Wayne Fariss has always had a solid base for his career aspirations, literally …. the dirt.
“Everything that happens, it’s growing on top of this important resource – the dirt. I care about the dirt,” said Fariss, who runs the Integrated Training Area Management program at Fort Johnson, Louisiana. “The trees are growing on it; the flora and fauna are too. Embedded in it are pre-historic archeological resources. All of these are important purposes.”
“But the mission, and why this dirt is owned by the U.S. government, is to train Soldiers,” said Fariss. These purposes are not mutually exclusive. I can create the necessary training for the soldier and grow several endangered species as we do it.”
Fariss, who began his decades-long career at Fort Johnson in an environmental role before shifting to ITAM, makes clear his focus on dirt is driven by the core mission.
“If the training ground isn’t kept together the right way, the soldiers can’t train. And if they can’t train, they’re at greater risk in real-world operations,” he said. “ I get real protective of these soldiers. I’m not the one training them, but I make sure there is a landscape that is accessible and meets the training requirements.”
Fariss said he’s earned a reputation for being blunt in his work. He said that’s due to his passion for the mission, and a focus on getting to the right solutions to get the best outcomes.
“You need to understand you can’t be blunt without having a vision. Most people who are direct like me have done the work, and know the circumstances,” he said. “To get away with being blunt, you have to know why you’re doing what you’re doing, believe it and be ready to defend it.”
Part of defending his positions is understanding the role the ITAM team plays in finding the balance between effective land stewardship and endangered species protection and the training mission.
“You can’t be a preservationist, just block everything off and leave it the way it is. Instead, you have to be a conservationist and you must understand the single, best purpose for this dirt is to train the American Soldier. You don’t have to be loud like me to do that, but you do have to be zealous.”
Part of effectively doing that is understanding both the training needs and the land management required to support them. For example, Fariss said if his team were asked to build a helicopter landing in a location that includes wetlands, he’d strongly share his views on how and where to do that.
“When dealing with wetlands, you have to get a permit. Wetlands are like a filter. If you fill a filter, you need make some more filters to replace it. And have you ever seen a helicopter get stuck? It’s not pretty and it tears things up to get it out,” he said.
So, rather than just saying “no” in this hypothetical situation, Fariss would work to find the right answer to meet the needs.
“I’d be a fool to build that in a wetland. So, before I go to the expense of filling that wetland, I’d work with everyone involved to get to a better answer,” he said. “Part of what I get to do is to be this constant interface between the Army’s garrison side and the environmental side, who each have their own requirements.“
Fariss points to the 42,000-acre expansion of training land at Fort Johnson, and his team’s role in converting it into excellent training grounds, as one of his proudest accomplishments in his career. Unlike Army Compatible Use Buffer projects, which support the purchase of land for conservation easements, the 42,000-acre purchase at Fort Polk was specifically for expanding training opportunities.
“When we got the dirt, it was nowhere near ready. It had old houses, septic tanks, clear-cuts, you name it, we had it. When you buy dirt, it isn’t ready to train on. It needs a bunch of attention,” he said. “For me personally this has been a major career project. I oversaw the Environmental Impact Statement and worked on this from conception of expansion, through detailed decision processes, to the land development stage, to where it is today – useful training ground.”
“Now that it’s useful, it’s like my baby,” he said. “I like all of Fort Johnson, but if you come visit, I’m taking you out to the new patch of dirt.”
Fariss said his work at Fort Johnson, which began in 1998, continues to be rewarding.
“The land is like a canvas, and you can nudge it whichever way you want it to go. There are a billion variables, but you can ultimately get it where you want it to go,” he said, adding that dating back to his youth in the cotton fields of West Texas, he’s always been attracted to land management. “When this opportunity arose, it gave me the opportunity to get my hands back in the dirt and back into managing the property. I’ve been here ever since.”
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