Five Oaks Ag Research And Education Center Inc

TO SUSTAIN AND INCREASE A VANISHING BOTTOMLAND HARDWOOD FOREST ECOSYSTEM.

SEE SCHEDULE O FOR DETAIL.DURING 2021, THE ORGANIZATION ESTABLISHED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS (UA), THE UA DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE, AND THE UA AT MONTICELLO FOR SUPPORT OF EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES. THIS PARTNERSHIP INCLUDED CREATION OF A NEW GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM (GCP) AT UA AT MONTICELLO IN WATERFOWL HABITAT AND RECREATION MANAGEMENT, WHICH USES THE FIVE OAKS PROPERTY IN HUMPHREY AR AS ITS FIELD STATION AND LEARNING LAB.THE FIRST GCP COHORT WAS SELECTED IN THE SPRING OF 2021 AND IS SCHEDULED TO COMPLETE THE ONE-YEAR PROGRAM IN MAY 2022. TO SUPPORT THE GCP ACTIVITIES AT FIVE OAKS, AN OLD HUNTING LODGE AT A WATERFOWL RESTING AREA ON THE FIVE OAKS PROPERTY KNOWN AS "LITTLE SIBERIA" WAS REFURBISHED AND MODIFIED DURING 2021 INTO A DORMITORY/LAB/WORKSPACE FOR THE GCP STUDENTS AND FACULTY. IN LATE 2021, THE ORGANIZATION BEGAN WORKING WITH UA REPRESENTATIVES AND LOCAL 4-H CLUBS TO PLAN TWO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN 2022 TARGETED TO PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LEVEL STUDENTS.THE FIVE OAKS AG RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER (FOAGREC) RESEARCH COMMITTEE WAS ALSO ESTABLISHED AND CONVENED IN EARLY 2021. IT CREATED AND ISSUED AN INITIAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AND SELECTED A RESEARCH PROJECT ("ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT PLOT TO BEING BASELINE DATA COLLECTION FOR LONG TERM MONITORING OF BOTTOMLAND HARDWOODS FORESTS") FOR FUNDING IN MID-2021. LATER IN 2021, THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE CONVENED AT FIVE OAKS TO INFORM A SECOND REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. A GROUP OF PROJECTS WERE APPROVED FOR FUNDING IN DECEMBER, WITH THE PRIMARY PROJECT BEING "CHARACTERIZATION OF FOAGREC SOILS AND DEVELOPMENT OF FINE-SCALE SOIL PROPERTIES MAPS." THE ORGANIZATION HAS ALSO SUPPORTED WATERFOWL BANDING AND TRACKING WORK ON THE FIVE OAKS PROPERTY (LED BY UA AT MONTICELLO FACULTY AND STUDENTS), INCLUDING SOME SPECIAL FUNDING TO EQUIP MALLARDS WITH TRANSMITTER PACKS TO MORE ACTIVELY MONITOR THEIR MOVEMENTS AND BEHAVIOR PATTERNS.THE ORGANIZATION HOSTED AN OPEN HOUSE EVENT IN SEPTEMBER 2021 WITH ITS UA PARTNERS TO INTRODUCE THE INAUGURAL GCP CLASS TO STAKEHOLDERS AND DISCUSS THE ACTIVE AND PLANNED RESEARCH ACTIVITY.