Other Great Plains centers

Central Great Plains Research Station

Location: USDA-ARS and Colorado State University, Akron, Colorado

"The mission of the Central Plains Resource Management Unit is to enhance the economic and environmental well-being of agriculture by development of integrated cropping systems and technologies for maximum utilization of soil and water resources. Emphasis is on efficient use of plan nutrients, pesticides, and water and soil conservation/preservation."

Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Location: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

"The Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (GP-CESU) is a network of 16 academic institutions in the Great Plains region and eight federal agencies. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln serves as a host to the GP-CESU. The unit encompasses a broad geographical portion of the Great Plains and offers an outstanding group of scientists in grasslands, ecosystems studies, and natural and cultural resources management for collaborative research, technical assistance and educational opportunities in the CESU."

Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative

Location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

"The Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) is a partnership that provides applied science and decision support tools to assist natural resource managers conserve plant, fish and wildlife in the mid- and short-grass prairie of the southern Great Plains."

Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network

Location: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

"The HTLN serves 15 National Park Service (NPS) units in eight Midwestern states. … The mission of the Heartland Network is to collaboratively develop and conduct scientifically credible inventories and long-term monitoring of park 'vital signs' and to distribute this information for use by park staff, partners, and the public, thereby promoting sound decision making informed by science in the preservation of the natural and cultural resources held in trust by the National Park Service." It includes the Central Great Plains Fire Ecology Program and the Heartland Exotic Plant Management Program.

Northern Great Plains Exotic Plant Management Team

Location: NPS-I&M

"The Northern Great Plains Exotic Plant Management Team has multiple goals, all of which revolve around containing and preventing the spread of invasive species and restoring areas to native plant communities. General goals include increasing public awareness about noxious weeds and the economic and environmental costs associated with such weeds; creating name recognition for the Exotic Plant Management Program; and working to foster partnerships between the various groups and entities collectively engaged in controlling and managing noxious weeds."

Northern Great Plains Network

Location: NPS-I&M

"The NGPN I&M Program is one of 32 National Park Service I&M Networks across the country established to facilitate collaboration, information sharing, and economies of scale in natural resource monitoring. It is comprised of 13 national park units, each of which contain a rich and varied array of natural and cultural resources. The park supports unique natural resources, including large areas of northern mixed-grass prairie communities, critical river and riparian habitats, large herds of bison, and two of the four longest caves in the world. These parks and their partners are dedicated to understanding and preserving the region’s unique resources through science and education."

Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Location: USDA-ARS – Mandan, North Dakota

"The current vision of the Laboratory is the development of economically and environmentally sustainable integrated crop and livestock management systems to help preserve the family farm … Mission: To develop environmentally sound practices and add value to agricultural systems in the Great Plains in terms of food, feed, and biomass by conducting team-focused, systems-oriented research and technology transfer."

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Location: USGS – Jamestown, North Dakota

"The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) conducts integrated research to fulfill the Department of the Interior’s responsibilities to the Nation’s natural resources. Located on 600 acres along the James River Valley near Jamestown, North Dakota, the NPWRC develops and disseminates scientific information needed to understand, conserve, and wisely manage the Nation’s biological resources. Research emphasis is primarily on mid-continental plant and animal species and ecosystems of the United States."

Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation facilitates collaboration and public participation to foster conservation, protection and enhancement of the North American environment for the benefit of present and future generations, in the context of increasing economic, trade, and social links among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It was established by the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation in 1993 (in conjunction with the North American Free Trade Agreement). Among others, the CEC has projects on Climate Change – The Low-Carbon Economy; Greening the Economy in North America; and Healthy Communities and Ecosystems.

Canadian Plains Research Center

Location: University of Regina – Saskatchewan

"Thee Canadian Plains Research Center (CPRC) was established in 1973 as an interdisciplinary regional research centre. Its mandate is to initiate, undertake, encourage, support, and publish scholarly research on all aspects of prairie life, including its history, resources, land, and people."

Center of the American West

Location: University of Colorado – Boulder, Colorado

“Thee Center has published a number of books … and a series of lively, balanced, and to-the-point reports on compelling Western issues … The Center of the American West serves as a forum committed to the civil, respectful, and problem-solving exploration of important and often contentious public issues.”

Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health

Location: University of Iowa College of Public Health – Iowa City, Iowa

"The mission of the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health is to protect and improve the health and safety of agricultural workers. We accomplish this mission by conducting high quality research on the causes and the prevention of agricultural injury and illness and by implementing the results of research through education and community outreach programs."

Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Location: Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa

"The Leopold Center is a research and education center on the campus of Iowa State University created to identify and reduce negative environmental and social impacts of farming and develop new ways to farm profitably while conserving natural resources. The Center’s work is focused on four initiatives – ecology, marketing and food systems, policy and cross-cutting (water, energy, soil and alternative farming systems). … The Leopold Center makes funds available to researchers and educators at all Iowa colleges and universities, and to investigators at private, nonprofit agencies and foundations in the state."

Center for Great Plains Studies

Location: Emporia State University – Emporia, Kansas

"Academic programs, public service activities, and research projects are intended to inform, interest, and promote appreciation of the sprawling mid-continental grasslands. Here, academic fields in the natural sciences, fine arts, social sciences, and humanities converge. Faculty members from art to zoology study the common and the uncommon elements of the Great Plains that invest the region with its particular texture and spirit."

Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Hazardous Substance Research Center

Location: Kansas State University – Manhattan, Kansas

"The center was established in 1989 to conduct research pertaining to hazardous substances produced through agriculture, forestry, mining, mineral processing, and other activities. … Specific research projects focus on soil and water contaminated by heavy metals from mining wastes and other industrial activities, soil and groundwater contaminated by organic chemicals, wood preservatives that contaminate groundwater, pesticides identified as hazardous substances, improved technologies and methods for characterizing and analyzing contaminated soil, and waste-minimization and pollution-prevention methods and technologies."

Kansas Humanities Council

Location: Topeka, Kansas

"The Kansas Humanities Council is the only organization in Kansas solely dedicated to creating, supporting, and promoting the humanities as a public resource for all Kansans. … Through programs and grant opportunities, KHC clarifies the connection between history, literature, ethics, and culture and the daily decisions that Kansans make on the job, at home, and in their civic life."

Hall Center for the Humanities

Location: University of Kansas – Lawrence, Kansas

"The Hall Center's primary mission is to stimulate and support research in the humanities, arts and social sciences, especially of an interdisciplinary kind, at the University of Kansas. The Center brings together faculty and graduate students with common interests from various disciplines to enable them to build on each other's ideas and to share their knowledge within the university and with the wider community."

The Land Institute

Location: Salina, Kansas

"Our purpose is to develop an agricultural system with the ecological stability of the prairie and a grain yield comparable to that from annual crops. … Our strategy now is to collaborate with public institutions in order to direct more research in the direction of Natural Systems Agriculture. We are seeking funds to construct and operate a research center devoted to Natural Systems Agriculture and to underwrite scientists elsewhere who will engage with us in such research."

Population and Environment in the U.S. Great Plains (ICPSR)

Location: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Michigan

The center has collected great quantities of data from the U.S. Population Census, U.S. Census of Agriculture, and other sources, and produced a number of studies analyzing the "recursive relationships between the environment, population, and land use in the Great Plains" over the past 150 years.

Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

"The Great Plains Institute … brings together key public and private leaders in the Midwest to accelerate the transition to a renewable and low-carbon energy system by mid-century."

Minnesota Population Center

Location: University of Minnesota – Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota

"The Minnesota Population Center (MPC) is a University-wide interdisciplinary cooperative for demographic research. The MPC serves more than 80 faculty members and research scientists from eight colleges and institutes at the University of Minnesota. As a leading developer and disseminator of demographic data, we also serve a broader audience of some 50,000 demographic researchers worldwide."

Great Plains Fire Science Exchange

Location: Missouri State University – Springfield, Missouri

"The Great Plains Fire Science Exchange is a network of landowners, managers, practitioners, and scientists interested in the fire-dependent grassland ecosystems of the Great Plains Region."

O’Connor Center for the Study of the Rocky Mountain West

Location: University of Montana – Missoula, Montana

The O'Connor Center is a research and public education program focused on building a better understanding of the rich past and promising future of the Rocky Mountain West region of the U.S. and Canada … by reaching across the boundaries of disciplines, ideologies, and political jurisdictions to arm the growing importance of land-based and regionally defined places in cultural, social, and economic life. … [The] Center engages in wide-ranging activities in research, teaching, and public education."

Museum of the Northern Great Plains

Location: Fort Benton, Montana

"The Museum of the Northern Great Plains documents the last one hundred years of life on the vast Montana plains. … The River & Plains Society’s Schwinden Library and Archives houses the Overholser Historical Research Center, a research center for historians, writers, students, and local history and family history researchers. The Center houses a substantial collection of unpublished archival records of individuals, families, organizations, businesses, and events."

Center for Great Plains Studies

Location: University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Nebraska

THee Center for Great Plains Studies is a regional research and teaching program with a mission to foster study of the people and the environment of Great Plains. The Center operates the Great Plains Art Museum, the Plains Humanities Alliance, undergraduate and graduate programs, various scholarly projects, and outreach programs.

Center for Rural Affairs

Location: Lyons, Nebraska

The mission of the Center for Rural Affairs is to "establish strong rural communities, social and economic justice, environmental stewardship, and genuine opportunity for all while engaging people in decisions that affect the quality of their lives and the future of their communities."

Great Plains Black History Museum

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

"The Great Plains Black History Museum will feature and commemorate the historical and cultural achievements with a special focus to preserve and celebrate the contributions of people of African ancestry of the Great Plains of the United States, as well as of people of African descent from around the nation and the world."

Great Plains Public Health Training Center

Location: University of Nebraska Medical Center – Omaha, Nebraska

"A Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Public Health Training Center. ... The PHTC Program is designed to improve the Nation's public health system by strengthening the technical, scientfiic, managerial, and leadership competence of current and future public health professionals. … The Center … will address public health workforce education and training needs through: governmental, academe, Tribal and regional collaboration; systematic assessment of needs; competency-based adult learning and workforce development, leadership and management training; field placements and collaborative projects and evaluation and quality improvement."

Hastings College Coalition for Great Plains Research

Location: Hastings College – Hastings, Nebraska

"Resources available to the Coalition include Hastings College’s partnership with the Nebraska Visitors Center; a biological preserve on the Platte River located 10 miles from campus; for educational programs, research collaboration, and special events. At its core, the Hastings College Coalition for Great Plains Research is dedicated to the mission of the Liberal Arts, encouraging interdisciplinary research and teaching, and life-long learning. The commitment to exploring and understanding the natural and cultural aspects of our region, past and present, serves to help shape our vision for a sustainable future on the Plains."

High Plains Regional Climate Center

Location: University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Nebraska

"The mission of the High Plains Regional Climate Center is to increase the use and availability of climate data in the High Plains region. HPRCC personnel work closely with scientists from other regional and federal climate centers on climate services and programs and provide a regional structure for climate applications. The long-term objectives of the HPRCC are to carry out applied climate studies, develop improved climate information products, and provide climate services in the High Plains region."

Prairie Plains Resource Institute

Location: Aurora, Nebraska

"Prairie Plains Resource Institute was founded … with the intent of preserving native Nebraska habitats for use as educational sites for biodiversity, preservation, science, history and land management. A non-profit membership organization, Prairie Plains preserves, maintains and restores native prairies and wetlands on its own land and on other private and public lands. These conservation sites are used for community education, recreation and sustainable economic development."

Bureau of Business Research

Location: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Bureau of Business Research (BBR) is an applied economic and business research entity which provides relevant information and insightful data on economic conditions, in Nebraska, the Great Plains, and the nation as a general service to individuals and businesses in the state. BBR regularly publishes reports summarizing its sponsored research studies and also publishes outlooks and analyses in the newsletter e Nebraska Economy. The BBR conducts both contract and sponsored research on the economy of Nebraska and its communities including studies of economic competitiveness, Economic modeling and forecasting, labor market analysis, fiscal analysis, policy analysis, and tourism.

Public Policy Center

Location: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center addresses the challenges of local, state, and federal policy. The PPC brings together researchers from diverse disciplines, including business, economics, family and consumer sciences, law, political science, psychology, and sociology. PPC is dedicated to employing diverse disciplinary approaches, along with the expertise of policymakers and the voices of stakeholders, to create responsive public policy. PPC focuses on five areas of public policy: behavioral health services and systems, access to governmental services, information technology in health and human services, public participation in policy, and water resource policy.

The Goss Institute for Economic Research

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

The institute is an independent bi-partisan think tank designed to conduct quality business and economic research that provides innovative, practical recommendations that affect change and public policy. Our research and assessment analysis spans from local to global perspectives. The Goss Institute focuses on seven primary issues, including economic growth & development analysis; economic forecasting; impact assessments; market analysis; employee/customer satisfaction surveys; litigation support; program and grant evaluations.

Platte Institute

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

The Platte Institute for Economic Research is a research and educational organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for all citizens of Nebraska by advancing sensible, well-researched solutions to state and local economic policy issues. Its scholars study public policy problems, propose solutions, and promote them by publishing studies, briefing papers and other educational materials which help policymakers, the media, and the general public gain a better understanding of the issues. The Platte Institute is founded on the belief that the freedom and quality of life that Nebraskans deserve is best achieved by promoting free-enterprise, limited government and personal responsibility. Our scholars move beyond the mindset that every problem has a government solution.

Northern Great Plains Center for People and the Environment

Location: University of North Dakota – Grand Forks, North Dakota

"What We Do: Develop products and services for Agriculture, for Forestry, for Natural Resource Management, and for K-12 Education, using satellite imagery and other spatial technologies; Provide information and educational outreach services to the general public with respect to regional impacts of environmental and climatic change; Provide products, services, and information to the general public by operating as a Public Access Resource Center, focused principally on the agriculture, forestry, and education communities."

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute

Location: North Dakota State University – Fargo, North Dakota

"The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) is a research and education center at North Dakota State University which is guided, in part, by an advisory council composed of representatives of various organizations, industries and agencies affecting or affected by transportation … Mission: Develop future transportation practitioners and leaders; enhance the quality of life and economic opportunity for individuals; improve the economic viability and global competitiveness of businesses; and reduce transportation’s environmental impact by improving the mobility of freight and people through research, education and outreach."

Museum of the Great Plains

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

"The Artifact Collection of the Museum of the Great Plains consists of three primary divisions: ethnology, natural history and cultural history. The three-dimensional objects include natural history specimens; mammals of the Great Plains; Native American materials from pre-European and post-European contact; historic artifacts, artwork and folk art from various ethnic groups; and land transportation vehicles and equipment."

Center for Western Studies

Location: Augustana College – Sioux Falls, South Dakota

"The mission of the Center for Western Studies at Augustana College is preserving and interpreting the history and cultures of the Northern Plains … The Center serves as a repository for over 500 substantive collections and maintains a library in excess of 36,000 volumes on the American West. In addition, the Center holds an extensive art and artifact collection, and sponsors annual events such as the Boe Forum, the June Event, the Dakota Conference, and the Artists of the Plains Art Show and Sale. With more than 70 publications to its credit, the Center is a major academic publisher in South Dakota."

Great Plains Public Policy Institute

Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

“Great Plains Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt, public policy and educational institution that brings free enterprise and alternative ideas to bear on the most difficult issues facing South Dakota and the nation. The Great Plains Public Policy Institute conducts educational events, public forums and scholarly research to give citizens, the media, the business community and policy makers the specific recommendations they need to solve important problems facing our families, businesses, schools and communities."

Northern Plains Studies

Location: Augustana College – Sioux Falls, South Dakota

"Envisioned as a minor, not a stand-alone major, the goal of a Northern Plains program is to enhance currently offered programs, entice foreign students to Augustana, and, where possible, to utilize the resources of the Center for Western Studies. Using the pedagogy of regional studies, and focusing its attention on the Northern Plains, students in this program explore the complex communities—both human and non-human—who inhabit(ed) the region. Students completing a Northern Plains Minor will not only be able to articulate what makes the Northern Plains unique, but use the tools they have learned for evaluating the Northern plains region for examining other regions around the world."

Great Plains Native Plant Society

Location: Hot Springs, South Dakota

Among the missions of the society are "to engage in scientific research regarding plants of the Great Plains of North America; To carry on the scientific work begun by Claude Barr of Prairie Gem Ranch, Smithwick, South Dakota, which is to pursue greater knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the Great Plains of North America...To engage in any educational activities which may further public familiarity with plants of the Great Plains, their uses and enjoyment."

Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center

Location: Rapid City, South Dakota

"The Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (NPTEC) is a program of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Health Board and one of 13 tribal epidemiology Division to assist in improving the health of American Indians and Alaskan Natives throughout the United States … Our mission is to provide leadership, technical assistance, support, and advocacy to the 18 Aberdeen Area tribal nations and communities in order to eliminate the disparities in health that currently exist for tribal people of the four-state region of Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota."

Great Plains Restoration Council

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Mission Statement: "Great Plains Restoration Council (GPRC) works to restore and protect our shattered prairies and plains through developing youth leaders in Ecological Health. Protecting wild nature is a matter of public health, and participating in its hands-on recovery offers therapeutic modalities for many social and physical ills … Goals: Set up an innovative network of professional social workers and restoration ecologists/conservation biologists."

Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures

Location: University of Wisconsin – Madison, Wisconsin

"The Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures is committed to the languages and cultural traditions of this region's diverse peoples. We foster research and the preservation of archival collections, while producing educational and outreach programs for a broader public audience. We also assist community groups, classrooms, and scholars with projects involving Upper Midwestern Cultures."

Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Location: Cody, Wyoming

"Since 1917, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center has been committed to the greatness and growth of the American West." It is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Want to be added to the list? Email us at greatplains.reachingout@unl.edu