[wisb] Golden-cheecked Warbler news

From: <dkuecherer@xxxxxxxxx>
To: wisbirdn <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:01:55 -0500
Hello all:

This agreement was finalized just a couple of days ago.

Nature Conservancy will find new home for endangered bird
By Jim Forsyth
Thursday, September 17, 2009
  More than a year of controversy over the fate of the endangered 
Colden-cheeked Warbler and the future of Camp Bullis has been resolved, as the 
Nature Conservancy of Texas and the United States Army have reached a formal 
agreement to identify and acquire new habitat for the migrating bird in the 
five counties surrounding the post, 1200 WOAI news reports.  

  "We can expand our training area," Army spokesman Phil Reidinger said.  "We 
really appreciate the support of the Nature Conservancy."   

Under the five year agreement, the Nature Conservancy will establish an Army 
Compatible Use Buffer outside of Camp Bullis for the warbler. 

Reidinger says the land will remain rugged, and can be in any of the five Hill 
Country counties where the Warbler is native.  The bird lays its eggs in Texas 
, and migrates to Central America in the winter.  

  "The Nature Conservancy will go out and help us identify properties which are 
willing to enter into a conservation easement," Reidinger said.   

The Warbler was threatening the increasingly vital mission at Camp Bullis, due 
to the increasing development along the Interstate 10 corridor between San 
Antonio and Boerne, which was pushing the bird out of its traditional habitat 
and onto the Army post, which is required by law to set aside land for 
endangered species found on its property.  

  "This cooperative agreement is essential to allowing us to continue our 
Defense Department training missions at Camp Bullis ," said Col. Mary Garr, 
Garrison Commander at Fort Sam Houston.  "With the Nature Conservancy's help, 
we look forward to acquiring conservation easements outside of the camp that 
will protect habitat for endangered species, and ensure a realistic environment 
for medical field training and tactical combat operations training for units of 
all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces."  

  The Conservation Easements are permanent land-use agreement that limit 
development and preserve wildlife habitat with willing landowners who are 
compensated for the restrictions on their property.  

  Protecting Camp Bullis is important to the region, because the move of 
military medical trainees from all branches of the Armed Forces to San Antonio 
for training is dependant on the 28,800 acre post, which is used for realistic 
field training for medics. 

If the post had to set aside more and more land for Warbler habitat, it would 
be unable to use that land for expanded training.   

 "We have asked the San Antonio community to help us protect those missions at 
Camp Bullis that are so vital to our training," Reidinger said, adding that the 
community answered the challenge to protect the post.

 Laura Huffman, state director f the Nature Conservancy, says the program 
proposed for Camp Bullis is similar to one which has successfully protected 
Fort Hood .   

  "For nearly 20 years, we have worked with the military at Ft. Hood to protect 
Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat," she said.  "This latest agreement reaffirms 
that our two organizations have a lot in common, and can forge dynamic, 
effective partnerships that result in measurable conservation benefits for 
endangered species."

Dennis Kuecherer, Saukville, WI



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[wisb] Golden-cheecked Warbler news

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