Hi Tweets!

Looks like Fish & Wildlife is full of stuff this week. BTW, I haven't
received any negative remarks about my forwarding these posts so I'm
assuming it's OK with everyone. If not, please let me know.

Peggi



>Date: Thur, 15 May 1997 13:54:00 -0600 (MDT)
>From: Mitch Snow <mitch_snow at mail.fws.gov>
>To: fws-news at dataadmin.irm.r9.fws.gov
>Subject: Jefferson Proving Ground Resources
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>For Immediate Release Contact: Georgia Parham 812-334-4261 x 203
>May 15, 1997 Scott Pruitt 812-334-4261 x 217
>EA97-10
>
>
> From Bombs to Birds: Agreement Between Army and U.S. Fish
>and Wildlife Service to Benefit Jefferson Proving Ground Resources
>
>Bird songs are replacing the sound of exploding ordnance at Jefferson Proving
>Ground (JPG), a 55-000-acre Army installation in southern Indiana, closed in
>1995 under the Base Realignment and Closure Act. Under an agreement recently
>forged between the Army and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, experts with
>the Service will assist the Army in assessing and managing the base's
>impressive array of fish and wildlife resources.
>
>"Jefferson Proving Ground, as a part of America's arsenal, has served a key
>role in the preservation of democracy and the freedoms we so richly enjoy,"
>said Major General John Longhouser, Commanding General, U.S. Army Test and
>Evaluation Command. "It is time to begin the process to convert this real
>estate to more peaceful purposes. This agreement provides the opportunity for
>an enhanced level of ecosystem-based management and study while the Army and
>the Service address long-term natural resource management."
>
>"While an active base, Jefferson Proving Ground served a critical role in
>safeguarding the people of the United States. It is now serving an equally
>important function in safeguarding the natural heritage of this country," said
>John Blankenship, Assistant Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
>Service. "This agreement represents a one-of-a-kind opportunity to conserve
>and manage some of the Midwest's finest forest and grassland habitats. I
>commend the Army for its vision in recognizing the value of the resources
>within the borders of Jefferson Proving Ground."
>
>Under the agreement, over the next three years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
>Service will have responsibility for evaluating the status of fish, wildlife,
>and habitats on about 51,000 acres of JPG. This portion of the installation,
>used as a firing range while the base was active, is not well-suited for
>commercial or other uses due to the presence of unexploded ordnance.
>
>Funding for the Service's activities will be provided by the Army, which
>retains ownership of this portion of JPG. Part of this area is still used by
>the Air National Guard for training exercises. The remaining 4,000 acres, at
>the southern end of the base, are being converted to other private and
>commercial uses.
>
>
>Public use of the firing range is limited due to the danger posed by an
>estimated 1.5 million rounds of unexploded ordnance. However, the Army, the
>Service and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are already at work
>discussing options for possible use in the future by recreational users. More
>information on public use will be provided as it is available.
>
>As part of the agreement, the Service will manage the base's forests and
>grasslands, develop a plan for Indiana bats and other endangered species,
>manage and enhance aquatic habitats, and promote public understanding and
>awareness of JPG's natural resources.
>
>Jefferson Proving Ground is considered by wildlife managers to contain an
>extraordinary diversity of wildlife and habitats. The Army regularly used
>controlled fires to reduce the chance of wildfires touched off by exploding
>ordnance. These periodic burns mimicked the natural processes that create and
>maintain prairies. Thus, Jefferson Proving Ground, while not a native
>prairie, contains exceptionally productive grasslands that support a wide
>diversity of prairie-dependent birds and other wildlife.
>
>The disappearance of native prairies throughout the country is prompting
>alarming declines in many grassland-dependent species. Some of these species,
>many of which are in decline around the country, have found a haven at JPG and
>are beginning to thrive. One example is the Henslow's sparrow, considered
>endangered by the State of Indiana and a migratory bird of concern nationally.
>Jefferson Proving Ground, with 5,000 acres of grasslands in several tracts,
>supports one of the four largest known populations of Henslow's sparrows, with
>more than 900 pairs counted during the 1996 breeding season.
>
>Jefferson Proving Ground also contains one of the largest unfragmented blocks
>of mature forest in the lower Midwest. Such forested areas are increasingly
>hard to find in this heavily agricultural region, although they provide vital
>habitat for many wildlife species, including those considered endangered.
>JPG's forests provide summer habitat for the Federally endangered Indiana bat.
>In addition, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has released the
>state-endangered river otter along waterways within Jefferson Proving Ground.
>
>Jefferson Proving Ground operated from 1941 to 1994 as a munitions testing
>facility for cartridges, propellants, bombs, grenades, and high explosives.
>Use was highest during World War II and the Korean Conflict. In 1989,
>Jefferson Proving Ground was identified for closure, and testing operations
>ceased in 1994.
>
> -FWS
>
>
>
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>.-
>
>
Ben & Peggi Rodgers
Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz 122 W, 37 N)
USA
woodduck at cruzio.com


"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
It sings because it has a song"