History, Reports and Newsletters

Missouri State University began operating the Field Station in Spring 1999. The BSFS exists because of a cooperative agreement between Missouri State University, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), who manages the Drury Conservation Area, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), who owns the land adjacent to Bull Shoals Lake where the station is located. The BSFS received a long-term lease from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in spring 2000.

Our efforts to expand our facilities and services focus on serving the needs of our constituents during day and extended visits. Such expansions include the remodeling of the Frank Drury House to include electrical service via a bank of batteries charged by photovoltaic/solar power and a propane-fueled generator. A new well, providing a source of drinking water not previously available on the property, is fitted with a pump that receives its primary power source from the sun. A classroom building was completed in 2006. The facilities upgrade and classroom construction became possible largely due to a federal appropriation secured by Representative Roy Blunt and administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that manages the Bull Shoals Lake. A dilapidated stone shed has been remodeled to serve as a wet lab and research space thanks to funding provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).