Marvin Klemme Range Research Station NEON / OAES

OAES lies in the south Central Plains, a region that straddles the transition from relatively abundant precipitation in the east to semi-arid conditions in the west. The site has a mean average annual temperature of 15.5°C (60°F) and a mean average annual precipitation of 788.85 mm (31 in.). Because the region is located in the interior of the United States, it experiences a wide range of temperatures seasonally and annually. Additionally, precipitation is highly variable from year to year; however, the majority of precipitation falls during the spring and summer months. Severe thunderstorms are common in the area, while tornadoes and severe drought periods also occur, but are not as common. [2] [4] [12]

The soil parent materials at the OAES site are residuum and colluvium derived from the late Permian age Doxey Formation (shale), which is composed of reddish sandstone and siltstone. Siltstone is present at the OAES site. [9]

The major soils on the site are the Cordell and Obaro series. The Cordell soils form in residuum and occur on sideslopes of ridges and hills. Obaro soils occur on summits, crests, and shoulders of ridges and hills. Obaro soils form in colluvium and residuum. [9]

The primary crop in the Rolling Red Plains area is wheat. Within the site, the shortgrass prairie is interspersed with pockets of shrubs and small stature oaks. Dominant grasses include buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) and purple three-awn (Arisda purpurea). Broom snakeweed (Guerrezia sarothrae) comprises the majority of the patchy shrub cover. [1]

Animals native to this region of the Unites States include black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), swift fox (Vulpes velox), fulvous harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys fulvescens), and black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla). The area is also home to the threatened lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) and the mountain lion (Puma concolor), one of the only large mammals in the region. [5] [6] [7]

The Hatch Act of 1887 set up a national network of agricultural experiment stations focusing on research that would make American farms more productive. The Oklahoma Territory's legislature followed suit in 1890 by passing an act that established the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station in Stillwater, OK. The research station has been continuously managing projects since its inception. At the end of the twentieth century, the station maintained approximately 250 research projects at any given time. In 1988, Marvin Klemme donated 1000 acres to Oklahoma State University for use agricultural development, research and education. The location was named after Marvin Klemme, a man who dedicated a large part of his life to the preservation and protection of our public lands system. The station was officially established in 1990 and is dedicated to improving range cattle production in western Oklahoma. [3] [10] [11]

The NEON site OAES is located within the Klemme Research Station, an outlying station designed to meet the agricultural needs of the localities near Bessie, OK. The station focuses on projects that promote the success of agricultural producers while benefiting consumers and conserving natural lands. Oklahoma State University students and faculty conduct ongoing research into a range of areas at the station, including batch burning, pasture and forage improvement, cow-calf and stocker cattle management, and agricultural education. [3] [11]

Because OAES was already an established research station before NEON began to consider it as a terrestrial site, the workload was fairly small. NEON plots were established in February 2015, and terrestrial sampling began in June of that year.