Natural Resources-focused Areas of Emphasis
Integrated Natural Resources Management
Habitat restoration and enhancement efforts allow military commanders greater flexibility in using DoD lands. Habitat enhancement can improve training conditions by minimizing disturbance of natural landscapes and increasing vegetative cover. By implementing integrated natural resource management plans (INRMPs), DoD land managers can determine how best to minimize negative impacts of diverse and sometimes conflicting requirements. We will invest in forward-looking approaches that promote natural habitat restoration and protection, thereby preventing the listing of additional plant and animal species. We encourage projects developed from the regional TER-S workshops. We will not invest in traditional inventory projects, as these should be programmed for funding by the DoD Components. Instead, we will invest in projects that will enhance DoD's ability to access, evaluate, and use existing inventory data. We also encourage new approaches and creative partnerships to promote natural resources management on DoD lands. In particular, we encourage efforts to integrate the goals of DoD’s integrated natural resource management plans (INRMPs) with those of the State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies (State Wildlife Action Plans).
Regional Ecosystem Management Initiatives
Regional management planning similar to the Sonoran Desert Ecosystem Initiative and the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregional Partnership protects current military readiness and provides increased flexibility to respond to new missions. This process promotes adaptive management, sustainable use for ecological and human purposes, and the best available science. It also promotes the protection of species on adjacent non-DoD lands, thereby encouraging partnerships and reducing the management burden to DoD. We plan to apply this proven planning process to other regions of interest to DoD or to specific ecosystem types with significant DoD landholdings (e.g., desert, coastal, riparian, or grassland).
Invasive Species Control
The economic and natural resource losses due to the spread of non-native invasive species are growing exponentially. Invasive species also can adversely affect military readiness and create fire and safety hazards. Control and restoration efforts are often required to protect sensitive natural resources from invasive species. Without proper control, invasive species threaten native plant and animal species, some of which may already be listed as threatened or endangered. Only through broad regional and national cooperative efforts can the threat of exotic pests be controlled. We will invest in habitat enhancement, particularly through control of exotic pests and promotion of natural species, to minimize disturbance of natural landscapes and increase vegetative cover, thereby controlling a growing threat to environmental security and improving training conditions. We will also invest in efforts to institutionalize Early Detection and Rapid Response methods within DoD. We will not invest in proposals for invasive microorganisms. We encourage partnerships with existing or new weed management areas in regions of interest to DoD. All proposals will be reviewed by and coordinated with the Armed Forces Pest Management Board, as appropriate.
Monitoring & Predicting Migratory Patterns of Birds
These efforts help to prevent bird and animal strikes with resultant loss of personnel and equipment, while also preventing inadvertent harm to bird and animal species. This program has three main thrusts: long-term monitoring of migratory bird habitat use and survivorship; monitoring and predictive modeling of movements during migration and in response to training activities using radar and satellite tracking; and monitoring birds of prey and waterbirds on training lands to comply with legal requirements. We will continue to support ongoing efforts as required. We also will invest in complementary projects that would enhance and broaden these efforts. All proposals pertaining to birds will be reviewed by and coordinated with DoD Partners in Flight and the DoD BASH program, as appropriate.
Cultural Resources-focused Areas of Emphasis
Economics of Historical Preservation
Recent policies, such as the DoD Installation Support Plan (DISP), are moving DoD towards a decrease in its energy consumption. Common perceptions is that historic buildings and structures are less energy efficient than their modern counterparts, which places stewardship of historic properties at odds with the requirements for lower energy consumption. Rehabilitation of historic buildings and structures for increased energy efficiency is the focus of a great deal of research in the public sector; however, it would be easier to make a case for preservation, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of DoD buildings and structures with data models that can be directly applied to the building types and materials that are most commonly encountered on military installations. Projects in this category can include pilot projects demonstrating how to rehabilitate standard building types for greater energy efficiency; development of models to more effectively calculate the costs of rehabilitation completed for energy efficiency compared to new construction; guidance on products that increase energy efficiency but meet Secretary of Interior Standards and Guidelines for rehabilitation; projects exploring cost savings related to alternate uses for common building types; or even pilot projects that integrate use of alternative energy sources into historic buildings or structures.
Cultural Resources Data Management
DoD recognizes its responsibility to manage cultural resources in a wise and effective manner. An important aspect of protecting cultural resources associated with our national heritage as a fundamental part of DoD's primary mission is to be able to track identified cultural resources and the information and any subsequent materials related to them. To further enhance this responsibility, DoD wants to invest in projects that improve access, evaluation, and increase use of existing inventory data. Good proposals include: innovative approaches to compile; organize and/or convert legacy data (i.e., old platform data); explore standardization methodologies to apply GIS and/or relational database systems; integrate different database systems such as ArcView and ORACLE into a single access approach, and integrate the use of such systems within management decision making processes. Proposals may be pilot projects that include implementation guidance for transferring the results to other DoD Components through to installations. Installation collaboration, where primary data is stored and actively used, is strongly encouraged. Another aspect of addressing stewardship responsibilities toward data management is dealing with the recovered materials and documents associated with recovery resulting from both authorized and unauthorized activities. Projects in this section are encouraged to develop innovative ways to address custodial responsibilities for human remains and/or cultural items in DoD’s care. To address management responsibilities in this area, DoD needs to develop sustainable deaccessioning and collections management polities. Projects examining collection storage, curation, and maintenance should include evaluation of long-term cost savings. Pilot projects exploring, public-private partnerships should show value-added options and examples of implementation at the level of widest public availability. Please note that Legacy funds will not subsidize construction of new curation facilities or purchase of curation supplies. Traditional inventory projects should be programmed for funding by the DoD Components and are not within the purview of this program. The Legacy program does not intend to subsidize purchases of software or equipment or provide staff.
Communication, Partnerships, and Public Awareness
DoD, like all Federal agencies, faces the problem of public perception. To improve public perception, the agency should promote and interpret the cultural resources under its care. Projects can highlight a particular preservation effort, a program, a product like a training video or adopt innovative approaches to allow access to information as a means to create heritage tourism opportunities. Partnering is a key element in terms of creating outreach and awareness products and getting those products out to the intended audience. Taking into account mission activities, sustainability, fiscal soundness, safety and security issues, and tribal consultation, projects may demonstrate new or improved ways for DoD managers and leadership to effectively manage resources. Other project focuses could include consultation protocols and procedures that help to establish and promote trusting relationships, communication networks, and procedures of information sharing between Native Americans, Alaska Native, Hawaiian Native, Guamanian, and Chamorro people. Archaeology and curation also play an important role in public awareness. DoD will support creative site interpretation projects, particularly those exploring alternative/creative mitigation that supports the Preserve America Executive Order, as well as supporting military operations and/or addressing legal requirements.
Context and Model Development
DoD seeks to streamline its compliance with the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act through creative alternatives. Underlying each of these alternatives should be inventories of resource types, where such creative problem solving will provide a cost savings and support the mission. Tools for inventory management may include a program comment, model for programmatic agreements, or other alternatives; development of historic contexts to improve evaluation criteria, technology and implementation methodology for conserving/preserving facilities on the whole or in part; collecting data; and preparation of guidance on how to apply program alternatives once they are in place. DoD will support region-wide archaeological studies, models, and analysis that will combine to provide better appraisal in the importance of archaeological sites, their locations and the information they may contain, in order to contribute to reduced costs and improve management of DoD lands. To date, program alternatives have focused on historic buildings and structures; however, there is potential for developing program alternatives for archaeological resources based on development of regional models or standard treatments. Projects submitted in this category must have regional or national applicability, focusing either on a type(s) of resource known to be common across multiple installations or seeking to identify whether a particular type of resource is sufficiently common to warrant development of a program alternative or standard treatment.
Integrated Resources-focused Areas of Emphasis
Readiness and Range Sustainment
The military’s ability to fight and win our nation’s wars is tied directly to readiness resulting from realistic test and training exercises. Encroachment from a variety of sources hampers this ability. We will invest in projects that mitigate or resolve the adverse impacts of encroachment on DoD lands, and help sustain military ranges and operating areas for future use while also promoting long-term stewardship of DoD’s natural and cultural resources. We encourage efforts that protect wildlife and other natural resources, and cultural resources while protecting military training and testing areas from incompatible development, and projects that can accurately quantify and track the effects of encroachment on natural and cultural resources. Building on the in-theater training initiatives developed in previous Legacy projects, new projects could include ways to integrate protection of resources into training exercises, innovative readiness projects to help stabilize or monitor resources, or ways to integrate cultural awareness messages into training. Projects in this category could also include partnerships with preservation organizations to solve encroachment issues, following the example set through partnerships between DoD and the Nature Conservancy. Legacy does not seek proposals to develop or implement conservation easements.
National and International Initiatives
It is important for DoD to be able to participate in certain national and international conservation initiatives. We will emphasize active participation in national partnerships such as the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI). National Public Lands Day (NPLD), North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), Save America’s Treasures, and the National Fish Habitat Initiative which permit DoD to benefit from economies of scale, and to ensure its interests are given proper consideration. We will consider continued support to our Coral Reef and Chesapeake Bay initiatives; however, we cannot fund Executive Agent responsibilities for these or other executive agent initiatives. We will invest in other national and international initiatives that complement DoD conservation objectives.
Cooperative Conservation
The Department of Defense supports efforts that promote “cooperative conservation” through the proper inclusion of local participation in Federal decision-making. Cooperative conservation activities are those that promote the protection, use, enhancement or enjoyment of natural and cultural resources on military lands by collaborative action among Federal, State, Tribal and local governments, other nongovernmental entities, and private institutions.
Program Management
During the period FY 1991-2008, Legacy has invested more than $290 million to fund more than 2880 projects. We will use the Program Management portion of these funds for DoD Headquarters Legacy staff, contract management support at Huntsville, and related activities to enhance overall program management. This will ensure proper oversight of current projects and the completion of previously funded projects, and to communicate program results so they can be used effectively and efficiently.