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Evaluating Encroachment Pressures on the Military Mission in the California Desert Region

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Evaluating Encroachment Pressures on the Military Mission in the California Desert Region Evaluating Encroachment Pressures on the Military Mission in the California Desert Region THE MILITARY MISSION AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ARE INTERTWINED Final Report Evaluating Encroachment Pressures on the Military Mission About the Sonoran Institute About the Author Ian Dowdy, AICP, MBA is the Program Director for Sonoran Support the Sonoran Institute Institute’s Sun Corridor Legacy program Your support preserves the environment for in Phoenix. As an urban planner he has future generations and makes a lasting impact in worked in a variety of public, private, and nonprofit roles. With a bachelor’s communities across Western North America. Learn degree in urban planning and a Master more about how you can help at SonoranInstitute.org/ of Business Administration from donate. Arizona State University, Ian focuses his program on balancing the reality of urban growth in the Sun Corridor with sustainability in the built environment. The Mission of the For several years he has worked on Sonoran Institute a variety of projects that seek to preserve the economic vitality of the southwest while simultaneously safeguarding important The Sonoran Institute’s mission is to connect people resources and improving quality of life. and communities with the natural resources that [email protected] nourish and sustain them. We work at the nexus of commerce, community, and conservation to help people in the North American West build the communities they want to live in while preserving the values which brought them here. We envision a West where civil dialogue and collaboration are hallmarks of decision making, where people and wildlife live in harmony, and where clean water, air, and energy are assured. SONORAN INSTITUTE OFFICES MAIN OFFICE 100 N. Stone Ave., Suite 400 Tucson, Arizona 85701 520.290.0828 Connect With Us PHOENIX OFFICE Go to SonoranInstitute.org to learn about our programs, 11010 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite D101 history, and recent news. Phoenix, Arizona 85028 602.393.4310 Or find us on Social Media: MEXICO OFFICE Ave. Graciela #654, Col. Residencias Mexicali, Baja California CP.21280 facebook.com/sonoraninstitute @sonoraninstitute SonoranInstituteFlix @sonoraninstitute 1 Sonoran Institute California Desert Region This legend is for use on the maps in this document which may not be easily readable due to small text. Please cut out if needed. Contents About The Sonoran Institute 1 Acknowledgements 3 Executive Summary 3 Background 4 Natural Resource Management and the Military Mission 4 Types Of Encroachment 7 Compatibility Tools for Public Lands 11 A Review Of the Five Military Installations and Ranges 13 Encroachment Analysis 15 1. Urban Development Pressures 15 2. Renewable Energy Development 26 3. Transmission Lines 36 4. Extractive Industries 45 5. Recreation 55 6. Natural Resource Management 64 Recommendations 75 Conclusion 77 Sun Corridor Program 2 Evaluating Encroachment Pressures on the Military Mission EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) oversees 420 large military installations on 25 million acres of land (Department of Defense 2014d). Over the past two decades, the U.S. military has paid ever-increasing attention to the management and stewardship of its natural resources both on and off of these military bases. The reasons for this trend are twofold: (1) military bases must preserve the realism of battlefield conditions on the ground to maximize training effectiveness (Stein 2008) and; (2) military bases must protect the integrity of their military mission from pressures posed by encroachment. In the past two decades, the DOD has spent close to $200 million to protect sensitive wildlife on its bases while maintaining or enhancing battlefield realism (Department of Defense 2014d). Such measures are necessary to ensure that federal endangered species regulations do not unduly compromise the military mission. In recent years, the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI) through the Department of Defense has awarded an additional $60.41 million for FY 2014 and $58.57 million for FY 2015 for a variety of actions that seek to preserve natural resources and preserve the mission of military facilities across the U.S. (DOD 2016). Beyond concerns for wildlife on the bases themselves, incompatible land uses surrounding military bases can also detract from mission integrity. For this reason, the DOD takes a broad view on natural resource management to include diverse partnerships that extend off-base (Elwood 2008). The goal is to share the burden of conserving and restoring open spaces and wildlife habitat in order to minimize current and future impacts to the base and its mission. This report explores the encroachment analysis structure that was recently published in the Sonoran Institute report Mutual Benefit: Preserving Arizona’s $9 Billion Military Mission and the Role of Publicly-Owned Lands (2015) for Arizona, and how this framework and analysis can apply to California’s military industry. In general, we conclude that effective natural resource management in this region is critical to preserving the military mission at five significant military facilities in the desert region of California. This report takes a close look at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (China Lake), Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Edwards Air Force Base, Fort Irwin National Training Center, and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC or 29 Palms) facilities. A number of potential impacts are anticipated in the region that will require vigilant oversight, including renewable energy and urban development, transmission lines, recreational use, mining activity, and the management of wildlife. As over 79% of the military mission in this region occurs over federally owned lands, it is imperative that the military cooperate closely with the appropriate management agencies to ensure the sustainability of the military mission. This report provides an encroachment grade for these five impacts and suggests a range of actions that should be taken in order to ensure that both the natural resources and U.S. military operations endure. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The advisory committee that was assembled for this project has provided significant experience in reviewing the report for accuracy and ensuring that it brings value to the conversation around military base sustainability. Stephanie J. Weigel, who led the Morongo Basin Conservation Priorities project for the Sonoran Institute also provided significant support and research to the effort. Additionally, John Shepard, Sonoran Institute’s senior director of programs, provided valuable editing support and direction to the project. Angela Melendez provided the mapped products and GIS analysis. 3 Sonoran Institute California Desert Region BACKGROUND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND THE Desert that includes areas over and around Edwards Air Force MILITARY MISSION Base (Edwards AFB), Fort Irwin National Training Center (Fort Irwin NTC), and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) oversees 420 large military China Lake) brings together soldiers from all military branches in installations on 25 million acres of land (DoD 2014d). Over the combined training maneuvers that utilize both the broad airspace past two decades, the U.S. military has paid ever-increasing over the desert as well as land on and around the 3 million acres attention to the management and stewardship of its natural of military lands throughout the region. Additionally, various resources, both on and off of these military installations. The Special Use Airspace (SUA) and Military Training Routes (MTRs) reasons for this trend are twofold: (1) military installations must occur that support the military mission and/or that connect these preserve the realism of battlefield conditions on the ground to facilities to training areas and to each other—all of which need maximize training effectiveness (Stein, 2008) and; (2) military attention to preserve their long-term viability and functionality installations must protect the integrity of their military mission for military uses. Consequently, military installations must actively from pressures posed by encroachment. work to protect the integrity of their military mission from In the past two decades, the DoD has spent close to $200 million pressures posed by diverse forms of encroachment that may not to protect sensitive wildlife on its installations while maintaining occur in the immediate vicinity of their installation (Hagel 2014). or enhancing battlefield realism (DoD 2014d). Such measures are CALIFORNIA DESERT MILITARY OPERATIONS necessary to ensure that federal endangered species regulations do not unduly compromise the military mission. In recent years, California’s military installations have been in operation for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program decades; in fact, the majority of them date back to before World (REPI) through the Department of Defense awarded an additional War II. Since the time of these early training operations, much $60.41 million for fiscal year (FY) 2014 and $58.57 million for has changed around these facilities and in the science of military FY 2015 for a variety of actions that seek to preserve natural readiness. Today the ambitions of local communities to grow resources and preserve the mission of military facilities across the around these existing military facilities must be balanced with the U.S. (DoD 2016). evolving requirements of national
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