From: | Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org> |
Date: | Sun, 25 Feb 1996 21:07:06 -0800 (PST) |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | DEFENSE BIODIVERSITY |
DEFENSE BIODIVERSITY In January the Keystone Center published a Pentagon-sponsored report on Department of Defense Biodiversity Management Strategy. The document suggests that today the military, at least at the policy level, considers the preservation of biologic diversity on its 25 million acres a serious mission. Many readers know the Keystone Center as the facilitator for the U.S. EPA-sponsored Federal Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue Committee (FFERDC). The Biodiversity dialogue differed from FFERDC, because it never sought full consensus among its participants. Though participants included representatives of major environmental organizations, and the Nature Conservancy provided scientific support, most dialogue participants were from the armed services. The Dialogue builds from a May 3, 1994 Memorandum issued by Sherri Wasserman Goodman, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Environmental Security), as well as her August 8, 1994 "Ecosystem Management Policy Directive." The report notes that Defense-managed lands, while less extensive than the holdings of the Interior and Agriculture Departments - are more spread out throughout the country and contain disproportionately more biologic resources, since Navy facilities in particular are concentrated along America's coastlines. The report argues that biodiversity conservation is important to the Pentagon for five reasons: 1) It helps sustain natural landscapes for training - that is, to support the Pentagon's number one mission: readiness. 2) It's the "right thing to do." 3) It eases environmental compliance and reduces conflict with regulatory agencies. 4) It engenders public support. 5) It can improve the quality of life for military personnel and families. Unsaid, but implied by arguments #1 and #4, the armed services need to improve their environmental reputation if they are going to expand training ranges to serve faster, longer distance aircraft and tactical missiles. The August, 1994 Directive laid out a strategy more advanced than the approach of many other government agencies. The highlights include the following: * In pursuit of conservation, the Defense Department is supposed to emphasize the management of entire ecosystems, not just selected species. * Public participation is an essential part of that strategy. The dialogue argues that conservation must be proactive - that, it involves more than repairing damage. It also puts forward numerous detailed considerations for creating teams among line military officers and Defense natural resource managers. It also recommends that the military reduce forestry, agriculture, hunting, fishing and other revenue-raising activities on its territory when those activities conflict with ecosystem management. It is not surprising, however, that the dialogue did not "bite the bullet" on the issue of training area expansion. It did NOT recommend that the military "pull in its wings" if environmental surveys suggest that such an expansion were to threaten ecosystems. (Copies of the report are available for $10 from the Keystone Center, and may be ordered by phone (970/468-5822), fax (970/262-0152), or E-mail (tkcsppp@keystone.org). Nationally, the implementation of military environmental conversation programs is uneven. One of the bright lights in the program is McClellan Air Force Base, in Sacramento, California. McClellan, just approved for closure, is one of the Defense Department's most contaminated bases, but because of strong public concern it has developed a model environmental program, including EPIC (Environmental Process Improvement Center), a partnership with U.S. EPA and Cal-EPA. The Fall, 1995 "EPIC Greensheet" describes McClellan's award-winning Natural Resource Conservation Program. The following is excerpted from that newsletter: "McClellan manages 250 acres for wildlife and wetlands. The base's program for natural resources encompasses vernal pools [defined below], two local creeks (Magpie Creek and Don Julio Creek), and fish and wildlife areas. The program also includes community involvement and partnership development for conservation and protection. "McClellan takes a holistic approach to ecosystem management. The nature areas are carefully safeguarded by following an integrated management plan created to protect and monitor the vernal pool ecosystem. The plan calls for less destructive fire control procedures, improved controls on grazing, and alternative pest management and weed control practices. Through a strong partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game and local wildlife management groups, the management of the vernal pool ecosystem is accomplished. "The wetlands occur within the grasslands as vernal pools and along base creeks as riparian habitat. Vernal pools are depressions within the grasslands that collect seasonal rains. The result is a habitat created for specialized groups of plant and animal species. In spring, the water evaporates and a burst of small flowering plants encircles the temporary pools. The vernal pools serve as feeding grounds as well as a refuge for migratory waterfowl and species native to California grasslands." For more information, contact Diane Arreola at McClellan AFB (phone: 916/643-0836) or "Greensheet" Editor Linda Geissinger (916/643-0950). Lenny Siegel | |
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