JBLM’s Sentinel Landscape Partnership awarded $1.5M grant

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded the Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Sentinel Landscape Partnership $1.5 million through the America the Beautiful challenge Dec. 3.

The Sentinel Landscape Partnership brings together multiple federal agencies, state and local partners and other organizations to protect wildlife and their habitats, promote working lands and ensure military readiness. The partnership intends to restore 829 acres of prairie-oak habitat across 13 sites on base with this grant.

The funding from the America the Beautiful challenge supports various efforts. It will help conservation districts and land trusts carry out due diligence and property assessments, as well as support seed collection and plant production. The grant will also facilitate landowner outreach and engagement, support prescribed burning management and enhance tribal engagement. Additionally, it will strengthen the capacity for prairie restoration on reservations and support the use of cultural burning practices.

Restoration efforts, such as prescribed burns, are essential for reducing wildfire risks by managing fuel loads. In addition, seed collection helps maintain genetic diversity while aligning with tribal priorities for species selection, which can improve both traditional food harvests and the overall quality of these areas.

The grant also supports the creation of two new positions, sustain at least 41 existing job and fund outreach and education initiatives that are expected to engage 3,000 community members.

Jim Lynch, JBLM’s Endangered Species program manager, expressed his enthusiasm about the grant.

“This is a big win for our region,” he said. “There are many aspects of this work that assist in meeting JBLM’s recovery goals off the installation and also help with encroachment issues.”

Currently, only 10% of prairie habitat remains in the South Puget Sound lowlands, and just 3% of that is considered high quality. JBLM contains the largest remaining areas of this prairie habitat, which is crucial for sustaining wildlife diversity.

It is home to endangered and threatened species, including the streaked horned lark, Mazama pocket gopher, and Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly, all of which depend on high-quality prairie ecosystems for survival.

Development pressures, land-use changes and climate change pose significant threats to grassland ecosystems and the rare species that inhabit them. As the South Puget Sound region rapidly develops, restoration and management efforts face increasing challenges.

However, JBLM’s prairie habitat continues to thrive due to minimal development and the practice of prescribed burns. Expanding partnerships and workforce capacity is essential to ensure the long-term preservation of this crucial ecosystem.

This partnership and grant also provide critical support for JBLM’s military mission. Partners help the Department of Defense fulfill its conservation responsibilities, facilitate ongoing training and provide regulatory relief for JBLM.