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On Thursday, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced five new sentinel landscapes in New Mexico, Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and California. Sentinel landscapes are a unique form of landscape conservation that protects natural resources, strengthens military readiness, and enhances resilience to climate change. Part of the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, these designations represent a collaboration among DOD and the departments of Agriculture and Interior.
The five new landscapes will add over 10 million acres of land to the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, significantly adding to the 4.4 million acres that have been enrolled since it started in 2013. In the West, the Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape includes 2.4 million acres and the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape in Utah includes over 2.7 million acres. The largest new sentinel landscape is in California, where the Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape spans nearly 3.5 million acres. The new designations will focus on a variety of measures, including safeguarding water supplies, managing wildfires, and rehabilitating wildlife habitats.
"The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership provides DOD with the unique opportunity to expand and diversify our partnerships with nongovernmental organizations, state and local governments, Tribes and land managers to enhance the resilience of military installations and the local communities that support them," said Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment.
In addition to sentinel landscapes, there are dozens of other federal designations that can be assigned to public lands to ensure they remain healthy and resilient for future generations. The Center for Western Priorities' resource Conservation Toolbox describes many of these designations—including sentinel landscapes—and contains visuals that show the relative strength and durability of each designation.
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I could spend all day just being in the garden and caring for things. Probably because I know that it's a friendly place for nature. And we see it. We see nature responding to the care that we give.”
