Limited funding does not limit the success of the West Virginia Army National Guard's natural resource program.
With the WVARNG's comprehensive ecosystem management approach, each project is analyzed to determine how it directly or indirectly supports goals of all other program areas.
For example, the natural resource staff developed an integrated invasive species eradication plan that uses species mapping and prioritization of effort to establish a five-year rotation for treatment.
West Virginia University interns help plot the location of all invasive species that restrict access for Soldier training and compromise native wildlife on the training area. Security fence lines and motor pools requiring clearances are prioritized for invasive removal, followed by timber stands that are being over taken.
Once invasive species are removed, native grass can be planted. Eliminating invasive trees and shrubs in favor of native grass enhances training opportunities while providing ecosystem restoration to over 100 acres.
The natural resources team constantly looks for ways to maximize their limited resources so funding does not hamper mission accomplishment. In an effort to create valuable habitat, the staff designed a pond that could serve as a fire suppression resource for range operations and include use of surplus excavated clay soil from other projects.
This design was incorporated into the scope of projects to remediate a demolition range and to provide stream bank stabilization. The pond serves the training mission while also providing enhanced wildlife habitat.
They also repeatedly take advantage of the annual two-week training schedule for the horizontal and vertical engineering schools, coordinating for the engineers' assistance in excavation, bank creation, sloping, grading, and channeling springs to create the pond, construct a pavilion and run electrical lines to turn the pond into a complete morale, welfare and recreation asset.
Once the Camp Dawson natural resources team treats the turbidity of the pond water to clear suspended clay particles, they will establish a trout and bass/blue gill population to provide opportunities for recreational fishing.
To ensure best management practices are used to preserve habitat, the natural resources staff works with a local company that processes timber on leased WVANG lands and Camp Dawson's in-house fire-management program. Their efforts include a fire training program that allows Soldiers the opportunity to practice prescribed fire activities, avoiding the need/cost for contracted burn crews.
In addition to reducing wildfire fuel loads, the program focuses on native grasslands using fire regime rotation to help grasses thrive and control invasive species. Volunteer firefighters from the community also assist on some burn events, along with trained university interns.
Camp Dawson's natural resources staff also completes habitat assessments, detailing vegetative cover and potential roost habitat before any projects involving timber removal. The staff also conduct annual catch-and-release surveys for the state-listed Allegheny wood rat, marking individuals to track population health.
In partnership with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, the staff initiated a golden wing warbler survey, taking DNA samples to track the hybridization of golden wing and blue wing warblers.
The staff also uses cameras to survey golden eagles that stop at Camp Dawson bait stations during their winter migration and use an adapted facial recognition software to identify individual birds from year to year.
The Natural Resources Team at Camp Dawson makes use of all the assets at their disposal to ensure they achieve natural resource goals and complete projects in order to minimize restrictions to training and enable readiness. They prioritize those projects that directly enhance training while concurrently seeking ways to improve ecosystems on the installation, sometimes with the added benefit of providing recreational opportunities to those that live and work there.
Their success has won them the Secretary of the Army Environmental Award for Natural Resource Conservation and they will represent the Army well at the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards competition later this year.
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