Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans

The U.S. Department of Defense What Does an INRMP Do? activities and are the foundation for (DoD), with the assistance of the U.S. INRMPs are based, to the maximum sustained military training. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and extent practicable, on ecosystem the states, is responsible under the Sikes management principles. INRMPs All traditional component areas of Act (16 U.S.C. 670a-670f, as amended) provide for the management of natural natural resources management are for carrying out programs and resources, including fish, wildlife, and integrated through the INRMP planning implementing management strategies to plants; allow multipurpose uses of process. The process also takes into conserve and protect biological resources, and provide public access account military mission requirements, resources on its lands. Because military necessary and appropriate for those installation master planning, lands and waters often are protected uses, without any net loss in the environmental planning, and outdoor from human access and impact, they capability of an installation to support recreation. The focus and intent of contain some of our nation’s most its military mission. current INRMPs on involving all significant remaining large tracts of appropriate stakeholders to address land with valuable natural resources. To the extent appropriate and applicable installation requirements and regional Congress established the Sikes Act in for a given installation, an INRMP: issues will provide for more efficient 1960 to manage these lands for wildlife and effective management of natural conservation and human access. The ƒ Integrates conservation measures and resources on a landscape basis while Sikes Act was amended in 1997 to military operations maintaining military readiness. develop and implement mutually agreed ƒ Reflects cooperation between the upon Integrated Natural Resource FWS, state, and installation relative to What Does an INRMP Include? Management Plans (INRMPs) through the proper management of fish and INRMPs identify specific actions voluntary cooperative agreements wildlife resources required to attain natural resource between the DoD installation, FWS, ƒ Documents requirements for the management goals. Although there is and the respective state fish and wildlife natural resources budget some variation among the different agencies. ƒ Serves as a principal information military services, a basic INRMP source for NEPA documents includes: INRMPs are planning documents that ƒ Aids planners and facility managers allow DoD installations to implement ƒ Guides the use and conservation of ƒ A description of the installation, its landscape-level management of their natural resources on lands and waters history and its current mission natural resources while coordinating under DoD control ƒ Management goals and associated with various stakeholders. They are ƒ Balances the management of natural timeframes extremely important management tools resources unique to each installation ƒ Projects to be implemented and that ensure military operations and with mission requirements and other estimated costs natural resources conservation are land use activities affecting an ƒ Discussion on how military mission integrated and consistent with installation’s natural resources and training requirements are stewardship and legal requirements. ƒ Identifies and prioritizes actions supported while protecting the required to implement goals and environment objectives ƒ Legal requirements and biological needs of the natural resources Development of the INRMP is a How Are INRMPs Changing Natural ƒ The role of the installation’s natural collaborative effort between the Resources Management of Military resources in the context of the appropriate field office staff in Lands? surrounding ecosystem conjunction with Regional Office of The INRMP provides a comprehensive ƒ Input from the FWS, state fish and the FWS and state fish and wildlife approach to ecosystem management. wildlife agency, and the general agency. The goal is for all agencies Natural resources must now be looked public to agree on the fish and wildlife at holistically on a watershed or management decisions in the plan. physiographic basis. INRMPs are In addition, the Sikes Act requires, to Each INRMP must provide for living documents that provide direction the extent appropriate and applicable, public participation. for daily natural resource management that INRMPs provide for:

1. Fish and wildlife management, land management, forest management, and fish and wildlife-oriented recreation. 2. Fish and wildlife habitat enhancement or modifications. 3. Wetlands protection, enhancement, and restoration, where necessary for support of fish, wildlife, or plants. 4. Integration of and consistency among the various activities conducted under the plan. 5. Establishment of specific natural resources management goals and objectives, and time frames for proposed actions. 6. Sustainable use by the public of natural resources to the extent that the use is not inconsistent with the needs of the fish and wildlife resources. Riverine craft on a raid, New River intracoastal waterway, Camp Lejeune, NC – US Marine Corps Photo 7. Public access to the military installation that is necessary and ƒ Environmental and conservation The Sikes Act requires the Secretary of appropriate for the use described in groups Defense to monitor this process, and #6, subject to requirements necessary ƒ Cultural resources managers report annually to Congress on the to ensure safety and military security. ƒ Installation pest management status of plan development and the 8. Enforcement of applicable natural professionals amounts expended by each military resources laws and regulations; and ƒ Neighboring land owners installation in implementing INRMPs. The Secretary of the Interior also 9. No net loss in the capability of What Period Does an INRMP Cover? reports annually on the amounts military installation lands to support All INRMPs must be kept current. expended by the FWS and state fish and the military mission of the INRMPs are reviewed and updated game agencies on INRMP-related installation. annually. They must be re-coordinated activities.

with appropriate stakeholders annually Who Prepares the INRMP? and re-confirmed with the tripartite Installation commanders are responsible signatures of DoD, FWS, and the for preparation and implementation of appropriate state agency every 5 years. INRMPs. Trained natural resource professionals – installation staff, Who Tracks INRMP personnel from other federal or state Implementation? agencies, or contractors – prepare the The Sikes Act requires that DoD plans. Installation natural resources installations prepare and implement managers should actively involve INRMPs. Some of the projects that are individuals and organizations that have implemented through an INRMP a vested interest in natural resources include natural resource assessments, management on the installation early in Program Contacts: monitoring programs, forestry and the process. These stakeholders may Conservation Team Leader, Office rangeland management, noxious weed include: of the Deputy Under Secretary of control, native species restoration, Defense (Installations and

threatened and endangered species Environment), 703-604-0524 ƒ Managers of military operations/ restoration, wildlife education, and http://denix.osd.mil/conservation training activities recreational hunting and fishing ƒ Environmental managers programs. Each of the military services Chief, Division of Habitat and ƒ Master planning staff Resource Conservation, U.S. Fish has specific policies for developing and ƒ Federal and state agencies (at a and Wildlife Service, 703-358-2161 implementing INRMPs. Each service minimum the FWS, and state fish and http://habitat.fws.gov tracks the INRMP progress for its game departments) installations and reports findings May 2004 ƒ Agricultural lessees directly to the DoD. ƒ Recreational groups