Doran recognized that the analytical tools available in the 1980s, while sufficient to make extraordinary discoveries, would almost certainly be superseded by more powerful methods in the coming decades.

Leaving the unexcavated portion of the pond intact was a form of archival conservation — preserving the option for future researchers to ask questions that could not yet be framed.

The site is now designated as a National Historic Landmark — the highest level of federal historic designation in the United States, indicating a property of exceptional national significance.

The designation protects the site from development and establishes a framework for its long-term preservation.

The pond itself is now on private property, within a residential subdivision.