Consent 3.
Regular Board of Supervisors Meeting
Board of Supervisors
- Meeting Date:
- 01/05/2016
- Title:
- Letter for Arizona Land and Water Trust to keep Military Mission at Fort Huachuca
- Submitted By:
- Arlethe Rios, Board of Supervisors
- Department:
- Board of Supervisors
Presentation:
No A/V Presentation
Recommendation:
Document Signatures:
# of ORIGINALS
Submitted for Signature:
Submitted for Signature:
NAME
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
n/a
TITLE
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
n/a
Mandated Function?:
Source of Mandate
or Basis for Support?:
or Basis for Support?:
Information
Agenda Item Text:
Approve a letter to the U.S. Endowment for Forests and Communities supporting the proposal of Arizona Land and Water Trust (ALWT) for the Readiness Environmental Protection Integration Program grant.
Background:
- In 2014, Arizona Land and Water Trust ("Trust"), in partnership with Fort
Huachuca, was successful in obtaining $5M from the Readiness Environmental
Protection Integration (REPI) Program grant;
- REPI is Dept. of Defense funds with a purpose to conserve the missions of
the base by preventing development/encroachment (and other projects) from
hindering the missions;
- The Trust's project focused on purchasing conservation easements for 5,900
acres, consisting of two historic working ranches (in Santa Cruz and
Cochise County);
- The REPI followed a Sentinel Landscapes approach with focused on a
collaboration of Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Interior and Dept. of Ag.;
- With these monies and Military Installation Funds (which are state funds),
purchased conservation easements on 2,100 acres (about 1137 acres in Cochise
County);
- In April of 2015, Fort Huachuca ("Fort") was designated a Sentinel
Landscape (military installation of prime importance, with a federal focus
on conserving its missions and the lands around it);
- There are only three military installations in the country with this
designation and they are all tied to REPI award winners;
- The Fort chose the Buffalo Soldier Electronic Testing Range as the
Sentinel Landscape Area (or area of focus).
Grants Sought
- To capitalize on the Sentinel Landscape designation and federal focus, the
Trust applied for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) with
the U.S.Dept. of Agriculture;
- The Trust looked at GIS data layers within the Sentinel Landscape Area for
an area of prime importance to the DOI, DOD and DOA (the Sentinel Landscape
approach);
- We came up with the 270,000 acres (the Babocomari River Watershed), which
was an area of prime importance to these federal agencies as well as many
others;
- And within these 270,000 acres, we focused on willing private landowners
we know that are interested in conservation easements and/or restoration and
came up with 32,000 acres;
- These 32,000 acres are comprised on 12 properties of historic working
ranches;
- The RCPP is seeking $6M, $5M going towards purchasing conservation
easements and $1M towards restoration (which will be done by our partners);
- The priority for the RCPP (and REPI) for purchasing conservation easements
is on the remainder on 3,500 acres of a historic working ranch (that was not
completed as part of the 5,900 acres of focus for the 2014 REPI);
- Cochise County provided a letter of support for this RCPP;
- And along with the County, we had 21 other partners/supporters (including
the Governor Ducey, Fort Huachuca, Western Regional Partnership, AZ Dept. of
Ag., AZ Game and Fish, AZ State Forestry, Hereford and Santa Cruz NRCDs,
etc.);
- We hear whether we were awarded funds for RCPP next month;
- With this same exact project and focus area (as we had for RCPP), we are
now seeking REPI funds;
- We are seeking $7M total ($5.5M towards purchasing conservation easements,
$1M towards restoration and $500K toward Strategic Planning);
- We seek to have the same supporters/partners for this REPI, except we are
hoping to add a few (Santa Cruz County, Sierra Vista, State Land Dept.,
Senator McCain, Senator Flake, and Congresswoman McSally);
- Our full proposal is due February 5th.
Huachuca, was successful in obtaining $5M from the Readiness Environmental
Protection Integration (REPI) Program grant;
- REPI is Dept. of Defense funds with a purpose to conserve the missions of
the base by preventing development/encroachment (and other projects) from
hindering the missions;
- The Trust's project focused on purchasing conservation easements for 5,900
acres, consisting of two historic working ranches (in Santa Cruz and
Cochise County);
- The REPI followed a Sentinel Landscapes approach with focused on a
collaboration of Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Interior and Dept. of Ag.;
- With these monies and Military Installation Funds (which are state funds),
purchased conservation easements on 2,100 acres (about 1137 acres in Cochise
County);
- In April of 2015, Fort Huachuca ("Fort") was designated a Sentinel
Landscape (military installation of prime importance, with a federal focus
on conserving its missions and the lands around it);
- There are only three military installations in the country with this
designation and they are all tied to REPI award winners;
- The Fort chose the Buffalo Soldier Electronic Testing Range as the
Sentinel Landscape Area (or area of focus).
Grants Sought
- To capitalize on the Sentinel Landscape designation and federal focus, the
Trust applied for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) with
the U.S.Dept. of Agriculture;
- The Trust looked at GIS data layers within the Sentinel Landscape Area for
an area of prime importance to the DOI, DOD and DOA (the Sentinel Landscape
approach);
- We came up with the 270,000 acres (the Babocomari River Watershed), which
was an area of prime importance to these federal agencies as well as many
others;
- And within these 270,000 acres, we focused on willing private landowners
we know that are interested in conservation easements and/or restoration and
came up with 32,000 acres;
- These 32,000 acres are comprised on 12 properties of historic working
ranches;
- The RCPP is seeking $6M, $5M going towards purchasing conservation
easements and $1M towards restoration (which will be done by our partners);
- The priority for the RCPP (and REPI) for purchasing conservation easements
is on the remainder on 3,500 acres of a historic working ranch (that was not
completed as part of the 5,900 acres of focus for the 2014 REPI);
- Cochise County provided a letter of support for this RCPP;
- And along with the County, we had 21 other partners/supporters (including
the Governor Ducey, Fort Huachuca, Western Regional Partnership, AZ Dept. of
Ag., AZ Game and Fish, AZ State Forestry, Hereford and Santa Cruz NRCDs,
etc.);
- We hear whether we were awarded funds for RCPP next month;
- With this same exact project and focus area (as we had for RCPP), we are
now seeking REPI funds;
- We are seeking $7M total ($5.5M towards purchasing conservation easements,
$1M towards restoration and $500K toward Strategic Planning);
- We seek to have the same supporters/partners for this REPI, except we are
hoping to add a few (Santa Cruz County, Sierra Vista, State Land Dept.,
Senator McCain, Senator Flake, and Congresswoman McSally);
- Our full proposal is due February 5th.
Department's Next Steps (if approved):
Email and hard mail the letter with attached letter to:
Peter Stangel
U.S. Endowment for Forest and Communities
c/o SREL, Drawer E
Aiken, SC 29802
Impact of NOT Approving/Alternatives:
ALWT will not have a letter of support from Cochise County.
To BOS Staff: Document Disposition/Follow-Up:
Email and hard mail the letter with attached letter to:
Peter Stangel
U.S. Endowment for Forest and Communities
c/o SREL, Drawer E
Aiken, SC 29802