AMC honors Oklahoman for natural resources conservation

By Kevin Jackson (AMC)November 19, 2014

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1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Bill Starry (left), chief of the Land Management Office at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., briefs Brig. Gen. Kristin K. French, commanding general, Joint Munitions Command, and Col. Joseph G. Dalessio, MCAAP commander, about MCAAP's natural r... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Bill Starry, chief of the Land Management Office at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., surveys the root structure of native Eastern Gamagrass scattered in bunches throughout the installation's hay meadows. Starry said the species nearly went ext... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Bill Starry (left), chief of the Land Management Office at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., gets an assist from Eric Suttles, a biologist from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, to remove a screen from a drainage pipe that kept ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Kristin K. French, commanding general, Joint Munitions Command, presents the Army Materiel Command's Natural Resources Conservation Award for an individual to Bill Starry during a visit to the McAlester Army Ammunition, Okla., last month, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

McALESTER, Okla. -- A civilian employee who spent more than 30 years working to improve natural resources conservation at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, including the past 18 years leading the Land Management Office (LMO) responsible for it, was recently recognized for his accomplishments.

Bill Starry was presented the Army Materiel Command's Natural Resources Conservation Award for an individual from Brig. Gen. Kristin K. French, commanding general, Joint Munitions Command, during her visit to MCAAP in October.

"If you didn't have this passion, you wouldn't be recognized for all you're doing here," French said. "Congratulations on the award from AMC. It's well-deserved."

"MCAAP is a wonderful place to work, but a 40-hour week does not exist for us," Starry said to French before receiving the award. "Not only do you have to believe in [natural resources conservation], but you have to love it."

In the nomination packet submitted to AMC for the award, Starry was credited for his comprehensive efforts with endangered species, wetland, and habitat management; agricultural, hunting, fishing and Wounded Warrior programs; invasive species control; and public relations and outreach.

Starry and his staff of two, MCAAP employee Ryan Toby, and Eric Suttles, a biologist from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), carry out those programs across the installation's nearly 45,000 acres, which include 150 ponds and lakes, 12 miles of streams, 3,085 acres of wetlands, 31 different types of soil and 13 major vegetative communities.

The size of the installation may be the least of Starry's challenges. His three-man team is working to mitigate the adverse effects of the invasive Eastern Red Cedar, which threatens to crowd out desirable native plants. And the team has already removed more than 3,000 feral hogs since 1999 that have done damage to the grasslands.

MCAAP's quality deer management program spearheaded by Starry is often recognized by hunters for producing some of the largest whitetail bucks in Oklahoma. Each year more than 22,000 applicants from across the country vie for the 1,600 permits issued for the seven controlled hunts on MCAAP. The hunts have been chronicled on the weekly TV show, "Outdoor Oklahoma", and in numerous magazines and newspapers.

The LMO also hosts the annual Southern Plains Traditional Archery Tournament every August, which draws hundreds of participants from Oklahoma and neighboring states. During the three-day event, the LMO takes interested archers on "velvet tours" to view the trophy bucks while their antlers are still growing.

"We are the shining star of public relations on this plant because of our natural resources," Starry said to French about the LMO's outreach program.

Last year the LMO received AMC's Natural Resources Conservation Award for large installations. Starry also received several other individual awards in recent years, including the Oklahoma Award from the Oklahoma Chapter of The Wildlife Society, the Excellence in Range Management Award from the Oklahoma Society for Range Management, and the Wildlife Professional of the Year Award from the Bowhunting Council of Oklahoma.

Starry's contributions to the mission are clear to the MCAAP commander.

"Bill is very passionate about natural resources conservation," said Col. Joseph G. Dalessio. "He not only embraces it, but also demonstrates an exemplary commitment to conserving, protecting and enhancing our precious resources that are necessary for us to sustain our military mission. We're very fortunate to have him on our team."

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McAlester Army Ammunition Plant is the Department of Defense's premier bomb- and warhead-loading facility. It is one of 14 installations of the Joint Munitions Command and one of 23 organic industrial bases under the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which include arsenals, depots and ammunition plants. MCAAP is vital to ammunition stockpile management and delivery to the Joint Warfighter for training and combat operations.