Sentinel Landscapes in the Southeast
About
Increased population growth and development, inadequate planning, climate change impacts, and other incompatible land uses threaten the ability of military installations to carry out their mission. In response to these growing challenges, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DoD), and the Interior (DOI) established the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, bolster agricultural and forestry economies, and increase climate change resilience.
The SERPPAS Sentinel Landscapes in the Southeast Work Group connects currently designated landscapes to address shared challenges, share lessons learned, and promote the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership’s mission in the Southeast. The Work Group disseminates information to developing partnerships and serves as a regional coordinating body between currently designated and future Sentinel Landscapes partnerships.
Sentinel Landscapes benefit the military mission and the other partner missions by promoting compatible land use near military installations; strengthening the economies of forests and farms surrounding military bases; improving coordination between the military services, local governments, and state and federal agencies; and encouraging state interest and prioritization of resources supporting military installations and surrounding communities.
Strategic Objectives
- Continue to refine a shareable composite mission footprint map of the Southeast to better understand the DoD priority areas across the region, utilizing existing and promoting continued local planning efforts to identify where new Sentinel Landscapes Partnerships would be most valuable.
- Focus on promoting private landowner interests and explore innovative ways to increase the number and type of compatible land use tools to offer landowners to conserve working lands and promote resilience where appropriate.
- Leverage the ‘Power of SERPPAS’ to attract both financial and non-financial support to increase awareness and capacity for the implementation of Sentinel Landscapes designated in the Region.
- Assess and integrate other SERPPAS focus area objectives into implementation strategies for Sentinel Landscapes in the region, to create more conservation opportunities that support working lands, natural resources and military missions.
- Assist Sentinel Landscapes in the Southeast assess their climate exposures and vulnerabilities and integrate resilience planning and adaptation into their landscape implementation plans.
- Use the SERPPAS network to share information, resources and lessons learned of the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, as well as demonstrate the value and purpose of these partnerships.
Work Group Lead
Bruce Beard
Associate Director of PolicyTexas A&M Natural Resources Institute
bruce.beard@ag.tamu.edu
Bruce Beard is the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute’s Associate Director for Policy and leads NRI’s Military Land Sustainability Program. Bruce brings more than 30 years of federal land management and natural resource policy experience to NRI and is a nationally recognized advocate for Sentinel Landscapes.
Bruce served within the Executive Office of the President at the Office of Management and Budget in three Administrations, where he was a principal advisor on federal land management and natural resource policy issues. He was the OMB Branch Chief for the Interior Branch responsible for coordination of budget, legislation and regulatory issues affecting the Department of the Interior. At the Department of Defense, he was instrumental in establishing the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program, which he directed, and helped to initiate the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership between the Departments of Agriculture, Defense and the Interior.
Bruce earned his Bachelor of Science in wildlife and fisheries from Texas A&M University, and a Master of Public Affairs in environmental policy from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He received the 2011 Outstanding Alumni Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M and the 2012 Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service at the Department of Defense.
Resources
Documents
USDA Announces Historic Investment in Wildlife Conservation, Expands Partnership to Include Additional Programs
7/26/23
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing that it will expand its work on wildlife conservation by investing at least $500 million over the next five years and by leveraging all available conservation programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program, through its Working Lands for Wildlife effort.
Visit the SERPPAS News Archive
The U.S. Department of Defense Adapts to Climate Change - The Podcast
7/24/23
In episode 189 of America Adapts, Doug Parsons attended the U.S. Department of Defense Climate Resilience Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri. The DoD extended an invitation to Doug to conduct interviews with key leaders within the DoD and their external partners who are actively involved in adaptation planning around military installations.
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Designation of the Virginia Security Corridor Sentinel Landscapes
7/10/23
The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership is thrilled to announce the designation of the Virginia Security Corridor Sentinel Landscapes, which encompass the Potomac and Tidewater Sentinel Landscapes. These designations are the result of five years of unwavering collaboration and dedication demonstrated by ambitious and committed partners within the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Spanning over 2.9 million acres of land and water in Virginia's "Golden Crescent," the Virginia Security Corridor is a region characterized by high military concentration, population growth, urban sprawl, and a thriving technology industry. It is also home to some of Virginia’s most abundant natural resources, including intact forests, open and agricultural lands, as well as intricate marsh and riverine systems that connect to the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary.
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New Plan Would Save Future of 1 Million Acres of Salt Marshes Along Southeast U.S. Coast
5/16/23
U.S. military, conservationists, and community leaders embrace natural solutions to help stave off flooding and erosion with the release of the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative conservation plan.
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Plan Unveiled to Protect Future of 1 Million Acres of Salt Marsh Along U.S. South Atlantic Coast
5/16/23
A coalition of more than 300 military and government officials, community leaders, conservationists, scientists, fishermen and others today released a plan to save the future of a million-acre expanse of salt marsh stretching from North Carolina to east-central Florida.
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The South Carolina Lowcountry Sentinel Landscape – A local partnership supporting a regional conservation vision
4/20/23
Earlier this year, the South Carolina Lowcountry Sentinel Landscape became the 11th Sentinel Landscape designated nationwide! It’s also the 3rd Sentinel Landscape supported and informed by the Southeast Conservation Blueprint, where Blueprint user support staff helped partners develop maps and support the application for designation. Sentinel Landscapes represent well-defined geographies where the military, conservation, agriculture, and forestry communities have shared interests.
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Events & Webinars
- Climate-Driven Changes in Prescribed Fire in the Southeastern U.S.
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September 26, 2023
Webinar (hosted by NOAA/NIDIS) - Partnerships to Advance Climate Resilience in Sentinel Landscapes
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October 11, 2023
Webinar (hosted by REPI) - 77th Annual SEAFWA Conference
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October 15 - 18, 2023
Corpus Christi, TX - REPI Project Insights Across Regional Partnerships
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November 8, 2023
Webinar (hosted by REPI) - Conservation Finance Opportunities in Sentinel Landscapes
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December 6, 2023
Webinar (hosted by REPI)