2017 Florida Department of Environmental Protection Northwest District Environmental Stewardship Awards Program

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA Program Coordinator: Mark W. Gibson, Installation Environmental Program Director mark.w.gibson@navy.mil (850) 452-3131 ext 3003 Commanding Officer: CAPT Christopher T. Martin, USN Public Works Officer: CDR Brent Paul, USN I. REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola made great strides in reducing negative environmental impacts. This year, 280 volunteers from multiple organizations on and off base provided 8,400 hours towards environmental community and stewardship projects. The environmental stewardship goals of NAS Pensacola are to promote a stewardship ethos among all base personnel and the local community; to enhance awareness and education of all personnel through active participation in environmental resources programs; and to improve Navy and community relationships important in maintaining the public trust concerning vital regional natural and cultural resources. Results included: • Continued Recovery from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010. NAS Pensacola continued a seven-year project, brought close to closure in the summer of 2017. Over the years, the recovery from the oil spill involved numerous federal, state, and private organizations involving over 2,000 people. As a result, over 500,000 pounds of oil and oily residue were removed from 8 miles of base beachfront. In 2017, beach dune habitat was significantly improved and area water quality and habitats were improved. In the summer of 2017, NAS Pensacola was selected as the pilot project for all area Pensacola Bay Living Shorelines and the planning funds for the project were received. A surprise key partnership for the base during this process involved the Marine Science Academy from Washington High School. The students monitored NAS Pensacola beaches on a monthly basis for their final senior projects for 3 years. Students visited the base to collect tar ball samples and a separate group of students made monthly trips to measure and monitor the dune profile of Lake Frederic Beach, the hardest hit beach during the oil spill. The information derived assisted decision makers, enlightened the public, increased awareness of coastal zone ecosystems, and developed a future scientific-minded workforce. Additional improvements included the construction of three beach walkovers in 2017 to reduce impacts from recreational beach users. The walkovers were designed by the NAS Pensacola Environmental Americorps Intern.

• The Environmental Department spearheaded the International Coastal Cleanup at Naval Air Station Pensacola for the 32nd consecutive year, held on the 3rd Saturday of every September. Over 60 volunteers showed up to help clean over 5 miles of beaches and shorelines on the base and remove debris negatively impacting the coastal zone of area waters. The volunteers were able to pick up 1,450 pounds of trash including over 500 cigarette butts, 200 bottle caps, 2,000 pieces of smaller plastic debris, a mattress, and a side panel of a boat. There were a total of five groups that volunteered as part of the base’s Adopt-A-Beach program. The base Public Works Department and members of the Society of American Military Engineers were in overall charge and also cleaned up Barrancas Beach. The Pensacola Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA) was in charge of cleanup at Trout Point, and Naval Aviation Training groups took charge of Magazine Point, Naval Air Technical Training Command Beach, Naval Sea Cadets picked up trash along Lake Frederic Beach, and Marines from MATSG 21 and 23 took a boat crew out and cleaned up Bayou Grande as well as the White Islands. Additional quarterly beach cleanups and during Earth Day by Adopt-A-Beach groups removed an additional 3,000 pounds of washed up debris. • Controlling Invasive Species is a top goal at NAS Pensacola and leads to long-term reduction of impacts to the environment. NAS Pensacola serves on the Steering Committee and the chairs the Control Committee on the Six Rivers Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) involving numerous partners, landowners, and government agencies in nine counties of NW Florida and SE Alabama. The Top-5 Invasive Species targeted by the CISMA include Chinese Tallow Trees, Cogon Grass, Torpedo Grass, Chinese Privet Shrubs, and Japanese Climbing Fern. In addition to re-organizing the Six Rivers CISMA and recording all data from 2016 for treatment and work days, NAS Pensacola spearheaded a volunteer workday at the Chimney Park in Pensacola where ten volunteers cut, removed, and chemically treated 60+ large-sized Chinese tallow trees that had invaded the park natural area. II. CONSERVING RESOURCES NAS Pensacola demonstrated sustained leadership in the conservation of natural and cultural resources in 2017. For natural resources, NAS Pensacola led the way for area prescribed fire management on Navy lands and led the Navy Region Southeast for gopher tortoise conservation as the designated Navy Region management entity. For Cultural Resources, NAS Pensacola was the Chief of Naval Operations Navy-Wide Winner for cultural, historic, and archaeological conservation. In other resources conservation activity, NAS Pensacola was the leader of the area solar power initiative and hosted both the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting for the three NW Florida Department of Defense Solar Power Utility Projects.

Natural Resources Conservation. Forest areas were restored by using prescribed fire on 600 acres to restore forest health, prevent wildfires, and improve habitat for protected species. NAS Pensacola served as the Certified Prescribed Burn Managers for both NAS Pensacola and NAS Whiting Field, and conducted additional burns in support of Big Lagoon State Park. Training achieved in 2017 included the Wildland Fire Pack Test, Fireline Refresher Training, and Burn Manager Certification. Urban tree maintenance work was accomplished including the pruning, watering, and continued care of 2,500 urban trees resulting in the 22nd consecutive year for the base to receive the Tree City USA designation. Herbicide was applied to 80 acres to control invasive species such as Cogon grass, Chinese privet, and Chinese tallow. Other conservation actions included beach walkovers, sand fencing, domestic and feral animal relocations, marine mammal and sea turtle stranding investigations, tracking of over 30 osprey nests in support of military aviation safety, and management of 25 bluebird boxes for conservation education. NAS Pensacola sponsors two honeybee management volunteer beekeepers on base in support of the Department of Defense Pollinator Strategy for Conservation. Two recreational boating facilities at NAS Pensacola are designated Clean and Resilient Marinas as a result of the dedicated commitment and action for pollution prevention at these facilities. NAS Pensacola also serves on the City of Pensacola Task Force for Climate Change, established in 2017 with its initial recommendations soon forthcoming. Other active participation forums include the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership (GCPEP), the Longleaf Alliance, and the Bayou Chico Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP). • Cultural Resources Conservation. NAS Pensacola demonstrated excellence in leadership as winner of the Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award for Cultural Resources, Small Installation and Individual/Team categories. With many accomplishments rated as the best in the Navy, the Cultural Resources Program: Discovered a 5,000 year-old native American spear-tip point during archaeological surveys on 316 acres of NASP undeveloped lands; Conducted innovative partnering with the University of West Florida (UWF) and their student archaeologists for the conservation of nine circa 1850 mortar bombs uncovered along the base shoreline; Successfully negotiated the Navy’s first Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the State of Florida Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) under newly implemented Navy regulations for historic structure management and mitigation for footprint reductions; Provided critical mission support to ensure NASP’s readiness to protect naval assets against watercraft capable of delivering devastating Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) by negotiating a short-notice NW Florida DEP/ Army COE permit for the placement of a Port Security Barrier near the remains of a circa 1830

sunken caisson at the Navy pier; Expedited the accomplishment of the Solar Array project at Saufley Field through coordinated and informed partnering with the SHPO for cultural and historic preservation issues. The Cultural Resources program also partners with the Pensacola Lighthouse Association to offer historic education for over 130,000 visitors annually at the 1859 Pensacola Lighthouse on base.

• Solar Power Conservation. The 450-acre dedicated solar power facility at Saufley Field “flipped the switch” in 2017 and provided a 50-megawatt solar power plant with the capacity to provide power to 7,400 area homes. The Saufley Solar Farm site was specifically selected with environmental protection as a goal so that construction would not harm or effect plant and animal species, wetlands, timber, or stormwater. NAS Pensacola is proud of the result in which the largest NW Florida Defense Department site was brought on-line without negative effects to the existing environment. III. ENHANCING ECOSYSTEMS • In addition to beach/dune ecosystem enhancements and urban area quality of life enhancements with tree planting, NAS Pensacola is the Navy Program Lead for the Southeast Region Gopher Tortoise Candidate Conservation Agreement (GTCCA) program involving 13 federal, state, local, and private cooperating partners including five other Navy installations from NW Florida to Central Florida, to Jacksonville and King’s Bay, GA. In 2017, the 8th Annual Report was completed by NAS Pensacola with input from all five other Navy installations. NAS Pensacola also provided population protection of 1,700 acres of gopher tortoise habitat with over 350 tortoise burrows and enhanced habitat by removing brush and prescribed burning. Without this level of interaction, it is highly likely the gopher tortoise would not have been protected as well as it has been and it likely would be listed already as a federally threatened species in its eastern range. IV. RESTORING IMPACTS • Environmental Superfund Cleanup of “Site 11”. During all 12 months of 2017, “Site 11”, one of the base’s Installation Restoration Sites, was cleaned up. “Site 11” was a 1940’s to 1960’s era landfill near Bayou Grande on base that included contaminated soil, asbestos, metals, and contaminated debris. Over 3,000 tons of contaminated debris was removed and a two-foot cover was added made up of clean topsoil and vegetation consisting of native plants and grasses. The site is now available for honeybee management. • Removal of Oily Waste from the Bilgewater Treatment Plant. After 20 years of operation, the base’s 1.2 millon gallon

bilgewater treatment plant was closed and all oily waste was disposed of by truck to a petroleum reclamation facility. The bilge plant had been the source of several small “spills” caused by leaks and was failing. The three-tank facility was at risk of wall separation that could have caused a major spill. Each tank had a near-full capacity of 400,000 gallons each of old oily waste. Following removal, the tanks were cleaned and the facility is now slated for demolition, and, more importantly, the environmental spill risk was eliminated. ADDITIONAL CRITERIA • An organizational culture of environmental stewardship, and continuous improvement and growth of environmental programs were a standard at NAS Pensacola. The base submitted for federal “conformance” with its Environmental Management System (EMS) program of continual improvement. External and internal audits were conducted of environmental process management on base; the Environmental Cross Functional Team was active; base environmental indoctrination of personnel was held monthly reaching over 500 military and civilian members; a 12-month calendar was produced for all hands; and on-line training for EMS was revised. “Stormwater” was the topic at many monthly base meetings involving over 1,000 attendees and the base developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for “color run” fitness 5K’s along with best management practices and metal decals for stormwater inlets educating personnel on proper procedures. • Environmental education and outreach components. NAS

Pensacola partners extensively to further environmental protection and conservation of resources. Partners include:

1. Student Conservation Association (Americorps) 2. Pensacola Area Boy and Girl Scouts 3. Escambia County Environmental 4. Big Lagoon State Park 5. NW Florida Wildlife Sanctuary 6. Center for Marine Conservation 7. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) 8. The Nature Conservancy 9. National Arbor Day Foundation 10. Auburn University Longleaf Alliance 11. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWC) 12. Florida Forest Service (FFS) 13. US Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons 14. US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 15. Blue Angel Navy Recreation Park 16. Pensacola Area's Chief Petty Officer's Association 17. Naval Aviation Technical Training Center 18. Corry Station Information Warfare Training Command 19. Pensacola Public Works Department

20. Corry Station Child Development Center 21. US Forest Service (USFS) 22. Gopher Tortoise Council / Candidate Conservation Agreement (13 federal, state, local, and private partners) 23. National Audubon Society 24. Escambia County Animal Allies 25. Booker T. Washington High School 26. Florida State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) 27. Gulf Power Company 28. Barrancas National Cemetery 29. Pensacola Lighthouse Association 30. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 31. US Wildlife Services • Partnering results included: Annual GCPEP Steering Committee Meeting; Annual Smoke Management Meeting with FFS; Annual Prescribed Fire Steering Committee Meeting with GCPEP; FFWCC partnering meeting at NOLF Holley to discuss Solar Array and Gopher Tortoises; Partnered with the USFS Prescribed Fire Training Center and GCPEP; Longleaf Alliance Gopher Tortoise 301 training; Partnered with several agencies to conduct a prescribed burn at Big Lagoon State Park; Bird Strike Conference/USDA partner; USFWS and FFWC for the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) annual review; Restoration Superfund Monthly partnering; Annual Superfund Program Review and Restoration Advisory Board Meeting with EPA, FDEP, Navy and citizen stakeholders; Six Rivers CISMA Winter and Summer Meetings; FDEP and Department of Defense Partnering; and Environmental Management System (EMS) Cross-Functional Team meetings with 15 cooperators on base resulting in EMS Conformance for 2017. NASP Environmental provided Hazardous Waste Compliance training for over 500 base personnel. • NAS Pensacola Environmental Department continues to foster a close working partnership between base safety, supply and environmental teams to implement electronic tracking of issued hazardous materials. The base continues to provide recycling services for paper, cardboard, plastics, aluminum and tin cans, lead acid batteries and scrap metal. Base tenants accumulate their used oil (non-hazardous) in 55-gallon drums which is then sold to a used oil recycler and proceeds support recreation. • Innovation and exceptional achievement in environmental stewardship. NAS Pensacola’s priority program demonstrating innovative achievement for environmental stewardship at NAS Pensacola is the use of the Student Conservation Association (SCA) program -- part of the Americorps Program. The SCA has been used by NAS Pensacola since 1993 to obtain conservation volunteer interns from all parts of the country to work in natural resources. SCA students work as volunteers on base and receive Americorps grants at the end of their tours. During this award period, NAS Pensacola employed its 32nd and 33rd SCA

interns and completed 1,200 hours of Americorps volunteer service. Interns maintained seven interpretive trails, completed a dedication and restoration to a historic trail, maintained eight beach-dune protection walkovers and designed plans that led to the construction of three additional walkovers, installed and maintained blue bird boxes, watered newly planted trees, and adopted the Desert Storm Memorial on base as a beautification project. The interns also completed the installation’s 22nd Tree City USA program, as well as programs for prescribed and wildland fire, landscaping, threatened and endangered species, invasive species, nature trails, beach cleanups, and community outreach. Interns also worked with other agency and contractor professionals to organize, plan, and complete projects for natural resources planning, and the continued Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill restoration and recovery. • Awards received: Tree City USA; Chief of Naval Operations

Cultural Resources Award (Installation) and Cultural Resources Award (Individual Manager)

SCA volunteers, Command Leaders, Environmental Staff, and Command Personnel actively manage the Tree City USA annual program. The first week in December is designated as Tree Awareness Week

Navy Cultural Resources Award Winner: NAS Pensacola

Prescribed burn team coordinated by SCA Americorps Intern; NAS Pensacola.

Beach Cleanup Included Command Leadership, Sea Cadets, and Families at NAS Pensacola

Nine Pre-Civil War mortar bombs were found along the shoreline near Sherman Cove Marina. NAS Pensacola partnered with the University of West Florida to conserve the mortars for educational and display purposes.

Spear-point estimated to be 5,000 years old found in an undisturbed area of NASP

Dune Walkover and Shoreline Restoration project coordinated by Americorps Intern

Honeybee Management : Volunteer beekeepers Gopher Tortoises were protected as part of the Candidate Conservation Agreement

10 Volunteers from many organizations worked with the Six Rivers Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) team to cut, remove, and stump treat with herbicide 60 popcorn trees (Chinese tallow) from Chimney Park, City of Pensacola

The 1.2 million gallon bilgewater treatment “Site 11” Superfund Debris Removal plant was cleaned out and all oily waste was removed to a reclamation facility

Environmental Awareness Calendar excerpts (2017)

Native American Nature Trail at NAS Pensacola Stormwater metal decals give the word !

!! Saufley Field Solar Array: On-Line in 2017 !!