At Fort Leonard Wood, roughly 80,000 training certifications are earned each year, from 245 unique programs of instruction, including chemical, biological radiological and nuclear, military police, and engineering schools, and the U.S. Army Non-Commissioned Officers Academy.
To offer this level of instruction and hands-on training, while maintaining the highest levels of stewardship on the 62,000 acres at the installation, the Natural Resources Branch at FLW has its own set of impressive statistics and outcomes dedicated to finding the necessary balance.
“Our team has put in place a comprehensive Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan to give us both direction and specific objectives, and we’re proud of the many accomplishments we’ve made,” said Col. Anthony Pollio, US Army Garrison Fort Leaonard Wood commander. “Our goals are providing quality natural resources as a critical training asset, complying with environmental laws and regulations, managing natural resources, and assuring good stewardship of public lands. We also strive to improve the quality of life at the installation and for surrounding communities through enhanced recreation opportunities.”
During the last two years, FLW’s NR team accomplishments include everything from controlled burns and species preservation efforts to land management, interagency collaborations, youth fishing derbies and invasive species control.
With the team’s invasive species control, prairie restoration and pollinator habitat projects, approximately 350 acres have been improved to benefit native prairie plant species and pollinator species such as Monarch butterflies. The NR Branch focused on improving habitat in these areas that have been otherwise degraded by invasive species and tree encroachment.
The Big Piney River on FLW is home to the Eastern Hellbender, the largest salamander in North America -- adults can reach two feet in length. The Missouri distinct population segment of the Eastern Hellbender was listed as endangered in 2021. Hellbenders are completely aquatic, prey primarily on crayfish, and have been experiencing dramatic population declines range-wide over the past couple of decades. FLW completed a biological assessment and received a biological opinion from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which provides mitigation measures for augmenting Hellbender habitat and improving conditions for the species' recovery.
Pond-breeding salamanders of the family Ambystomatidae, a group of keystone species found in many North American wetlands, are of substantial concern when assessing wetland impacts and mitigation. Ongoing research has specifically focused on three sympatric pond-breeding species, the ringed salamander (Ambystoma annulatum), a species of conservation concern, the marbled salamander (A. opacum), and the spotted salamander (A. maculatum).
FLW is constructing an aquatic organism passage as part of a major repair to a low-head dam on the Big Piney River. This passage will improve stream continuity for imperiled species in the Big Piney River while maintaining FLW’s drinking water supply.
The NR Branch applies prescribed fire regularly to more than 5,000 acres on FLW. Prescribed fire is used to achieve INRMP goals such as fuel load reduction, habitat restoration, pest management, threatened and endangered species management, and forest regeneration. The NR Branch maintains nearly 77 miles of fire breaks with an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prevent the spread of wildfires and support the training mission.
As part of outreach to the community, the NR Branch works to provide youth (ages 15 and younger) with two special fishing events every year. At these events, there are always multiple children fishing for the very first time. The NRB stocks the fish, provides prizes for youth that catch tagged fish, and provides angling and conservation information.
FLW, in consultation with the USFWS, developed a biological assessment for the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and the threatened Northern Long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). Prepared per Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the BA addresses routine activities like prescribed fire, the use of military smoke and obscurants, forest management, and tree removal. As part of the ESA consultation process, several monitoring and mitigation measures have been implemented on FLW in the past two years to protect threatened and endangered bat species.
Pollio said the development and implementation of the INRMP is a multi-agency effort, and a major update on the comprehensive plan is underway. Participating agencies include the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey, and five Native American Tribes are vital partners in FLW’s natural resource conservation program in general and, more specifically, these stakeholders are consulted with during the development and approval of the INRMP.
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