MCB Quantico --
Representatives from Marine Corps Base Quantico, state and neighboring
county government offices, federal agencies and conservation organizations met
June 2 at The Clubs at Quantico for the Northern Virginia Regional Conservation Forum.
As described by Base Commander Col. David Maxwell in his opening remarks, the
purpose of the meeting was to discuss efforts to sustain the training mission
of the base through environmental partnerships and conservation. Representatives
from Fort A.P. Hill and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren also participated
in the meeting to discuss the specific needs of their installations.
The
Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program was a central topic
of discussion during the four-hour forum. Administered by the Office of the
Secretary of Defense, the REPI program, as described on the program website, “is a key tool for combating encroachment that can
limit or restrict military training, testing, and operations. The REPI Program
protects these military missions by helping remove or avoid land-use conflicts
near installations and addressing regulatory restrictions that inhibit military
activities.”
Shani
Arbel, a contractor with Booz Allen Hamilton who works on the REPI program for
OASD, gave a comprehensive overview of the program, with particular emphasis on
buffer partnerships. Buffer partnerships are Congressionally-authorized
alliances between an affected installation, private
conservation groups, and state and local governments, said Arbel. The members
of the partnership share the expense and workload in obtaining an easement from
“willing sellers to preserve compatible land uses and natural habitats near installations
and ranges that helps sustain critical, at-risk military mission capabilities.”
Michael Law, associate counsel with the Quantico Area Counsel
Office, elaborated on the concept of easements. In the last few years, under
the REPI program, MCBQ has acquired restrictive easements from three local
farms. Law said this means the farmers can still operate their farms adjacent
to the base, but they cannot do certain things like put up large cell towers or
sell their property to a shopping mall developer. As described by Law, the
easement “benefits water quality, protects threatened species” and enables
training and operations to continue aboard the base by providing an undeveloped
“buffer” property between the installation and the rapidly developing civilian community
outside the gate.
Steve Hundley, the MCBQ Community Planning Liaison Officer,
discussed examples of other successes under the REPI program for the base to
date, including the Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area. The area consists
of 302 acres of wetlands, fields and forested areas that are protected by a
partnership among MCBQ, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
and the Prince William Conservation Alliance.
According to Hundley, Merrimac Farm, which is located in
Prince William County and adjoins the base near Camp Uphsur, is open to the
public for wildlife viewing, hiking, and fishing and hunting. Hundley stated, “The
property is an excellent example how the REPI program can work to benefit all
parties. Merrimac Farm provides a buffer zone between the base and the developing
community, conserves and protects natural resources by keeping the property
undeveloped, and allows recreational uses that are not in conflict with the
base’s training mission. Finding similar ‘win-win’ REPI projects is one of the primary goals of the Forum.”
Writer:
ebaker@quanticosentryonline.com