SDSU Group to Restore Ecosystems on Military Bases
CONTACT: Timothy McKernan, (619) 594-5204, mckernan@mail.sdsu.edu
SAN DIEGO, Wednesday March 29, 2000-San Diego State University's Soil Ecology Restoration Group (SERG) has received a $5 million research contract from the Department of the Navy to develop new methods of re-establishing the ecosystems of lands ravaged by training activities on military bases.
While the greatest share of SERG's efforts will focus on the Army's Fort Irwin facility in the Mojave Desert, other military bases involved include Marine Corps bases at Camp Pendleton, Miramar and Twentynine Palms, the Navy base at Point Loma and the Fallbrook Weapons Station.
Tom Zink, adjunct biology professor at SDSU and a SERG program manager, said the group addresses all aspects of restoration ranging from determining the most effective site preparation procedures and seeding methods to irrigation and drainage techniques.
"We're not out doing the military's gardening and clean up," he said. "Graduate and undergraduate students do work in restoration ecology that is published in peer-reviewed journals and provides experience to pursue careers in ecological science. These students start out transplanting seedlings and get involved in lab work, field work ensuring everything meets federal standards. The research is tied to the effects La Nina and El Nino weather patterns have on the native plants and animals. It's a very intensive academic experience."
Zink said the military is very careful to restore the areas affected by its training, usually doing so in a ratio of 2 or 3 acres restored to every 1 damaged.
"You have large groups of people engaged in open-field training for a month or two, learning to use live ammunition," Zink said. "It's necessary to prepare our troops, but it is very hard on the land. Without restoration, after a while the land would just be moondust. The military takes its role as a land steward very seriously, and we're working with them to find the most effective, cost-efficient methods to mitigate the impact of training activity on the environment."
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, SDSU has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 76 areas, master's degrees in 58 areas and doctorates in 11. The more than 30,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with professors and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future.
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