Cannon Air Force Base announce ‘Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape’ designation

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (KAMR/KCIT) — The 27th Special Operations Wing announced that it along with the Melrose Air Force Range and the surrounding 2.4 million acres have been designated a sentinel landscape.

According to a Cannon Air Force Base press release, the new “Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape,” is one of five planned in the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership.

Officials explained that Sentinel landscape areas are a mixture of conservation, working lands, and national defense interests. CAFB detailed that the areas will include at least one high-value military installation or range and high priority lands for USDA, DOD, and DOI.

“Critically, they encompass agricultural and/or forestry lands and are the appropriate size needed to address the ecological restoration objectives defined for each landscape.”

Jeffrey Davis, the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI) technical program manager with the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron believes the designation will leave a positive impact.

“We appreciate the sentinel landscapes partnership and their belief in our ability to positively impact Eastern New Mexico,” said Davis. “It starts with a spark of inspiration, a willingness to embrace change, and a belief that we can achieve our goals. Not even I imagined when I started this that we would be announcing a sentinel landscape designation today. This is generational support for Cannon AFB, MAFR, and eastern New Mexico.”

The goals of the Eastern New Mexico Landscape are:

1. Sustain installation and community resilience by mitigating the impacts of intensive agriculture,
2. climate change, and declining water supply.
3. Enhance climate-resilience and wildlife habitats by boosting groundwater recharge, promoting
4. grasslands, and restoring playas.
5. Promote agricultural vibrance by protecting working lands, supporting local viability, and advancing
6. innovation for sustainable farming.
7. Empower area stakeholders through comprehensive education, training, and capacity building.

For more information regarding the new landscapes visit the Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape website.

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