September 22, 2014 3:25 PM

Unusual allies in the newest conservation fight

National ag and interior officials work with military to protect endangered species habitat

Military leaders are now figuring out that one way to ensure bases will stay open around the state is to join hands with environmentalists.

During the recent National Conference of State Legislatures, Rep. Dan Flynn hosted a conference session on REPI, which stands for Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration. A total of 72 projects are located in 27 states. The three Texas bases that remain strong candidates for the program: Camp Bullis in San Antonio; Fort Bliss in El Paso; and Fort Hood in Killeen.

The program, in its initial version, relied primarily on military funds to buy out conservation easement as buffers around base installations. That’s been ungraded to a pilot known as Sentinel Landscapes, which expands the partnership to include common interests for the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense. The memorandum of understanding was signed between the agencies last December.

By Kimberly Reeves