The long-term goal of the Monument's natural resource management program is to maintain wildlife populations in harmony with healthy natural plant communities. This includes a primary responsibility for the restoration and management of the Monument's relatively small portion of Great Plains native mixed-grass prairie to its historical appearance (based on the best available scientific and historical evidence). Primary methods for accomplishing this goal include, but are not limited to (1) seeding native grass and forb species, and (2) applying a prescribed fire program to simulate natural fire frequency, intensity, and season. The Monument presently uses prescribed fire to perpetuate its grassland and sparse forest communities. The use of prescribed fire helps to maintain the health of the ecosystem by reducing hazardous fuel accumulations and lessening the encroachment of non-native plant species. This active resource management program should encourage the development of a stable and biologically diverse prairie ecosystem of plants and animals on Monument land that should, in turn, benefit the biological diversity within the region.