Education, Restoration, Conservation, Research
Numerous educational programs for the public, adults and children, take place each year. Many programs focus on human impacts on the land, the fragility of the ecosystem, and the need for public understanding of the natural resources of the area.
Restoration projects involve restoration of native habitats and historically significant buildings. Restoration of native prairies is expedited through periodic prescribed burns.
Conservation of resources targets especially water and water quality, and soil.
Regarding native habitats and ecosystems, conservation often involves continuous restoration, as with prescribed burns. But both restoration and conservation, to be truly effective, require scientific research to supply the data on which to base ongoing efforts. Thus, restoration, conservation, and research are intimately interlinked.
Research is conducted by both professional and citizen scientists. Research projects include bird-banding, butterfly surveys, monarch egg surveys, water-quality monitoring, and brush management.
Photos of projects: