- Home >
- Strategic Plan and Focus Areas >
- Sentinel Landscapes in the Southeast
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.
Request to Join Work Group
Resources
Documents
2025 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program RFP Released
4/24/24
USFWS is seeking applications from eligible state agencies for the 2025 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program. Applicants may apply for matching grants between $50,000 and $1,000,000 to fund coastal wetlands acquisition, restoration, and management projects that conserve and enhance coastal wetlands as defined in the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act. A total of $20 million is available across approximately 25 awards.
Visit the SERPPAS News Archive2024 Readiness and Recreation Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity Released
4/24/24
The National Park Service will provide $40 million in funding from unobligated Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program balances as a potential match for REPI Program funding to support projects that will provide outdoor recreation opportunities to military families and the public while also promoting military readiness and resilience.
Visit the SERPPAS News Archive2024 REPI Report to Congress Released
4/11/24
The 18th annual REPI Report to Congress summarizes the program’s investments at 124 locations across 37 states and territories, highlights partnerships across local, state, and Federal agencies, and showcases mutually beneficial projects in the Pacific Region. Through the support of partner organizations, the REPI Program aims to enhance the Nation's defense capabilities, positively impact surrounding communities and the environment, and maximize taxpayer benefits. The REPI Program’s cost-effective projects and expanded partnership opportunities would not be possible without support from partners who share a common goal of safeguarding military missions, preserving the natural environment, and reducing risks from extreme weather events.
Visit the SERPPAS News ArchiveUSDA Makes $1.5 Billion Available to Help Farmers Advance Conservation and Climate-Smart Agriculture as Part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda
4/3/24
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of an historic $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting project proposals now through July 2, 2024, that will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis. These projects in turn can save farmers money, create new revenue streams, and increase productivity.
Visit the SERPPAS News ArchiveSERPPAS Protects Military Lands, Defense Communities, and the Coast
3/29/24
SERPPAS was recently featured in the Winter 2024 issue of Natural Selections, the DoD's newsletter that recognizes successful marine conservation efforts while sustaining military readiness across the United States.
Visit the SERPPAS News ArchiveThe Sentinel Landscapes Partnership Releases the 2023 Sentinel Landscapes Accomplishments Report
2/27/24
The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership is pleased to announce that the 2023 Sentinel Landscapes Accomplishments Report is now available. The report showcases how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of the Interior (DOI), and their on-the-ground partners collaborate through the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership to solve complex land-use challenges, combining resources and aligning funding across the 13 sentinel landscapes.
Visit the SERPPAS News ArchiveEvents & Webinars
Error loading Partial View script (file: ~/Views/MacroPartials/Events/Events List.cshtml)SERPPAS Meetings
May 2024
- 2024 SERPPAS Principals Meeting
-
May 8 - 9, 2024
Gulfport, MS