Fort Hood Project

Off-post Habitat Protection

Fort Hood, like many Department of Defense (DoD) installations in the United States, is facing the threat of loss of mission capability because of land use changes on and off the installation. These types of conflicts are collectively referred to as encroachment, and are generally divided into two types: internal and external. Internal encroachment arises from competing land uses on military installations and includes, among other things, restrictions on training caused by the presence of listed species, wetlands, and other legally protected natural resources on the training lands. As military uses of training land are intensified and concentrated on fewer installations, conflicts over land use will become more frequent. Construction of new ranges, accommodation of new training doctrines that require ever-larger units to train together, and development of new weapons systems all are examples of internal encroachment. Meanwhile, due to land use changes outside the installations, DoD lands become ever more valuable as refuges for rare species and other protected natural resources.

External encroachment arises from land use changes outside the boundaries of the installation. This threat has become the focus of efforts in DoD and Congress to identify and fund approaches to reduce its impact. Conservation goals important to The Nature Conservancy are also at risk due to incompatible land uses, including those surrounding military installations such as Fort Hood. It is no accident that DoD installations across the country are also significant biodiversity reserves; military activities are often quite compatible with conservation goals in a variety of habitats. It is therefore in the interest of those conservation goals for installations to remain viable and able to accomplish their military missions. Loss of mission capability can result in base closure and land use changes which are detrimental to conservation.

Protecting habitat in areas surrounding military installations accomplishes two goals: first, the off-base habitat itself is protected, thus enlarging the area available for recovery or protection of rare species; and second, the installation benefits from the continuation of compatible land uses in areas adjacent to its boundaries, thus ensuring its long-term usefulness to the military and as a refuge for biodiversity. At Fort Hood The Nature Conservancy is working together with the Army, local and national conservation groups, and private landowners to protect habitat for golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped vireos, and to extend cowbird removal programs to surrounding private lands. Funding is being provided by the Army for this effort, and on-the-ground efforts have begun.