Eglin's other world: wildlife finds sanctuary in the middle of chaos

Airman, August, 2004 by Mark Kinkade

When the Marines hit the beach near the test and training range at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., not much stands in their way. When the Air Force launches a volley of missiles on the testing range, the action is enough to keep even the stoutest battle-tested warrior down and under cover. When the Navy fires a cruise missile into the test range area, not many things can calmly stand by and watch.

But there are exceptions. In the chaos of hardware, munitions and people that routinely bomb, stomp, drive and generally wreak havoc on the test range, a few creatures have found a safe haven. In fact, with the help of Eglin's environmental protection people, hundreds of birds, amphibians and even lichen are flourishing.

It's a balancing act, said Bruce Hagedorn, a biologist with Eglin's environmental directorate. On one side: The mission of testing military munitions and hardware and training people for war. On the other: providing a habitat for a litany of species that otherwise may cease to exist.

Birds and bombs

The 46th Test Wing manages more than 720 square miles of test range--much of Florida's northwest panhandle region. All the U.S. military services use the range at one time or another for a variety of training needs. Most recently, the Navy and Marines started using Eglin to meet fleet certification training requirements before shipping out to their deployments.

A vast amount of land--and more than 134,000 square miles of air space around the eastern Gulf of Mexico--makes Eglin an ideal place to practice the art of war. If it flies, it probably has cruised over the vast gulf fronting the base. If it blows up, detonates, launches or drops, it has probably done all those things somewhere among the 170 "impact areas" nestled in the alternating thick green pine forests and stretches of Florida savannah on the range.

All that space is also part of a rich ecosystem that is one of the most diverse in North America, said Amanda Stevens, a Colorado State University botanist on temporary duty with the environmental directorate.

"The [Florida] panhandle is a hot-spot of biodiversity," she said. "It's the fifth most diverse habitat in North America, and a lot of that diversity resides on Eglin."

That biodiversity means lots of endangered species call the test range home. From sea turtles nesting on the narrow white stretches of nearby Santa Rosa island, to red-cockaded woodpeckers excavating cavities into longleaf pine trees that flourish in one of the last major stands of longleaf pine on the Gulf coast, the base is host to more than 50 species on Florida's endangered list [see "Eglin's Animal Hosts," page 24].

The state and a host of federal agencies take protecting endangered species seriously, but Eglin has managed to find a steady balance between supporting the mission while enhancing the ecosystem, said Mike Spaits, a spokesman for the environmental directorate.

In the early 1990s, the Department of Defense was looking for a place to base a series of tests aimed at improving rocket and aircraft propulsion Since test ranges like Eglin make money by "renting" test space to various concerns, the contract would have been beneficial to the base and the A Force, Mr. Hagedorn said. However, the Jackson Guard raised concerns that no one had considered the impact of the proposed mission on the red cockaded woodpecker. The Air Force decided to avoid possibly endangering the woodpecker's habitat an gave up the mission.

"Since then, we've been much more proactive in how we approach the species and habitats under our protection," Mr. Hagedorn said. "We never want to have someone cite a lack of Information about a natural resource as a reason to lose a mission again."

Of birds and Marines

Protecting species at Eglin begins long before a test mission starts, said 1st Lt. James Madeiros, an Eglin public affairs spokesman. The natural resources management team, including the Jackson Guard, keeps extensive information about the species that call Eglin home, and constant monitoring makes sure information is up to date.

When someone wants to use the test range, the environmental people are among the first called to give an opinion on the possible effects the test mission would have on the environment. If the experts think the test might cause problems, their first priority is figuring out how to reduce the threat to the species.

"We're not in the business of swapping our national defense mission for our environmental mission or vice versa," the lieutenant said. "We want to find a way for both elements to work together. And we usually do."

Most recently, Eglin had to protect the woodpecker's natural habitat and still allow the Marines to train throughout the range. The Navy needed a place for Marine expeditionary units to practice beach landings and penetrations. Eglin's huge test area and beachfront access from the gulf made the base a natural selection.

But Marines stomping in the pine forests and humvees cruising on dirt roads while bombs explode in the distance don't create a very inviting atmosphere for amorous woodpeckers looking to build homes and reproduce. In fact, it can be downright threatening.