Governor Kaine Announces New Environmental Stewardship Recognition for Virginia Military Installations

Press Release

Governor Kaine Announces New Environmental Stewardship Recognition for Virginia Military Installations

- Virginia Department of Defense Eagle Award established -

Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced a new partnership between the agencies under the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Defense to recognize and encourage environmental stewardship efforts on military installations in Virginia.

"The U.S. military has a strong presence in Virginia, as well as a long history of involvement with state and federal environmental initiatives," Governor Kaine said. "This Virginia DoD Eagle Award will help recognize the military for its exemplary stewardship of the natural resources entrusted to its care and encourage their future safeguard."

More than 20 military installations in Virginia are eligible for recognition under this environmental partnership program. Each participating military installation will be evaluated by DoD personnel and staff from Virginia's natural resource agencies on seven performance measures: biological resources, habitat protection and restoration, watershed protection and restoration, land use, environmental stewardship, conservation plans and environmental compliance. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality worked with DoD to develop this program. Virginia is one of only two states in the nation to have at least one installation from each branch of the military located within its boundaries.

Joining Governor Kaine for the announcement were Principal Deputy to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment Alex A. Beehler and Rear Admiral Mark S. Boensel, Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.

"Not only are our military personnel vigilant in their protection of the national security, they are also vigilant in their protection of our environment and the natural resources located on and around DoD lands," Beehler said.

Each military installation can submit an Installation Environmental Scorecard annually to the state for evaluation. Those military installations that demonstrate the greatest environmental stewardship will qualify for the Virginia DoD Eagle Award.

"The American Bald Eagle has long stood as a symbol for our military. It is also an environmental success story in its own right," said DCR Director Joseph Maroon. "As such, we thought there could be no better symbol for this first of its kind in the country award."

The Department of Defense manages more than 275,000 acres in Virginia. Military installations will begin gathering data and planning initiatives for the initial environmental scorecard in the next few months. The first DoD Eagle Awards are expected to be awarded in 2009. Contact Christine Porter at the DoD, (757) 445-6493, for more information.

Source