The Fallbrook Land Conservancy and Camp Pendleton’s environmental planner joined Robert and Margaret Durling for a conservation easement of the new Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative project, which closed escrow on August 14.
The Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative supports cost-sharing partnerships authorized by Congress between the military services, private conservation groups, and state and local governments to protect military test and training capabilities and wildlife habitats.
“REPI authorizes Camp Pendleton to acquire real estate interests (for the Marine Corps this is usually a restrictive or conservation easement) adjacent to or near the Base with public and private partners to reduce or eliminate current or future restrictions on military operations,” said Ken Quigley, Camp Pendleton’s environmental planner.
REPI is the Department of Defense’s key effort to protecting military readiness by preserving habitats through supportive education and regional planning.
“This has been a long haul, mainly due to a series of federal budget crisis which held up federal funding,” said Wallace Tucker, FLC chairman. “The Durlings and the Camp Pendleton team, especially Ken Quigley, deserve a lot of credit for staying the course, to the great benefit of the community and the natural resources of the area.”
As of now, Camp Pendleton has more than 1,200 acres being preserved under the REPI. With the new land in the De Luz area acquired by the FLC it will give the project an added 184 acres.
“Camp Pendleton is currently working with 7 partners to conserve over 2000 additional acres of habitat for the threatened and endangered species that occupy Camp Pendleton's training ranges with the goal of using the conservation of that habitat to allow training on Camp Pendleton to be conducted with fewer restrictions,” said Quigley.
According to the official REPI website, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton provides a critical training area and base of operations. Home to the Marine Corps’ only West Coast amphibious assault training center and one of the Department of Defense’s busiest installations, Camp Pendleton hosts one of only three Marine Expeditionary Forces strategically positioned for global missions.
The base provides diverse training opportunities while playing a critical ecological role by being the home to the last remaining habitat for several threatened and endangered species in Southern California.
For more information regarding other Camp Pendleton’s REPI and other installation’s projects log onto, http://www.repi.mil/Index-2.html.