Page 6 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, October 16, 2020

6 October 16, 2020 news Desert lightning news s. nevaDa Desert lightning news s. nevaDa news October 16, 2020 7
www.aerotechnews.com/nellisafb Facebook.com/NellisDesertLightningNews www.aerotechnews.com/nellisafb Facebook.com/NellisDesertLightningNews
NTTR: Conservation through cooperation chapel visit Fitness center & ID card section:
NeLLIS BrIeFS

Starting Oct. 12, the Warrior Fitness Center
is open to Active Duty, Guard, Retirees,
by airman 1st class Dwane r. Young Dependents, GS Civilians and Contrac-
Nellis AFB, Nev. tors with Common Access Cards. With
the increased attendance, the center will
With a span of 2.9 million acres, the Ne- be implementing mandatory mask-wear
vada Test and Training Range is protected for all patrons when not actively working
land, and because of this its daily happen- out. Masks are also required for entry into
ings are left up to the imagination. the facility and when in transition between
Where there is little information, people equipment.
sometimes can create their own. This vast ID cards: All CAC functions are by ap-
landscape of hills and valleys, most of it hav- pointment only and can be made by visiting
ing been untouched by human life for more https://nellislife.com/mpf. Appointments
than 50 years, supports wildlife, holds his- are available for new DEERS transactions
torical relics and provides the U.S. military such as registering a spouse after a mar-
with essential space for testing and training. riage. ID card renewals for dependents and
Due to the longevity and complexity of Bishop Neal J. Buckon, bishop tary Services was created by Pope retirees can be done virtually. Dependent
the NTTR mission, over time the popular of the Catholic Archdiocese for Saint John Paul II to provide the and retiree ID cards have been extended
misconception that has developed is that it the Military Services for the Catholic Church’s full range of DOD-wide through June 2021, regardless of
was a once thriving historical landmark, Western Region visited Nellis pastoral ministries and spiri- the expiration date printed on the card. All
which, was slowly destroyed by military recently. tual services to those in the U.S. military benefits remain active despite the
use. This rumor has been debunked by law The bishop’s visit was to check Armed Forces. This includes card’s expiration date.
enforcement and environmental agencies. on the welfare of the Nellis Cath- more than 220 installations in catholic chapel services: In-person
“There’s a popular misconception when Air Force photograph by Staff Sgt. tabatha McCarthy olic community, as well as con- 29 countries, patients in 153 Catholic Mass resumed at the Nellis Chapel
it comes to the NTTR that the military is Steve Stocking, lead herpetologist with firming members. VA medical centers, and federal Oct. 5. Attendance is limited to 50 people
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Dwane r. Young
destroying it because they drop bombs for Members of 99th Civil Engineering Squadron, Natural and Cultural Resource section pose Colorado State University, scans the hillside Nellis was just one stop on employees serving outside the per service and reservations are required.
training,” said Anna Johnson, 99th Civil for a photo at the Maj. Gen. Billy McCoy Environmental Grove at Nellis Air Force Base, for rattlesnakes on the Nellis Test and Buckon’s annual tour as he over- boundaries of the United States To register, visit https://www.signupgenius.
Engineering Squadron, natural resource Training Range, Nev., Oct. 17, 2019.The 99th sees all Catholic programs for in 134 countries. Numerically, com/go/8050545AEAE23A2F85-nellis2.
program manager. “That narrative is incor- Nev., Sept. 25, 2020. The Natural and Cultural Resource section works with the Nevada Civil Engineer Squadrons’ natural resource every DOD installation in the the AMS is responsible for more You can sign up for the 5 p.m. Mass on
rect. The NTTR wouldn’t have the species and Testing Range to maintain the range and spread environmental awareness at Nellis. western region. than 1.8 million men, women and Oct. 17, or the 9:45 a.m. Mass on Oct. 18.
numbers and diversity that it currently has One such project was the Maj. Gen. Billy McCoy Environmental Grove that was created in section works with the Nevada Test and Courtesy photos The Archdiocese for the Mili- children. Individuals requiring assistance registering
if it was just a wasteland destroyed by the 1992, a drought resistant garden that can be sustained under Nevada climate. Training Range to sustain the range. As should call Fr. Luis Barrera at 325-232-9946.
military and its practices.” part of this conservation, they partner with
The NTTR and the 99th CES work at the NTTR. “We liaise between everyone, superintendent at the NTTR. “There were CSU to conduct surveys of the NTTR. They
closely with local, state, and federal environ- from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to environmental concerns with the surround- identify and monitor its wildlife to provide
mental agencies to sustain the range while the Bureau of Land Management and the ing area, so instead of cutting a road and a picture to the U.S. Air Force to mitigate
maintaining military capabilities. They more than 17 Native American tribes as- bringing trucks out there to recover the air- impact on local species.
employ teams of biologists, anthropologists sociated with the range. We welcome input craft, we contracted helicopter support and
and natural resource managers to ensure the so we can weigh the impact of our actions slung loaded everything to be air lifted out.” they consulted multiple local, state, and
impact on the range remains as minimally against the environment.” In addition to setting up the 3,700 target federal environmental agencies, as well as
invasive as possible. Following federal laws that protect natu- elements across the range and Leech Lake, the local tribes, for participation in crafting
“We look at the environmental conse- ral and cultural resources, 99th CES cul- Cunningham works with Maj. Don “Mick” their management plan.
quences of everything we do, not just for tural managers, like Kish LaPierre, manage Martin, chief of operations support at the “It is required that we have U.S. Fish
the exercises and the war gaming, but also the NTTR and consult with tribal affiliates NTTR, managing the contractors who and Wildlife Service and the state wildlife
for testing and training,” said Roger Chris- to evaluate which areas should be protected. perform all required maintenance, such agency sign this document,” said Johnson.
tensen, range environmental administrator “There are parts of the NTTR that have as cleaning and repair work of everything “This can take a long time or get interrupt-
been untouched by humans for decades and on the range. ed, because if the agencies don’t agree, they
that’s amazing,” said LaPierre. “This pris- “We remove all hazards that might will not sign it. We got ours signed in three
tine land is like a living museum because of cause undue harm to the environment,” weeks. That is a testament to how well we
the way it’s withdrawn and preserved. We said Martin. “We always verify that the worked with the agencies and how satisfied
have over 4,000 known cultural sites, and contractor cleaned the area, and that they they were with what we put into the plan.”
we’ve only inventoried about 250,000 of the did so following our environmental com- Recently, the Nevada Department of
three million acres on the NTTR.” pliance standards.” Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-
To examine the potential effects a proj- Between projects with the NTTR, vice directors signed a Sheep Management
ect might have on the area, environmental 99th CES biologists and anthropologists Plan that the Desert National Wildlife Ref-
surveys or assessments in accordance with continue to survey the range. They work uge, USGS, Nevada Department of Wildlife
the National Environmental Policy Act are with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and U.S. Air Force have been collaborating
completed for every proposed project at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and on for the last year to complete.
the range. the U.S. Geological Survey, consistently The NTTR is incredibly diverse and
“Every time the NTTR plans a project, conducting wildlife, botanical and wetland complex. Its numerous interests add a great
they contact us and we work with archeo- surveys. deal of oversight to ensure that the USAF
logical firms to do a study,” said LaPierre. “Our team of biologists and botanists is acting as good stewards of the land and
“We consult the tribes and the State Historic have been steadily collecting data since honest brokers in all of their operations.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Dwane r. Young Preservation Office, and if we find some- 2010 to help us form a picture of the “We welcome the fact that there is
Anna Johnson, 99th Civil Engineering thing significant, they move the project.” NTTR,” said Johnson. “We want to know oversight in everything we do,” said Larry
Squadron natural resource program Similarly, to determine potential im- where our species and rare plants are “Slider” Prince, chief of the projects branch
manager, takes field notes on her data pacts, recovery missions for left over ord- located to mitigate the impact on them.” at the NTTR. “Sustaining the land, the ani-
sheet at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Sept. nance are also carefully planned, with a The 99th CES natural resource man- mals and the capabilities that the military
25, 2020. Johnson and the Natural Resource strong focus on maintaining the footprint agers understand the importance of a utilizes on the range are all of co-equal
team survey Nellis AFB by tracking and the military has already developed on the partnership as part of stewardship of the importance to us. We understand that if
documenting the presence of local wildlife. range. NTTR land. we don’t take care of the land, we won’t be
This information is collected for National “My first real mission on this range was In 2017, while updating Nellis’ Integrated able to use it.”
Environmental Policy Act annual reports to recover two downed A-10s surrounded Natural Resource Management Plan (plan- Editor’s note: This is the second install-
and their findings are shared with local, by a lot of Joshua trees,” said Master Sgt. ning documents that outline how military ment in a three-part series highlighting the
state and federal environmental partners. Jeremy Cunningham, operations support installations will manage natural resources) Nevada Test and Training Range.