ABOUT LEGACY

In 1990, Congress passed legislation establishing the Legacy Resource Management Program to provide financial assistance to the Department of Defense (DoD) efforts to preserve our natural and cultural heritage. The program assists DoD in protecting and enhancing resources while supporting military readiness. A Legacy project may involve regional ecosystem management initiatives, habitat preservation efforts, archaeological investigations, invasive species control, Native American consultations, and/or monitoring and predicting migratory patterns of birds and animals.

Three principles guide the Legacy program: stewardship, leadership, and partnership. Stewardship initiatives assist DoD in safeguarding its irreplaceable resources for future generations. By embracing a leadership role as part of the program, the Department serves as a model for respectful use of natural and cultural resources. Through partnerships, the program strives to access the knowledge and talents of individuals outside of DoD.

In order to support these principles, the Legacy Program emphasizes five areas:

• Legacy incorporates an ecosystem approach that assists DoD in maintaining biological diversity, and the sustainable use of land and water resources for mission and other uses.
  
• The program also implements an interdisciplinary approach to resource stewardship that takes advantage of the similarities between DoD's natural and cultural resource plans. Often, the same person is responsible for managing both natural and cultural resource plans on an installation. Legacy strives to take advantage of this by sharing management methodologies and techniques across natural and cultural resource initiatives.
  
• Legacy promotes understanding and appreciation for natural and cultural resources by encouraging greater awareness and involvement by both the military and the public.
  
• Additionally, the program takes advantage of similar ecosystems by applying resource management initiatives in broad regional areas. Legacy supports projects such as the Sonoran Ecosystem Management Initiative, the Gulf Coast Plain Ecosystem Partnership, the Great Basin Initiative, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and Partners in Flight.
  
• Finally, Legacy pursues the identification of innovative new technologies that enable more efficient and effective management.
  

LEGACY GUIDEBOOK

This guide will explain the Legacy Program and the process used in funding Legacy projects, from the application stage through successful project completion.

ABOUT THE TRACKER

The Legacy Project Tracker is designed to collect Legacy Proposal submissions and track Legacy Project progress centrally via the World Wide Web (Web). The site allows users at the installation level to electronically submit proposals through their Service specific review chains before final 'submission' to DoD. In addition, it provides a means by which each Service can track the status of its proposals and the progress of its Projects all via the Web.

PUBLIC LAWS

PUBLIC LAW 104-201 Sect. 2694 - SEPT. 23, 1996

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LEGACY

For more information on current and previously funded Legacy Projects, visit us on DENIX (Defense Environmental Network and Information eXchange):

Legacy on DENIX