2024 NPLD Department of Defense Awards

This project involves the creation of a diverse habitat with an emphasis on creating a pollinator sanctuary. Installation of the habitat involves the removal and maintenance of non-native plant species and planting native grasses and flowers. With a walking trail and educational signage, this natural space will also be a valuable area for outreach and research.

Multiple species of bats that are “of special concern” in California will have new homes thanks to a project where community volunteers will set up artificial roosting sites—also known as “bat boxes.” This event will include an educational component that features hands-on demonstrations of active and passive bat monitoring techniques and tools. Planned long-term monitoring will help with future land management and decision making.

Objectives for this project are to restore and enhance essential nesting habitats for endangered birds through a series of volunteer events. The largest of the events will feature stations that include trash removal, non-native plant eradication, and installation of tarps to prevent further unwanted plant growth. There will also be the construction of small barriers to protect future generations of California least tern chicks from predation.

Organizers are expanding the scope of Vandenberg Space and Missile Heritage Center’s natural and cultural resources. This will be done through a series of projects that include the removal of invasive weeds and other organic matter, establishing an ADA-compliant trail that connects several important sites, installing a set of interpretive signs that detail indigenous Chumash names and uses of local vegetation, and planting a pollinator meadow.

Over two workdays, volunteers will plant around 350 plants of 15 native species over two acres in a depleted, used borrow pit. In addition to reforesting a disturbed habitat, the planting will protect against erosion. There is also a public outreach component which covers the basics of land restoration, biodiversity, and resilience.

The interpretive garden planted and managed by the Army Natural Resources Program O’ahu functions as a living collection of some of the rarest plants native to Oʻahu, many of them being federally listed endangered species. Volunteers will improve the garden by weeding, planting more native species, and installing new interpretive signs. They will also learn how to process seeds from the managed areas which will be used for future restoration projects. 

Over multiple workdays, volunteers will engage in four projects to improve habitat along dunes and wetlands critical to Hawaiian wildlife. Projects include removing invasive species, planting pollinator-friendly plants, installing informational signs along a nature trail, and cleaning plastic trash along a stream edge. Additionally, volunteers will learn about important Hawaiian cultural history of the area and native plant identification.

Nioiula Heiau is a traditional Hawaiian temple dating back more than 400 years. Volunteers for this project will clear invasive vegetation from around the structure and remove litter from the area. Local community members and students will collaborate with the Navy to preserve and protect this significant cultural resource, and area schools will use the heiau for future educational programs.

A collaboration between the Idaho Army National Guard and the Birds of Prey NCA Partnership plans to implement a trash clean-up event and native plant restoration within the Orchard Combat Training Center. A series of volunteer days will map dump sites, clean litter—especially that associated with the use of firearms—planting native plants, and later collecting seeds. Each event is complemented with an educational component. 

Volunteers from local youth programs, schools, and community-service oriented groups will plant over 60 young native trees to reforest locations around the National Historic Landmark District at Fort Leavenworth. A one-day event will kick-off the tree planting and initial maintenance, with more tree plantings each weekend until all the trees are planted. 

Organizers will manage the collection of native genotype seeds during a one-day event, with volunteers assisting in the gathering. This native seed collection will be accompanied by education and outreach for participants about the importance of native plants for wildlife and pollinators. The seeds will be grown into plugs and later planted throughout Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center. 

This project includes the establishment and expansion of three to four pollinator gardens, including new informational signage. Volunteers will collect milkweed seeds for later planting. An educational event will feature the importance of stewardship and inspire volunteers to incorporate a mindset of environmental responsibility into their daily lives. Monarch butterfly tagging and parasite testing will also take place at the event. 

Volunteers from Oregon National Guard youth programs and the general public will collect trash, build and install bee boxes, and plant native sagebrush. These actions will increase the resiliency of the area’s shrub-steppe landscape by restoring native habitat for pollinators and other wildlife species and reducing erosion caused by a recent wildfire. 

Working alongside the Oregon Military Department, groups of volunteers will plant fast-growing native species that will prevent invasive plants from taking over a half-acre site along a critical coastal ecosystem. Slower-growing native species, selected for their fire and drought resistance, will also be planted. In addition to habitat restoration and beautification of the area, project benefits will include dust and noise mitigation. 

Organizers propose to protect and restore the federally threatened piping plover’s critical habitat with volunteer projects that include removing litter and installing vehicle barriers and signage to eliminate unauthorized off-road vehicle activity on the area’s sand flats. This signage will also educate the public about piping plovers and the vital ecosystem they need in Texas coastal areas. 

This project involves reseeding a 1.6-acre pollinator sanctuary and demonstration grassland after a prescribed burn to enhance habitat for local pollinators and other wildlife. The demonstration grassland is used for educational outreach in addition to pollinator food and shelter. The event will also feature re-mulching and removing weeds from a nearby hiking trail. 

This two-fold project involves the renovation and restoration of two memorials, the USS Cole and US Navy Seabees. The memorials will be reforested with a select number of native trees. The memorials’ granite and brass structures will be restored. Additionally, the area will be further beautified with a 5,000 square foot pollinator garden. 

Organizers will implement a natural and cultural resource management project that includes a large public volunteer workday to clear invasive plants from a significant mid-18th century historical site. Smaller subsequent events will take place at six cemeteries on base. A final component will be the launch of an ongoing cultural resources monitoring program for historic sites in the area.

After a record-breaking heat disaster decimated bat populations around Chambers Lake, organizers will install artificial roosting sites, also known as “bat boxes,” using innovative construction and installation methods that are increasingly climate resilient. Participants will assist in building the boxes, prepping installation sites, and conducting general area restoration activities.