Having planted plots in chronological order, they also will capitalize on a wonderful opportunity to compare various stages of succession. In addition, researchers will carry on with the restoration of other native habitats, including savannas, woodlands, and wetlands. The goal is eventually to link all the separate plots into one contiguous prairie landscape, including marsh and savanna, so that the original complex interaction of ecosystems can occur. Another major stage in restoration will be the reintroduction and subsequent management of animal species. Researchers are especially interested in establishing the prairie chicken and Franklin s ground squirrel.
Insects present perhaps the greatest challenge.
Most invertebrate species cannot travel far enough from prairie remnants to reach the Fermilab prairie, and so a comprehensive program will have to be undertaken to establish populations of prairie earthworms, yellow-winged grasshoppers, and countless others. In 1994, the white-tailed deer population whose optimal density is approximately 150 individuals on Fermilab grounds grew to 350 individuals. If this rapid growth were maintained, the white-tailed deer would number 1,500 by 2004. The Fermilab committee will address this problem with a planned management strategy, likely to include extensive community forums and lethal deer removal projects. Fermilab will also focus on its education program, which enjoyed notable growth in the late 1990s.