Desert Tortoise Conservation Efforts on Edwards Airforce Base
Research Proposal Super Blog
-Title: Wings over Shells: How Tortoise Protection on Edwards Air Force Base Shows Possible Positive Effects of Military Land Use on Native Species
-Intro: There are many uses for the vast lands present in the United States and among these are military uses. While the military does not own and/or utilize the most land of all government bodies, they are definitely an important user of lands which are set aside for them in the form of military installations. These lands tend to be in remote or (relatively) undeveloped areas as military installations need undisturbed ‘buffer zones’ to separate them from surrounding communities and developments (mines, logging installations, etc.). Many of these buffer zones (and other areas present on military installations) often serve as relatively undisturbed habitats for native, and sometimes endangered, species. This leads to the question of whether or not military installations are good for native species and this will be examined by looking at the case of the desert tortoise on Edwards Airforce Base in Southern California.
-Historical Issue: Historically, militaries worldwide have been known for devastating environments in a myriad of ways since the development of industrialized warfare. Devastation has come in many ways including but not limited to chemical spills, chemical/nuclear testing, improper waste disposal, bombardment, both in actual war and exercises, and many other forms. However recent developments have shown that, perhaps to some extent, the military has recognized these issues and is making some small changes in order to be more friendly to the environment.
-Why it’s Important: The military is an important component of any society as it both protects it and serves as an important avenue of social mobility. For these reasons, the militaries of the world are inherently linked to the societies they are part of. In addition, the uses of various installations link the military to the lands they use.
-What kind of Environmental History: This kind of environmental history is one that focuses both on land use and policy. The usage part is obvious as it is how the military uses the land and how these uses effect local tortoise populations. The policy aspect comes in after this, as these are policies put in place to protect the tortoises and negate as many of the negative aspects of military land use as possible.
-Findings: Many of the readings I have consulted with have shown a few general trends. These trends are that there is some validity to the idea that military installations can serve as pseudo-nature reserves due to their isolated nature, the military’s commitment (in some cases) to environmental protection, and continuing conflicts over land use. The first point is derived mostly from the fact that military use prevents other more destructive development projects from taking place. Since a great portion of this land is simply kept around to isolate military installations, it remains undeveloped and relatively pristine animal habitats. This is the ‘buffer zone’ mentioned earlier. In addition, other areas of the base can also serve as animal habitats. In the case of Edwards Airforce Base, this includes areas used for live aerial bombardment exercises. Supporting the second trend of military support for the environment is the presence of tortoise specific protocols and policies present on the base. This includes tortoise education for all base personal, mapping out of tortoise dens, and even a captive breeding program. In addition, there exists an environmental consultation process to approve any new use of land. This consultation process leads to the final trend present, which is that there is still some conflict over land use and policy present on military lands.
3 Maps:
This is a map of various Desert Tortoise habitats. Edwards Airforce Base can be seen in the center left next to a Desert Wildlife Management Area for the Western Mojave Desert Tortoise
This map shows how threatened local desert tortoise habitats are. Note how Edwards Airforce Base is relatively low compared to other areas.
This is a chart showing the condition of captive raised tortoises upon their release into the wild as part of the Edwards Airforce Base head start breeding program. As one can see, the military is showing a degree of commitment by raising and releasing relatively healthy tortoises into the wild to raise the native population.
-Describe 5 important sources:
412th Civil Engineer Group, “2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ON EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE DESERT TORTOISE HEAD START PROGRAM” Environmental Management Division 2015
This is one of several reports filed by the 412th Civil Engineer Group, the group responsible for many of the tortoise protection policies and actions present on Edwards Air Force Base. The main focus of this report is the Head Start program, a program which was meant to bolster the desert tortoise population by keeping juveniles safe in pens and released to the wild when deemed adequately large. According to this report, the project seems to be something of a mixed bag. While the military has proven its dedication to tortoise protection, there is still gaps in its knowledge and this shows here. While Juvenile desert tortoise mortality rate is estimated to be above 90% before two years of age, the mortality in the head start pens is still above 0%, and there were many cases of some sort of injury or disease. In spite of this there were still some positive results as demonstrated by the survival ratios in some released cohorts. It should also be noted that this report is linked to the reports of the Head start program for 2015 and 2016, which will also be cited separately.
Environmental Management Office “INTEGRATED NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR EDWARDSAIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA” Edwards Air For Base INRMP August 2001
This is an extensive report by the Environmental Management Office of Edwards Air Force Base. The date of 2001 is important to note as this places it between the creation of new standards and the actual (at time partial) implementation of these standards. This detailed report has pertinent sections relating the desert tortoise and its conservation programs present on the base. Other important tortoise statistics are given, such as population density present on the base. Another important component of this report for analyzing the nature of the military’s environmental policy is the presence of sections on land use and pest management. These sections are relevant because they are important in showing that there are many possible conflicts that arise from multiple uses of the same bits of land. How these usage policies align and or conflict with tortoise protection actions will be essential for viewing the success of military-environmentalism.
Snell, Marilyn “Unlikely Ally: How the Military Fights Climate Change and Protects the Environment” Heyday Berkeley 2018
A book focusing on the growing trend of military-environmentalism, Snell explores serval military initiatives on behalf of the environment. Broad topics of the book which are relevant include the military’s need of undeveloped land to remain so and some environmental protection initiatives. Among these are tortoise conservation efforts and obstacles on Fort Irwin located in Twentynine Palms. While this is a different military installation, many of the issues are shared with Edwards Airforce Base, making this book relevant not only in a broad scope, but in a tortoise related one as well.
Tracy, et al. “Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan” DTRPAC Assessment Committee 2004
The Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan Assessment Committee’s extensive 2004 report. While this report is very broad, it does include sections which talk specifically of the status of the desert tortoise on military installations, and the challenges faced by conservation efforts on these lands. In addition, important tortoise statistics are given, including population density present and there are detailed conservation plans present too. Reading these plans is important as it allows one to see whether or not the military’s programs are up to snuff in comparison with civilian plans. These civilian plans serve as good benchmarks by which to grade the efforts of the military.
Various , “THE DESERT TORTOISE COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS OF 1995 SYMPOSIUM” The Desert Tortoise Council Inc. Las Vegas March 31- April 2 1995
https://www.deserttortoise.org/ocr_DTCdocs/1995DTCProceedings-OCR.pdf#page=110
A very extensive report detailing the conditions faced by the desert tortoise in 1995. This report serves an important role of setting the stage as it is the earliest source cited (it is dated from 1995). This predates the adaption of some more recent tortoise protection policies/protocols. Among the most relevant section, there is one dedicated to the state of the species on military land. It should be noted that this sections brevity hints at the, at the time, lack of conservation policies present on military lands. There is also a segment noting some of the negative aspects of military land use, including an increase in the raven population. Ravens prey upon young tortoises. All of these factors and the age of the paper make this document an important ‘baseline’ which can be used to gauge the development and implementation of later conservation efforts.
-Explanation of Research Plans: In order to conduct my research, I want to take a chronologically driven approach which analyzes the effectiveness of new conservation efforts over time. This chronology will begin around 1995 when few tortoise conservation efforts were in place and will continue up until 2016 with an analysis of the head start program’s effectiveness. In order to judge the effectiveness of said programs I will analyze data on local tortoise populations over time and also compare the military’s efforts to civilian recommendations.
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