Goal 4. Long-term maintenance of approximately 18 acres as oak savannah habitat, with a focus on wildlife preservation for purposes of public recreation, education, and research.

This goal is really an amalgam of all the other goals, but with a direct focus of using public events, classroom activities, and scientific research methodologies for the specific purposes of maintaining stable oak savannah conditions and designated wildlife populations over time.

Goal 1 directly results in a beginning condition for reestablishing oak savannah conditions on the property.  Goal 2 concerns the establishment of favored plant and animal populations.  Goal 3 separates the 22-acre residential area (and resulting "long-term maintenance" strategies) from the oak savannah habitat.  Goal 5 is a management, recreation, and educational access trail through the middle of the oak savannah.  Goal 6 concerns the spread of noxious weeds within the savannah environment.  Goal 7 concerns the treatment of fuels within the project area, to reduce wildfire hazards associated with forest management.  Goal 8 is a specific plan for short-term and mid-term management of the oak savannah, with lessons intended for long-term maintenance strategies.  And Goal 9 seeks ways in which all of these activities might be funded.  Taken together, each of these actions aimed at addressing other goals in this project, result in a nearly complete strategy for achieving Goal 4.

Short-term tasks.  Plant, weed, inventory, and burn in accordance with Goals 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8.  Possibly begin development of an educational website in cooperation with local teachers and school administrators for classroom use and public outreach purposes.  

Mid-term tasks.  Monitor plant and animal populations in accordance with Goals 1 and 2.  Initiate research and management actions and resource management experiments in accordance with Goals 6, 7, and 8.  Begin developing contacts and strategies for needed funding and other resources, in accordance with Goal 9.

Long-term tasks.  Continue to monitor plant and animal populations, in accordance with Goals 1 and 2.  Develop new weeding and burning strategies based on findings of implementing Goals 6, 7, and 8.  Review funding and resource needs and develop new strategies for Goal 9, based on earlier results.

The combination of these incremental tasks, if they are completed, should help assure a flexible and proactive approach toward managing and maintaining the desired characteristics of oak savannah habitat--including targeted animal populations--for a long period of time.