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REPI Program Newsletter | September 2024 Edition
Please see below for exciting news and announcements relevant to the REPI community! If you have questions or would like an announcement featured in the next newsletter, please contact us at osd.repi@mail.mil.
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Join us for the REPI Partnerships and AICUZ
for Enhanced Land Protection Webinar
Join the REPI Program for the Air Installations Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) and REPI Partnerships for Enhanced Land Protection Webinar on Wednesday, October 9, from 1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). The AICUZ program is one example of how REPI partnerships can be integrated with other Department of Defense (DOD) tools and strategies to preserve compatible land uses and enhance land protection. Join this webinar to learn how installations collaborate with local governments and communities through the AICUZ and the DOD Noise programs to educate stakeholders about the installation’s mission. During this webinar, participants will learn about the DOD Noise Program’s objectives in developing land use recommendations that inform zoning decisions and local ordinances, reduce the potential for accidents, and mitigate noise impacts on communities.
To learn more about the DOD Noise Program, visit www.denix.osd.mil/dodnoise.
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Managing Longleaf for Our Future: New Climate-Smart Guide for Longleaf Pine Forests
Last month, America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative released the Managing Longleaf Pine Forests for our Future Climate-Smart Guide. This guide shares a range of forest management practices for longleaf pine forests to help landowners make decisions to optimize their forest benefits. All of our forest management decisions have impacts beyond our land boundaries. Maintaining healthy forests can improve wildlife habitat, provide cleaner air and water, maintain water supplies, and mitigate the effects of a changing climate. In a region shaped by fires, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and other wind events, longleaf pine is a species built to thrive in harsh and variable conditions. Restoring native longleaf pine forests is an ecologically and economically important strategy for preparing southern forests and the people who depend on those forests for a challenging climate future.
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Upcoming Partner Funding Opportunities
OLDCC Accepting Applications for Noise Mitigation Projects
The DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) is now accepting grant applications for the Community Noise Mitigation Program. This competitive program is designed to assist state and local governments and Indian Tribes impacted by military fixed-wing aviation noise through the installation of noise mitigating insulation at covered facilities, including the installation of air conditioning. Eligible projects include construction-ready, off-base plans to install noise-mitigating insulation. Click here for the full opportunity. Completed proposals must be submitted through grants.gov by 8:00 PM ET on October 22, 2024.
To stay informed and learn more about the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Community Noise Mitigation Program, visit OLDCC's website.
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ESTCP Releases Supplemental Solicitations
On August 29, the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) released a solicitation requesting proposals for climate adaptation. The Innovation in Climate Adaptation Technologies for DOD Key Geographies aims to quickly address climate adaptation needs in response to rapid changes affecting built and natural infrastructure across geographic regions where DOD assets are concentrated. These “key geographies” include Alaska, California, the Sonoran Desert, the Southeast United States, and the Pacific Islands. This topic area targets innovation in climate adaptation technologies, repurposing past investments for new adaptation application, and rapid transition of technology to DOD end user communities and partners. The overall objective is to demonstrate, evaluate, and refine existing data/tools/technology that leverage prior successfully funded research or technology from ESTCP or other Federally funded programs (e.g., REPI Program or the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership) for a new, innovative DOD purpose in a DOD Key Geography.
To be eligible for consideration, applicants must submit a proposal by 2:00 PM ET on October 3, 2024. Click here for more information on proposal submission.
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To stay informed on upcoming partner funding opportunities, download the newly updated REPI Resilience Project Funding Guide, which features a comprehensive program calendar. The guide includes updated dates for application openings and deadlines across all programs. Each program includes a summary of funding opportunities, eligibility requirements, and application information. Mark your calendars for the below upcoming partner funding opportunities.
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Pacific Partner Spotlight: Keeping History Above Water Pacific Workshop
This summer, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment (EI&E), in partnership with the Newport Restoration Foundation, hosted the Keeping History Above Water (KHAW) Pacific Workshop in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. The KHAW Pacific Workshop was a first-of-its-kind cultural heritage event that prioritized listening to and learning from the perspectives of Pacific Island cultural practitioners to facilitate continued partnerships with Pacific Island communities, address shared challenges, and work toward actionable solutions. The workshop brought together 122 cultural and natural resource practitioners, military personnel, scientists, state and local leaders, and others who discussed community-driven solutions for preserving the Pacific Islands’ physical and intangible cultural heritage in the face of coastal inundation.
Jonathan Kanekoa Kukea Shultz, Executive Director of Kāko‘o ‘Oiwi, presented on Kāko‘o ‘Oiwi’s role as a REPI Program partner and the successes of supporting Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i land stewardship activities such as forest and fishpond restoration, expanding lo‘i kalo wetland agriculture, and improving riparian habitat.
The Honorable Brendan Owens, Assistant Secretary of Defense for EI&E, closed the workshop by reflecting on the importance of considering place-based solutions to climate change driven by community input. His remarks relayed the DOD’s commitment to building relationships with Pacific Islanders and residents and continuing discussions around climate, culture, and preservation.
Join the REPI Program at the 2024 Land Trust Rally
The REPI Program is excited to participate in the upcoming Land Trust Alliance (LTA) 2024 Rally from September 25-28 in Newport, Rhode Island. LTA Rally is the exciting annual gathering of land conservation practitioners dedicated to conserving our communities. As the premier training and networking conference, LTA Rally offers educational sessions focused on land conservation topics, networking events, exhibits, plenary sessions, and an awards presentation celebrating conservation leadership. The REPI Office will host an informational breakfast for new and existing REPI partners on Friday, September 27, from 7:00-8:15 AM and a session, Creating Resilient and Connected Landscapes through the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, on Friday, September 27, from 1:30-3:00 PM. For more information and a schedule of events, click the link below.
REPI News Corner
Below is media coverage featuring REPI Program partnerships that address land use and resource challenges that threaten military readiness while enhancing relationships with communities and preserving the environment.
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 Why the Military is an Important Ally in Protecting Northwest Florida Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife (Washington, DC) featured Sentinel Landscapes Partnership’s significant environmental and military conservation efforts in Northwest Florida and highlighted the successful balance between conservation and military needs. Designated as a sentinel landscape in 2022, Northwest Florida is home to key military training and testing installations such as Eglin and Tyndall Air Force Bases. Conservation efforts in these areas are crucial for safeguarding wildlife and military operations as climate change exacerbates Florida’s environmental challenges. The partnership support includes endangered species habitat protection, military installations, wetland restoration, invasive plant control, and the creation of oyster reefs, seagrass beds, and living shorelines. Successful projects, like habitat restoration, demonstrate the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership’s efforts to maintain cohesion between conservation and installation resilience in Florida.
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