Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (FTHL)
In 1997, multiple federal and state partners, including from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and U.S. Navy, signed a voluntary long-term Interagency Conservation Agreement to use common management goals and strategies to prevent the FTHL from being federally listed. The FTHL lives on roughly 153,000 acres of training lands on Naval Air Facility El Centro and the Barry M. Goldwater Range West in California. The FTHL was first considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 1980s; however, as a result of the partnership’s voluntary conservation efforts51, the FTHL is not only thriving on military lands, but the FWS has determined listing the FTHL is not warranted.
Mohave Desert Tortoise
As a result of multiple stressors, the Mohave Desert Tortoise was federally listed under the ESA as threatened throughout its range in 1994. This listing has required significant workarounds for training and exercises in the region, and DoD has spent nearly $150 million in response52. So, when the USMC needed to expand the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms training area, installation biologists worked with a team of highly qualified partners in the Southwest to plan the relocation of approximately 1,100 Desert Tortoises53. Similar and costly planning, logistics, and conservation measures for the species had to be implemented for Fort Irwin’s land expansion, Operation Citadel Shield, and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake’s recent land expansion.
Western Pond Turtle
The Western Pond Turtle has declined across nearly 80 percent of its range (Rhodin et al. 2010), and is the only remaining native freshwater pond turtle in California. Recently split into two species taxonomically, the USMC is a significant stakeholder for the Southwestern Pond Turtle. Both it and the Northwestern Pond Turtle are currently being considered for listing by the FWS, which could result in mission impacts. Pro-active conservation actions have been implemented and more are planned to recover these imperiled species and avoid potential regulatory protections by a listing under the ESA. To achieve maximum success, DoD is working with over a dozen state and federal partners through a range-wide conservation coalition to implement a Range wide Management Strategy for these conservation actions.
50 OSD Commander’s Guide to the Department of Defense Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network. 2020. https://www.denix.osd.mil/dodparc/home/index.html
51 Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Interagency Coordinating Committee. 2003. Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Rangewide Management Strategy, 2003 Revision. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad, California
52 From FY1991-FY2016, DoD spent $143M on the desert tortoise.
53 https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/1152478/marinesrelocate-deserttortoises/
Longleaf Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Project
Through the national PARC network, DoD became a member of the Longleaf ARC Project, which is focused on accelerating conservation efforts for five at-risk species (Gopher Frog, Gopher Tortoise, Striped Newt, Southern Hog-nosed Snake, Florida Pine Snake) that live in longleaf pine habitats. If these at-risk species were to become listed under the ESA, it could impact training on more than 30 southeastern installations. Project partners are gathering data to improve decisions about where and how to invest conservation resources to ensure the greatest return on investment. Already through these efforts, the Southern Hog-nosed Snake was determined to be “not warranted for protection” under the ESA.
Pollinator Conservation on DoD Lands
In 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding between the DoD and the Pollinator Partnership was created to establish a framework for cooperative programs that promote the conservation and management of pollinators, their habitats and associated ecosystems. The framework for cooperation and coordination is especially important to ensure that pollinator management activities are incorporated, where practicable, into installation integrated natural resource management plans (INRMPs) and practices.
Onslow Bight Conservation Initiative54
This partnership seeks to protect environmentally sensitive terrain and wetlands around Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Coastal North Carolina’s Onslow Bight stretches from Cape Lookout to Cape Fear. A rich mosaic of saltwater marshes, wetlands, longleaf pine savannahs, and other coastal ecosystems, it supports several rare and endangered plant and animal species, including the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The region is developing rapidly and beginning to lose its rural character and ecological integrity. The Onslow Bight Conservation Forum was jointly initiated by The Nature Conservancy and Camp Lejeune in response to encroachment issues at the military installation. Most of the partners own land in the region. Partners represent a broad spectrum of land managers and conservation advocates who are working to identify areas that should remain natural, develop political support for land acquisition, and work toward acquiring these lands.
54 http://www.cooperativeconservationamerica.org/viewproject.aspx?id=727
Next Page: Box 6.3: Air Force Wildland Fire Branch (AFWFB): Interagency coordination and partnership to manage wildland fire threats
Author
David S. Jones, RA IV, Ecologist/Project Manager
Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands
Warner College of Natural Resources
Colorado State University
Examples of conservation partnerships
Examples of conservation partnerships