This award supports strategic planning for Archbold Biological Station which has recently expanded its land holdings through a significant private donation. Archbold was established in 1941 as a not-for-profit research institution dedicated to long-term ecological research. Staff, visiting investigators, and students conduct research focused on the environments of the Lake Wales Ridge, central Florida. Areas of research strength are population and conservation biology, emphasizing ecological changes over local and regional scales, and demographic shifts in local species. In addition to research use, Archbold is used heavily for education by visiting classes and has its own active K-12 program. As the result of a large private donation, the area of the station will increase by 70%. The new land addition, which includes scrub habitat and extensive improved pasture, should allow the station to initiate new research programs in areas such as long-term studies in restoration ecology. With the funds provided through this award, the station will develop a long-term plan for future research, land management and education use of the new acquisition. As part of this effort, existing information will be collected, and placed in a geographic information system containing both current and historical site information. Three planning workshops will be held: a Research and Land Management Workshop, an Education Workshop, and a separate Financial Plan workshop. The PI will compile workshop results into a Research and Land Management, Education and Financial Plans for the Reserve including 2, 5 and 10-20 yr goals, objectives, measures of success, and a 5-year implementation timetable. Besides being used for management of the station, the plans will be made available to the public using the web and other distribution means.
