travel long distances during migration. The Sanctuary has areas where birds of prey and game birds are kept. Originally created as a refuge in 1927, the sanctuary was given to the Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (now Michigan State University) in 1928 for use in research and education. Today, the Sanctuary continues to welcome visitors throughout the year, offering tours, classes, and programs for the public.
Kellogg Experimental Forest
7060 N. 42nd St., Augusta. Created in 1932 on land that was once used for farming but later left unused, the 716-acre Kellogg Forest is famous worldwide for research on growing trees, improving tree genetics, and learning how to plant and care for forests. Much of the work to develop the Spartan spruce, a type of tree that combines the blue color and ability to survive without much water from the blue spruce with the softer needles and faster growth of the white spruce, happened at this forest. The forest is open to the public for activities such as biking, hiking, jogging, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. It also has over 15 miles of interpretive trails. Visitors are allowed to bow hunt, fish for trout, and have picnics.
Gull Lake Library
The Gull Lake Library is a branch of Michigan State University's W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. This library has more than 12,000 books, many of which are bound journal volumes. Approximately 150 current serial titles are received regularly. The collection helps KBS faculty, staff, students, and visiting scientists study aquatic and terrestrial ecology, evolution, behavior, and agro-ecology.
The first director of the station, Dr. Walter F. Morofsky, was an entomologist at MSU. Today, the library holds a large historical entomology collection. Research and teaching at the Early Bird Sanctuary contributed to a strong waterfowl collection. When the year-round research station was established in 1965, and the branch library was created, a strong research program in limnology began. Currently, the station has strong research programs in limnology, microbial ecology, plant ecology, agricultural ecology, fish ecology, and vertebrate behavioral ecology.