At-Risk, Threatened, and Endangered Species
About
Military installations provide habitat for significant populations of federally listed and at-risk species. Meeting the requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) can and does impact training and testing on military installations. At-Risk species are defined as those species that have been proposed for listing* by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), designated as candidate species by the Service or which the Service has been petitioned to list under the ESA, or rare species.
The SERPPAS At-Risk, Threatened and Endangered Species Work Group collaborates with federal, state, and other partners to develop and promote innovative strategies for proactive conservation of at-risk species and increased flexibility for addressing impacts to both listed species and military missions. These approaches include conservation agreements, mitigation credit strategies, and projects to increase status information of at-risk species to inform Service listing decisions and to support partner efforts for the overall conservation and recovery of these species.
These efforts will promote and support ecosystem restoration, maintenance, and monitoring on and off military installations to enhance the conservation of at-risk and listed species; increase flexibility for on-installation training and testing; increase regulatory predictability for military services, other federal and state agencies, and private landowners who engage in proactive conservation.
*Proposed for listing means the Service has proposed a draft rule in the Federal Register to list the species as threatened or endangered under the ESA; however, a final listing decision has not been made.
Strategic Objectives
- Identify focus species and funding opportunities to promote implementation of programs that conserve, manage, and support recovery of listed species and provide direct benefits to military installations (both on and off installations) and SERPPAS partners. This could include but is not limited to habitat and multi-species crediting strategies.
- Identify opportunities to proactively conserve at-risk species populations or habitat that are important to SERPPAS in a manner that would preclude the need to list a species, through conservation agreements and other approaches.
- Use existing geospatial information, such as the SERPPAS good map and SECAS layer, to enhance, improve and/or make functional corridors for wildlife with an eye to climate resilience, and to enhance and support larger conservation goals and Sentinel Landscapes.
Work Group Lead
Dr. Rebecca Harrison (Lead)
At-Risk Species CoordinatorU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
470-925-5310| rebecca_harrison@fws.gov
Becky Harrison is the at-risk species coordinator for the Southeast region with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She has 25 years of experience in species conservation and adaptative management and has worked within diverse partner groups to create unified frameworks for strategic conservation planning and delivery.
She has degrees in Zoology and Wildlife Biology from Michigan State University (B.Sc.), Utah State University (M.Sc.) and North Carolina State University (PhD). Her post-doctoral work at University of Georgia was supported through a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. This research used the monarch butterfly as a model system of migration to investigate how animal movement patterns are influenced by infectious disease.
Becky joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011 and has worked across programs including the South Atlantic Inventory & Monitoring Network, the National Wildlife Refuge System, Ecological Services, and Partners in Flight on collaborative conservation management projects across taxa including pollinators, red wolves, sea turtles, and migratory birds. She also serves as the species recovery lead for the endangered St. Francis satyr butterfly at Fort Bragg. She has collaborated with U.S. Army personnel, natural resource managers, and researchers on conservation management issues there since 2003. Her commitment to negotiating critical resource management decisions has recognized with several awards including the Secretary of the Interior’s Commendation award in 2017.
Lucas Cooksey (Co-Lead)
Project DirectorTexas A&M Natural Resources Institute
lucas.cooksey@ag.tamu.edu
Lucas Cooksey is a project director for the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, blending policy, planning, and practice into seamless programs that both sustain and enhance active land use alongside meaningful natural resource conservation.
With more than 20 years of experience in Natural Resources Management, his career includes appointments as a Park Ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, serving as the U.S. Army Fort Sam Houston & U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio – Natural Resource Program Manager, the Senior Natural Resource Specialist for the U.S. Army Environmental Command, and the Natural Resources Program Manager for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command Headquarters, where he lead the conservation programs on over 75 Army Installations throughout the U.S and abroad.
His development of innovative projects that balance ecosystem management and military readiness have been recognized by receiving the Texas Parks & Wildlife “Lonestar Land Steward Award” in 2010 and the Secretary of the Army “Civilian Service Commendation Medal” in 2020.
Lucas attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Range and Wildlife Management and then obtained a Master’s Degree in Biology from Texas State University-San Marcos.
Resources
Documents
Websites
DoD Natural Resources Program
America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative
Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA)
USFWS Southeast's At-Risk Species Finder
Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) Repository
SERPPAS ARTE Work Group Focal Species List - This list has been compiled by the SERPPAS At-risk, Threatened and Endangered Species work group. It is intended to help partners understand and identify possible overlapping at-risk species priorities in the SERPPAS region. This list is purely informational and does not inherently indicate action.
News
Events & Webinars
- SECAS Third Thursday Web Forum: How do we conduct more prescribed fire, keep our air clean, and meet more strict national ambient air quality standards?
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July 18, 2024
Webinar (hosted by SECAS) - Wildlife Movement in Solar Facilities in North Carolina
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August 29, 2024
Webinar (hosted by REWI) - 7th Annual National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop
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September 16 - 19, 2024
Atlantic City, NJ - 2024 Society of American Foresters National Convention
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September 17 - 20, 2024
Loveland, CO - RAE 2024 Coastal & Estuarine Summit
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October 6 - 10, 2024
- 15th Biennial Longleaf Conference
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October 8 - 11, 2024
Sandestin, FL - AICUZ and REPI Partnerships for Enhanced Land Protection
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October 9, 2024
Webinar (hosted by REPI) - 78th Annual SEAFWA Conference
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October 12 - 16, 2024
Augusta, GA - Navigating Military Readiness Through Responsible Project Execution
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December 11, 2024
Webinar (hosted by REPI)
SERPPAS Meetings
- Fall 2024 Steering Committee Meeting
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September 10 - 11, 2024
Atlanta, GA