A recent issue of the “Plant Press” published by the Arizona Native Plant Society presents an important fact that’s often overlooked by conservationists.
Due to tightly controlled public access, much of the 25 million acres incorporated into military reservations nationwide is de facto nature preserve.
Military reservation and nature preserve in the same sentence? Yes! You read it right. For a good example, we need look no further than Davis-Monthan Air Force Base right in our own backyard.
We’re all aware of the economic impact of the base and the so-far successful efforts of Congesswoman Martha McSally, her predecessor, Ron Barber, and civic leaders to keep the base open.
Base conservation officer Kevin Wakefield refers to the 2,600 acres of undeveloped and mostly undisturbed land that buffers flight operations at D-M as a “cactus garden”, i.e. a parcel of healthy Sonoran Desert ecosystem that would have been developed decades ago but for the base.
This is a conservation bonus at no cost to taxpayers. Areas of undeveloped land are significantly higher on many other bases.
Lands managed by the Department of Defense contain the highest density of threatened and endangered species of any federal land management agency. DOD conservation officers take their stewardship responsibilities seriously. In some respects their jobs are easier than for their counterparts in other federal agencies.
As “Friends of Ironwood Forest”(National Monument) we’re well acquainted with issues Bureau of Land Management officials deal with on a daily basis in protecting this unique but little-known desert treasure that’s also in our own backyard. Irresponsible shooting, irresponsible off-road vehicle use and wildcat trash dumping can cause serious long-term damage to fragile desert ecosystems. Due to restricted public access, these are mostly non-issues for DOD land managers, and ecosystems benefit accordingly.
Of necessity, military training exercises can and do impact the land. It’s a price we must pay to develop and hone the skills our men and women in uniform need to accomplish their missions in an ever more dangerous world.
Conservationists, though, should recognize and appreciate the role of the Department of Defense in managing healthy ecosystems that exist because they lie within the boundaries of military reservations. Military preparedness and good land stewardship are not mutually exclusive.
