Land alliance formed at Fort Riley

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Nov 8, 2006

The Capital-Journal

The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are expected to announce today an agreement to establish a partnership to promote land conservation near military bases, while a buffer zone is being developed around Fort Riley.

Alex Beehler, assistant deputy undersecretary of Defense for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health, and Merlyn Carlson, deputy undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment, are expected to be at Fort Riley to announce the program.

"This is a win/win partnership," Beehler said. "It will greatly enhance the sustainability of our installations and the working landscapes surrounding those installations."

Carlson called the partnership "good news for the environment."

Fort Riley is expected to announce today its first conservation buffer easement acquisition. Working with the Kansas Land Trust and other partners, the installation will acquire an easement from a nearby landowner that will protect 269 acres of prairie grasslands threatened by development.

The acquisition utilized funds from the Department of Defense REPI Program, the Army, the state of Kansas, the Kansas Land Trust and USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service .