The U.S. Department of Defense is the third largest federal land managing agency.  U.S. military installations and facilities utilize 30 million acres of land, and the Army Corps of Engineers oversees thousands of civil works projects and the Clean Water Act 404 Regulatory Program.

U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force

Urban and suburban development can be problematic for military installations nationwide as incompatible land uses—primarily residential developments—close to an installation’s boundary can limit training and testing abilities. 

We partner with military installations to combat encroachment, including preserving habitat through buffer projects, to provide supportive education, and to help with regional planning.  Our work frequently involves the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program to protect working landscapes and critical natural resources in a way that is compatible with the military mission.  The Military Services implement REPI funding through their own programs: Army Compatible Use Buffer Program, Navy Encroachment Management Program, Marine Corps Encroachment Management Program, and Air Force Encroachment Management Program.

Soldiers train at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, one of the facilities helped by the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

As the leading federal agency pursuing civil works projects ranging from flood control to ecosystem restoration, as well as overseeing the 404 Regulatory Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has a significant reach and impact on our nation’s natural resources and aquatic ecosystems, in particular. 

Reflective of our formal national partnership, we work with the Corps in various ways.  Our Conservation Leadership Network partners with the Corps, and other federal agencies, to provide annual training courses on mitigation banking, conservation banking, and in-lieu fee programs.  We also assist with the establishment and administration of several in-lieu fee and mitigation banks nationwide.  Drawing on our green infrastructure expertise and Strategic Conservation Planning work, our partnership with the Corps also includes coastal resiliency efforts through the public-private SAGE initiative, the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition, and ongoing work at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Learn More

• Press Release: "Conservation Partnership Enhances Public Access To The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail And Protects Patuxent River Naval Air Station"
• Press Release: "City Of Sumter Completes Purchase Of 694 Acres Near Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina"