8/9/2019 Endangered Species Effort at Fort Hood Given Good Verdict

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Endangered species effort at Fort Hood given good

verdict

By: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872

Contact(s): Dr. Neal Wilkins, 979-845-7726, nwilkins@tamu.edu Shelley Robertson, 239-633-3241, info@snrobertson.com 

COLLEGE STATION - An independent study released today calls efforts to protectthreatened and endangered species on private lands near Fort Hood in Texas "a successful

model."

The extensive outside review of the three-year "proof-of-concept" for the Recovery

Credit System for Fort Hood was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defensethrough the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The endangered species project,

administered by the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, is a

 partnership among the U.S. Department of Defense, Texas A&M AgriLife, the

Environmental Defense Fund and private landowners.

“This evaluation is a very good verdict for the effectiveness of this tool,” said Dr. Neal

Wilkins, the institute’s director. “It is gratifying to see that the wildlife experts who

completed this peer review confirm that we are managing an effective program.”

Wilkins noted that the team of reviewers also suggested several ideas that could be added

to enhance the ongoing project.

Basically, the Recovery Credit System enables a federal agency conducting an activity

that might harm a species to assure an activity that benefits the species is being

 performed elsewhere. In this case, landowners in a six-county area around the Fort HoodArmy post received a monetary benefit plus assistance from the institute’s team of Texas

AgriLife Research scientists and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service to conservewildlife habitat, especially for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. This was

necessary because army operations disruptive to the birds' habitat would have to stop.

"The Recovery Credit System helps maintain not only the readiness of our armed forces,

 but it will help strengthen the Central Texas economy by increasing the training capacityon the post," Wilkins said.

The golden-cheeked warbler was listed as an endangered species in 1992 due primarily to

loss of mature oak-juniper woodlands in Central Texas, Wilkins noted, adding that "sincethe species was listed, there have been numerous attempts to persuade private ranchers tomanage and conserve habitats for the species."

The evaluation concluded the Recovery Credit System appears to be a successful model

for accomplishing that goal, while at the same time relieving constraints on military

training.

8/9/2019 Endangered Species Effort at Fort Hood Given Good Verdict

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Leadership for the development of the Recovery Credit System was first provided by

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs when she was Texas Agriculture Commissioner.

"She brought together groups from both the agriculture and conservation community towork with state and federal agencies in developing this conservation tool. Texas Parks

and Wildlife Department as well as USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service wereclosely involved in the program," Wilkins said. "Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd

Staples has continued to support the effort and was instrumental in leading groups towardfinalizing the model."

The evaluation concluded that the Recovery Credit System concept is valid on a variety

of points including that credits given to the military base were determined by weighing

 both conservation of habitat and wildlife management plans of the neighboringlandowners who participate in the program. The landowners participate in cost-share

efforts and are chosen for the program through a competitive, reverse auction bid process.

Also, compliance and effectiveness monitoring is required of landowners in the program

system.

The review, conducted by Robertson Consulting Group Inc., compared the Recovery

Credit System against four other wildlife conservation incentive programs.

“The model provided important contributions to both conservation and to the military:working toward species recovery, extending conservation beyond the boundaries of the

installation by engaging private landowners, formalizing a market-based tool for trading

credits, and providing an additional method for removing restrictions on training,” the

report reads.

In their report, the consultants suggested the system could be improved by adding moreemphasis on additional activities on the enrolled land that could enhance habitat and

contribute to recovery of the warbler. And in noting that the recovery system would beappropriate for use in other areas, the team said, “future applications ... should collect

 baseline data on conservation measures so that the net benefit can be assessed.”

For more information about the Recovery Credit System, see http://rcs.tamu.edu/.

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