[CPEO-MEF] Army develops pilot program to protect base

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Army develops pilot program to protect base, woodpeckers

ASSOCIATED PRESS 


FORT BRAGG, N.C., April 5 - Environmentalists bent on protecting 
endangered species have a new - and formidable - ally: the U.S. Army. 
 
AS A FEDERAL agency, the Army has long been required to protect flora 
and fauna that are declared endangered. At Fort Bragg, a 167,000-acre 
post adjoining Fayetteville, work to protect and restore the 
red-cockaded woodpecker began at least a decade ago. 

The effort only recently became a joint project of the military and The 
Nature Conservancy, an international environmental group. The 
collaboration is serving as a pilot program for the Army and a model for 
bases across the country. 

And it serves the soldiers as well as the birds: By restricting 
development on the fringes of Fort Bragg, the Army can avoid fights with 
potential neighbors over the noise and disruption of military training. 

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.msnbc.com/local/rtnc/m167951.asp