Visitors to
the Discovery Center will be greeted with an overview of the
Flint Hills Story that begins with the formation of the hills
themselves from the fossilized organisms of an inland sea some
250 million years ago. It is a landscape shaped by wind and
water and the alternation between cold and warm climates. Step into the
grasslands and you will discover a great diversity of life,
above and below the ground. Experience what it is like under the
Flint Hills and witness the great web of roots and rhizomes that
allow grasslands to resist fire, and provide room and board to a
wide variety of predators and prey. Visitors meet the first
human residents of the region, drawn by the availability of
chert/flint, the indispensable resource of hunter/gathers.
Fire has been
an important part of man’s management of the grassland for
thousands of years. Visitors to the Discovery Center will learn
how key burning is to the cycle of life that makes the tallgrass
prairie one of the world’s most nutritious grasses and
fundamental to the Kansas cattle industry.
The dynamic
forces of euro-American settlement will be explored including
ranching, the role of the railroads, streams and rivers, and the
birth and demise of towns and communities. Woven throughout the
exhibits is the importance of informed stewardship of this great
natural resource in the decades ahead. What are the challenges
that face the Flint Hills? How can we all become better
caretakers of this unique and important landscape?
The exhibits
of the FHDC have been designed by
Hilferty & Associates, experts
at developing engaging, interactive exhibits for over thirty
years. They have been guided by the Steering Committee of the
FHDC – 12 citizens of Manhattan who have provided dedicated
leadership for this project for over two years. And 16 experts
in all the various subject areas of the exhibits continue to
provide their technical content supervision to assure scientific
and historical accuracy. |
