There is a growing threat of encroachment on military ranges and training areas. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NFEC) developed the Conservation Partnership for Land Acquisition to address this threat. NFEC partnered on this issue with conservation organizations, which historically have opposed military operations and the expansion of military land holdings.
The conservation partnership is a joint land acquisition strategy to address the military’s concern of incompatible development and land use adjacent to military ranges and training areas. The partnership also addresses the goal of many conservation organizations to preserve portions of the remaining habitat and open spaces. The partnership involves an agreement with one or more conservation organizations with the goal of acquiring land adjacent to ranges and training areas that is threatened by incompatible development. Each agreement contains a provision that the military holds a restrictive use easement ensuring long-term land use compatibility, while the conservation organization would hold the remaining fee interest and ability to manage the property to meet its conservation goals. Each party to the agreement would contribute funding commensurate with the value of the interest received.
A key feature of the program is that the participating military agency would not need to follow the traditional acquisition process. The program relies on standing authority to use available appropriations to acquire available properties prior to commercial development. This process is far more responsive than the normal acquisition process. The program has been welcomed by the Congressional oversight committees and is included in the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act. The Nature Conservancy, in anticipation of the law being passed this year, has already purchased options on 2,500 acres of land adjacent to the Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejune, NC that was being considered for a resort development.
For more information, contact Mr. Richard A. Engel at (202) 685-9203 or via e-mail at engelRA@navfac.navy.mil.
