JBLM agreement to increase readiness training, improve wildlife protection

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Joint Base Lewis-McChord Garrison Commander Col. Kent Park signed a multiagency plan April 28 that helps the base deliver more military readiness training, while also improving protections for federally protected wildlife populations on and off JBLM.

The JBLM Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan “outlines JBLM’s goals and objectives for natural resource management,” said Todd Zuchowski, Fish and Wildlife Branch chief for JBLM’s Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division. “Those goals and objectives are to provide for a realistic war-fighting testing and training environment, while ensuring good stewardship and conservation of natural resources across the installation.”
A corresponding JBLM Sustainment Programmatic Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion was also part of the project. The documents were the result of JBLM’s coordination with entities including the Department of Defense and Department of the Interior’s Recovery and Sustainment Partnership, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Zuchowski said.

At the signing event, Park said all involved parties “are here for one goal, which is to be ready, which is to be prepared and ensure that if our service members are deployed to combat, that they have received the requisite training so that they can come back alive. And that is a serious commitment and a responsibility that we have, and we would not be able to do it if we did not provide the proper training areas in which they can do that.”

JBLM units are deploying worldwide now. They must be properly trained, and signing the plan will enable the base to do that much better, Park said.

The INRMP and PBO/CO give directions for JBLM and regulatory agency cooperation that achieves ecological and environmental targets, while enhancing access and reducing restrictions for military training on JBLM land, Zuchowski said.

The PBO/CO “has a particular structure to it that allows us to increase training as we increase species numbers,” he said. “It provides a more predictable and streamlined regulatory process.”

For example, 10 federally listed endangered species live on base, including two subspecies of the Mazama pocket gopher, which create certain training restrictions.

“They’re always underground,” Zuchowski said. “So, it’s kind of a difficult one to manage. Really, you’ve got to make sure that they have the right habitat, and that they are not being impacted by ground-disturbing activities – things like digging or large, heavy equipment.”

With the newly signed plan in place, if one subspecies population of the gopher reaches 1,000, regulatory relief for training is provided, he said.

“Maybe it’s not completely off-road driving wherever we want, but in certain areas we have better flexibility in training,” Zuchowski said. “But then, after we count 2,000, we’ll have even more. And then, once we count three populations of 1,000, then there will be no more regulatory restrictions.”

Regulatory relief is evaluated on a per-species basis, he said, explaining that JBLM is “probably really close to meeting our conservation goals” for one of the gopher subspecies.

“And so, as soon as we meet those conservation goals, then there will be no regulatory restrictions (for) training on top of that species, or in conjunction with that species habitat,” Zuchowski said. “So, that's a huge regulatory relief for military training because, prior to that, if it was occupied by this gopher, you couldn't train on it.”

Before the INRMP and PBO/CO were created, consultation was usually required with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for construction projects or big training events, he said.

The PBO/CO “actually covers all of the potential current actions and future actions in one document, so we don’t have to keep consulting with the service,” Zuchowski said. “This document does it all. So, that definitely streamlines that regulatory process, and it does improve conservation outcomes for the species, as well as provide great flexibility for trainers.”

About five years passed from start-to-signing of the plan, which was part of a high-level initiative, he said.

“It was up at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Interior,” Zuchowski said. “Through that five-year process, they were looking at new ways and a new framework to meet the Endangered Species Act while also increasing training.”

Another benefit of the project includes strengthening relationships among organizations, he said.

“What I think this process has allowed us to do is really strengthen those relationships with our partners and has really solidified the trust,” Zuchowski said. “And it really has helped both of our missions, the DOD and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, by making this a streamlined, regulatory process. It really has increased efficiencies for both of our staffs. You know we have limited budgets, limited staff numbers. This will definitely increase and modernize that process for working within the Endangered Species Act and ultimately has better outcomes for both the species and the military training.”