AACOG Sentinel Landscape Camp Bullis Information Paper 12/01/2020

What is a Sentinel Landscape?

Sentinel Landscapes are United States Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Agriculture

(USDA), and Department of the Interior (DOI) defined areas to preserve natural and working character

of land around military bases.

The Sentinel Landscape Partnership is a coalition of federal agencies, state and local governments, and

non-governmental organizations that works with private landowners to advance sustainable land

management practices around military installations and ranges. Founded in 2013 by USDA, DOD and

DOI, the partnership connects private landowners with voluntary assistance programs.

Sentinel Landscapes is a component of DOD’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration

Program, and weaves together grant funding from DOD, USDA and DOI to achieve the goals and

objectives identified by each designated Sentinel Landscape’s local and regional working groups.

Leadership from the three founding agencies coordinate the partnership at the national level through

the Federal Coordinating Committee (FCC).

There are seven designated Sentinel Landscapes throughout the United States.

https://sentinellandscapes.org/

Why is Sentinel Landscape important for Camp Bullis?

Camp Bullis is a vital component of Joint Base San Antonio, which contributed $41B to the Texas

economy in 2019. Camp Bullis provides state-of-the-art training facilities, to include firing ranges,

simulation facilities, maneuver lands, tactical airstrip, and other training enablers and services that fully

support the training requirements of JBSA’s 266 mission partners. It provides live-fire ranges and

nighttime training essential for validating every military combat medic in DOD. It also is extensively

utilized by Army and Air Force special forces which rely on its rugged Hill Country terrain for key training.

A Sentinel Landscape designation around Camp Bullis would sustain the military mission by promoting

compatible land use around this vital JBSA training area. As a federal facility, Camp Bullis is steward of its

natural resources and adheres to various laws, regulations, and policies that govern natural resource

management. Camp Bullis is situated on the Edwards Plateau – and central to a convergence of natural

resources such as the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone and critical habitats for wildlife species.

How will Sentinel Landscape benefit Camp Bullis? Sentinel Landscape designation for Camp Bullis will:

• Lead to improved recognition at local, state and national level and facilitates grant applications;

• Improve communication and coordination (collaboration) between partner organizations and

local communities

• Lead to more effective and collaborative use of public funding (allows use of grants for matching

funds); leverages existing conservation and protection programs;

• Lead to greater voluntary landowner participation; deepens engagement with willing

landowners; and,

• Encourages partners to develop new technical and financial assistance options

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For more information please contact Larry Dotson, AACOG Compatible Use Program at 210-835-7048,

ldotson@aacog.com or visit https://aacog.com/742/Sentinel-Landscape-Initiative

Committed Organizations

AACOG

Alamo Resource Conservation & Development Area

Bexar County Audubon Society

Comal County Conservation Alliance

Great Springs Project

Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance

Hill Country Alliance

Joint Base San Antonio

San Antonio River Authority

Texas A&M University – Natural Resources Institute

Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District

US Fish & Wildlife Service – Southwest District

Supportive Organizations

Compatible Lands Foundation

Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District

Green Spaces Alliance

San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

Texas National Guard

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Texas Wildlife Association

US National Parks Service – Recreation, Trails and Conservation Areas

Shared Equities within a Sentinel Landscape

Air quality

Aquifer protection

Carbon Sequestration

Dark Skies

Farmland preservation

Flood mitigation

Game management

Military mission sustainment

Parks, trails & open spaces

Water basin protection

Strategy for Sentinel Landscape

Our strategy created a consortium of partner organizations to pursue and achieve Sentinel Landscape

Designation at the state and federal levels. This consortium collaborates to recognize a Sentinel

Landscape around JBSA Camp Bullis. AACOG, with assistance from its partners applies to the FCC for

federal designation in 2021. Once achieved, the strategy shifts to focus on program collaboration within

a designated landscape with all partners to maximize efforts.

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For more information please contact Larry Dotson, AACOG Compatible Use Program at 210-835-7048,

ldotson@aacog.com or visit https://aacog.com/742/Sentinel-Landscape-Initiative