I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are working hard towards your 2019 resolutions!

Over the past several months, the REPI Program office evaluated over 70 proposals that we received for fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding. As always, this process required a great deal of time and effort on behalf of the Military Services and our partners. I thank you all for your dedication to strengthening the military's mission and am excited to implement some of the innovative ideas put forward in your proposals. 

I am thrilled to announce that the 2019 REPI Report to Congress is now available! Through FY 2018, the REPI Program has protected over 586,000 acres in 106 locations across 33 states. To learn more about our partners and individual projects, please visit our website. 

Moving on, thank you to everyone who submitted a pre-proposal for the 2019 REPI Challenge award. We are thrilled with the pool of submissions, which consists of projects that will protect key capabilities identified in the National Defense Strategy, including missile defense, nuclear detections, space, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The REPI Program will notify all applicants of the status of their pre-proposals on March 8, 2019. Full proposals will then be due back on May 3, 2019, by 8:00 PM ET. 

Finally, I would like to thank all of our partners for your tireless effort in supporting the REPI mission. Please reach out to my office with your comments and questions.

Best,

Kristin Thomasgard

The REPI Program is excited to announce the REPI Webinar Series for 2019! This Series, which is brought to you by the Department of Defense, showcases best practices and lessons learned from REPI partnerships nationwide that preserve and enhance military capabilities and accelerate the pace the conservation.

This year, the REPI Webinar Series will cover new topics such as Sentinel Landscapes applications, the REPI installation resilience authority, how to leverage the Sikes Act in REPI projects, and the 2018 Farm Bill. 

For detailed webinar descriptions and connection instructions, please visit the REPI website. The complete REPI Webinar Series 2019 schedule is also available for download here.

On March 4th, the REPI Program traveled to Miami, FL to participate in the Association of Defense Communities (ADC) Installation Innovation Forum. The Installation Innovation Forum is ADC's annual gathering of leaders from over 100 military installations and 150 communities, states, and regions.

The objective of the conference was to provide an opportunity for defense, community, and industry partners to share ideas on how to advance installation innovation through resilience and technology. The REPI Program was particularly excited for the 2019 Installation Innovation Forum, as the event featured the Honorable Robert McMahon, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, as its keynote speaker. 

During the conference, the REPI Program participated in a session with our partners at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle. The REPI project at NWS Earle was selected by the ADC Board of Directors as one of six '2019 Innovators' due to its state-of-the-art approach to sustaining the military mission and promoting defense-based economic development. 

During the session, REPI Program Director, Kristin Thomasgard, discussed how NWS Earle is using the REPI Program’s recently expanded authority to fund projects that maintain or improve military installation resilience. To learn more about the new REPI authority, I strongly encourage you to attend our webinar titled 'Leveraging the New REPI Installation Resilience Authority', which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5th from 1:00 PM ET - 2:30 PM ET. 

This fall, the REPI Program received the 2018 Champion of the Chesapeake award from the Chesapeake Conservancy for its creative approach to habitat conservation across a 385,000-mile corridor in the Chesapeake. The REPI Program Director, Kristin Thomasgard, accepted the award on behalf of the Department of Defense at a ceremony in Washington D.C. in November.

To date, the REPI Program and the Chesapeake Conservancy have completed nine projects conserving more than 1,500 acres along the Nanticoke River. The REPI Program's innovative partnership with the Chesapeake Conservancy demonstrates a model for successful landscape-scale conservation, with the goal of linking protected lands and creating a contiguous corridor of 18,300 acres. This corridor will sustain military readiness, create recreational opportunities for nearby communities, and preserve the natural and cultural significance of the landscape.

The REPI Program is honored to welcome three new members to the Sentinel Landscapes community. Chad Allison, Jessica Hammond, and Kenneth Bradley will serve as the coordinators for the Avon Park Sentinel Landscape, Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape, and Georgia Sentinel Landscape, respectively.

Sentinel Landscape coordinators bridge relationships amongst defense, conservation, and agricultural partners on the ground, while simultaneously serving as a liaison between local stakeholders and the Federal Coordinating Committee. The position was established in 2017 and marks an important step towards enhanced communication within and across Sentinel Landscapes.

Chad Allison, Coordinator, Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape

Chad Allison, a certified Wildlife Biologist and Prescribed Burn Manager, has dedicated his professional life to supporting Florida’s abundant natural resources. Prior to arriving at the Avon Park Sentinel Landscape, Mr. Allison spent two years along the Everglades Headwaters working at the South Florida Water Management District on the Kissimmee River Restoration Project. In this role, he served as the Conservation Land Manager and point of contact for mitigation requirements associated with the development of the Central Florida Beltway. 

From 2005-2016 Mr. Allison worked at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission where he focused on wildlife conflict resolution, imperiled species' habitat restoration, and public land-use. While there, he served on the Nuisance Wildlife Issue Team and Public Hunting Areas Interaction Team. He also assisted the Commission’s partners by advising the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Team and Pasco County Environmental Lands Acquisition Selection Committee.

Mr. Allison will use his rich experience working in southern Florida to promote the Avon Park Sentinel Landscape mission, “I’m excited to expand public awareness of what national defense, agriculture, and conservation have in common and how the three can coexist and even thrive to make the most of limited resources.”

Jessica Hammond, Coordinator, Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape

Jessica Hammond has extensive experience working with federal, state, and non-governmental partners to promote conservation efforts. In addition to her role as the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape Coordinator, Ms. Hammond serves as the Conservation Coordinator for the Chesapeake Conservancy where she focuses on increasing the capacity of land protection efforts throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

Outside of regular business hours, Ms. Hammond can be found birdwatching, running trails with her dog Patch, paddling on the water, and adventuring or just spending time with friends and family.
 
Ms. Hammond's role as the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape will give her the opportunity to protect a landscape that she always kept close to her heart, “I grew up in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, spending many weekends exploring the Potomac River...In my career, I have gained an immense appreciation for the resources that the Bay watershed provides not only to wildlife but the cultural and recreation resources it provides to its 18 million residents.”

Ms. Hammond continued by noting, “with the population expected to increase to 20 million by 2030, I’m excited to be involved in protecting open space that preserves the character of the landscape and provides the necessary space for people and wildlife to thrive into the future, while simultaneously protecting the missions of the federal agencies involved in the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape.”

Kenneth Bradley, Coordinator, Georgia Sentinel Landscape

Kenneth Bradley will leverage his experience supporting environmental programs for the military in his new role as the coordinator of the Georgia Sentinel Landscape. From 2016-2018, Mr. Bradley served as the Brigade Administrative Officer in Jackson, Mississippi where he supervised training, administrative, operational and logistical requirements for over fourteen hundred personnel, $50 million of equipment, and $25 million of facilities across seventeen locations in Mississippi.

In the years prior, Mr. Bradley acted as the Director of Environmental Programs for the Mississippi Army National Guard. While serving in this position, Mr. Bradley managed the Camp Shelby Army Compatible Use Buffer program, where he helped develop the DoD’s first carbon credits REPI project. 

Mr. Bradley views his forthcoming role in the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership as an exciting opportunity, “I am excited to continue to serve my country in a unique field that provides both national defense and long-term conservation benefits.”

Mr. Robert McMahon was appointed by the President as the new Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Sustainment in August 2018.

In this role, Mr. McMahon provides oversight of logistics policies, practices and efficiencies to enable readiness across the Department of Defense and manages over $170 billion in logistics operations. 

Mr. McMahon also provides budgetary, policy and management oversight of the Department of Defense’s real property portfolio that consists of 28 million acres, over 500 installations, and more than 500,000 buildings and structures valued at $1 trillion dollars. He is responsible for the Department’s planning, programs, and capacity to provide mission assurance through military construction, facilities investment, environmental restoration and compliance, installation and operational energy resilience, and occupational safety programs.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. McMahon served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness from November 2017 to August 2018. 

More information on Mr. McMahon and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment is available here.

The REPI Program is pleased to announce that the 2019 REPI Report to Congress is now available on the REPI Program website. The Report summarizes and reviews the achievements of the Program through Fiscal Year 2018. In its 16-year lifespan, the REPI Program has protected over 586,000 acres in 106 locations across 33 states!

In conjunction with the release of this year’s Report, the REPI Program has updated the REPI fact sheets on its website through Fiscal Year 2018. State and REPI project profiles, as well as general REPI Program fact sheets, are available under Resources.

Join us for this online series on best practices, tutorials, and knowledge sharing on REPI partnerships that support the military mission and accelerate the pace and rate of land conservation.  

Upcoming Webinars

Leveraging DOI and USDA Funds as a Match to REPI Funds: A Case Study
Description: The REPI statute allows the recipient of REPI funds to use such funds as a match to satisfy the cost-sharing requirement for any conservation program administered by the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. In this webinar, several REPI partners that successfully leveraged this authority will provide insight into the process and offer lessons learned for future projects.

When: Wednesday, March 13, at 1:00 PM ET.

For instructions to join the webinar, please click here.

Calling for Sentinel Landscapes Applications: Lessons Learned and Best Practices from the 2017 Cycle
Description: Come learn the ins and outs of the Sentinel Landscapes designation process! During this webinar, representatives from the Georgia Sentinel Landscape will explain lessons learned from the 2017 application cycle and answer questions on how to develop a winning proposal!

When: Wednesday, March 27, 2018, at 1:00 PM ET.

For instructions to join the webinar, please click here.

Harford Settles on Purchase of 32 Acres of Perryman Forest 

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, MD) reports that with the assistance of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Harford County, and residents, the Harford Land Trust completed the purchase of a 32-acre parcel in the Perryman Forest. Using funding acquired through the Army Compatible Use Buffer Program (ACUB), APG was able to enter into a cost-sharing partnership to purchase the parcel. The Harford Land Trust will manage this land to preserve open space in the community, protect the natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay, and support APG’s military mission.

NRCS' Healthy Forests Reserve Program Helps Owners Preserve and Manage Tracts

The Brainerd Dispatch (Brainerd, MN) reports that the Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape partnership has increased the number of opportunities for working landowners to receive technical or financial assistance through programs such as NRCS’ Healthy Forests Reserve Program. The Healthy Forests Reserve program helps recover threatened and endangered species, improves biodiversity, and enhances carbon sequestration.