Why Did the National Science Foundation Fund the Long-Term Ecological

Why did the National Science Foundation fund the Long-Term Ecological Research network?

A) They have more money than they know what to do with.
B) To keep as many scientists as possible employed
C) Because it can take a long time for changes to occur in an ecosystem, so experiments take a long time
D) Because that allows time for many more experiments that teach us how ecosystems work
E) Because scientists were refusing to do short-term studies since they don't really tell you much