Law Enforcement (Adapted from Ripley 2008)โThe Sikes Act mandates that natural resources law enforcement be provided on military lands, and the DoD has developed very general law enforcement policy in DoD Directive 4715.3. However, comprehensive DoD law enforcement policy is lacking and each military service has historically addressed the subject individually on an installation-by-installation basis. This has included a range of law enforcement options ranging from employment of civilian game wardens, military police, or combinations of civilian game wardens and military police. Further, there is no DoD standard for law enforcement training, firearms, or civilian job descriptions. In 2003, the U.S. Marine Corps developed a standard law enforcement policy described in Marine Corps Order 5090.1, Conservation Law Enforcement Program.
The Marine Corps policy provides standardized job descriptions, prescribes training requirements, and sets staffing levels for all Marine Corps installations. Although the Air Force has endeavored to develop a similar program, it has yet to be formalized. A standard DoD policy on natural resources law enforcement, therefore, remains to be developed.
Public access to military lands (Adapted from Ripley 2008)โPublic access to military lands for recreational purposes has long been a requirement of the Sikes Act. The Defense Authorization Act of 1999 expanded this requirement to specifically encourage access to hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation opportunities for disabled veterans. However, DoD policy has always stated that the local military commander has the authority to decide the extent of public access to his or her installation, based on security and safety considerations. And, following the events of 9/11, most military installations have significantly reduced public access. Consequently, no formal DoD policy exists for public access to military bases and ranges, and public access is handled mainly on a case-by-case basis at individual installations.36
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Author
David S. Jones, RA IV, Ecologist/Project Manager
Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands
Warner College of Natural Resources
Colorado State University