Developing both a keen understanding of its environment, as well as solid working relationships with key partners, the Natural Resources Conservation team at Fort Polk has become recognized as a leader for its conservation work and success.
“By building a successful network of community and regulatory partners, as well as collaborating with university and government researchers and the community, we are positioning our team to bring the best thinking and best practices to our work,” said Nathan Jernigan, Fort Polk’s director of public works. “With the support of our installation leadership, this approach poises the NRC program as a natural resource management leader within the region.”
“One example of the NRC seeking to expand its reach beyond its team is the extensive environmental training the team offers Soldiers, including specialized training for Observer-Coach-Trainers,” explained Jernigan. OCTs learn about environmentally sensitive areas and species to minimize potential violations of environmental regulations. “They become the eyes and ears for environmental compliance during training,” Jernigan said.
Another important outreach effort by the NRC team comes in the form of two captive-bred Louisiana pinesnakes – Mario and Luigi -- who serve as living ambassadors for the value of environmental stewardship. Fort Polk is one of the only places in the world where this unique snake can be found, and the pair are frequent participants in outreach efforts involving schools, community groups, and other activities.
Fort Polk and its NRC team played a proactive, critical role in collecting and providing historical information on the rare snake’s occurrence, distribution, and habitat use across the installation, and used the information to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In April 2018 the snake species was listed as a threatened species and is managed in accordance with the October 2018 biological opinion that has no restrictions to military training.
This kind of NRC effort to conserve and protect the environment, and endangered species, while maintaining training, has a long history at Fort Polk. The team remains a contributor to the national recovery of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, while also working to lessen restrictions on training lands.
The RCW was federally protected as an endangered species in 1970, and their preferred habitat is mature stands of longleaf pine that are part of the Fort Polk environment. The NRC-led RCW preservation effort is one of 12 designated recovery populations critical to the long-term survival of the endangered species. This work entails more than just tracking and researching the RCW population.
For example, in 2020 two hurricanes struck Fort Polk, destroying nearly 100 cavity trees essential for the endangered birds’ habitat. Within two months of the destruction, Fort Polk replaced the damaged habitat cavities with artificial versions – resulting in 78 fledglings, a record high. This action set the birds for continued recovery. In 2022, the overall number of potential breeding groups of the endangered woodpeckers went up by 9.4%.
Working directly with U.S. Forest Service, the NRC team manages 90 cluster sites of habitat, which includes inventory of RCW cavity trees, fireproofing cavity trees, cavity tree/cluster marking, demographic monitoring, pre-breeding roost checks, nest monitoring, banding nestlings, post-breeding season monitoring to locate juveniles, and supporting translocation efforts.
“Conservation work requires both long-term maintenance and careful tracking, but sometimes it also requires prompt action to prevent losses,” said Jon West, chief of Fort Polk’s Department of Public Works Conservation Branch. “Forming the right partnerships in advance is a key part of managing our ability to provide the land necessary for the vital training mission, while conserving and protecting the environment.”
The NRC team is also engaged in proactive management of several aquatic species that have been historically documented to occur on the installation or have ranges that extend onto the installation and are currently under review for federal listing. This includes the alligator snapping turtle, Kisatchie painted crayfish, Calcasieu painted crayfish, American bumble bee, monarch butterfly, Louisiana pigtoe, and triangle pigtoe. Installation specific information on these species is imperative to effective conservation efforts.
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