Program Overview 

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Natural Resources 

Program (NR Program) supports the military’s combat 

readiness mission by ensuring continued access to 

realistic habitat conditions, while simultaneously 

working to ensure the long-term sustainability of our 

nation’s priceless natural heritage. The NR Program 

provides policy, guidance, and oversight for management 

of natural resources on approximately 28 million acres 

of military land, air, and water resources to achieve 

this goal. 

The three principles that guide the NR Program are 

stewardship, leadership, and partnership. Stewardship 

initiatives assist DoD in safeguarding its irreplaceable 

resources for future generations. By embracing a 

leadership role as part of the program, DoD serves as a 

model for respectful use of natural and cultural 

resources. Through partnerships, the NR Program 

strives to access the knowledge and talents of 

organizations and individuals outside of DoD. 

The NR Program’s primary responsibilities are to: 

 oversee Military Service natural resources 

programs, including expenditures and compliance 

with legislative obligations, Executive Orders, and 

DoD policies; 

 assess, develop, and implement natural resourcesrelated legislation, policy, guidance, procedures, 

and metrics; 

 provide tools for DoD natural resources managers, 

such as training courses and outreach materials; 

 develop and maintain partnerships with external 

stakeholders, including non-governmental 

organizations, state governments, and other 

federal agencies; 

 promote awareness of the NR Program to the 

DoD community, Congress, and other interested 

parties; and 

 advocate and ensure adequate resources for the 

NR Program and for installation natural resources 

managers. 

Sikes Act

First passed in September 1960, the Sikes Act as 

amended authorizes DoD to manage the natural resources 

under its stewardship. It requires that DoD develop 

comprehensive Integrated Natural Resources Management 

Plans (INRMPs) that are fully coordinated with the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service and appropriate state agency. To 

assist the Military Services, the NR Program provides 

policy and guidance on preparing and implementing 

INRMPs. 

Policy and Guidance 

Through policy statements, procedures, and supplemental 

materials, the NR Program provides broad guidance to help 

the Military Services comply with all federal environmental 

laws, including the Sikes Act, National Environmental 

Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird 

Treaty Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and all 

relevant Executive Orders. DoD Instruction 4715.03 is the 

NR Program’s primary policy document. 

DoD Instruction 4715.03 formalized new conservation 

metrics that evaluate seven key performance areas for each 

installation’s INRMP. These are: 

1. INRMP Implementation 

2. Listed Species and Critical Habitat 

3. Sikes Act Cooperation 

4. Fish and Wildlife Management and Public Use 

5. Team Adequacy 

6. Natural Resources Management 

7. INRMP Impact on the Installation Mission 

DoD Manual 4715.03, issued in November 2013, provides 

procedures to prepare, review, update, and implement 

INRMPs in compliance with the Sikes Act. 

DoD Natural Resources Program 

DoD manages and protects 

over 420 federally-listed species and 

over 500 species at-risk. 

Enabling the Mission, Defending the Resources Enabling the Mission, Defending the Resources
Wildlife and Habitat Management 

DoD is responsible for the lands and waters under its 

control. This includes managing and protecting over 

420 federally-listed species and over 500 species at-risk. 

In addition to providing policy and guidance, the NR 

Program accomplishes this by: 

 participating in partnership-based conservation 

efforts, such as Partners in Flight, Partners in 

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, and the 

Pollinator Partnership; 

 creating outreach materials, such as the Invasive 

Species Outreach Toolkit, Biodiversity Outreach 

Toolkit, and Commander’s Guide on Invasive 

Species; 

 developing educational events, such as a national 

pollinator workshop and regional invasive species 

courses; and 

 supporting safety programs, such as Bird/Animal 

Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) and wildland fire 

efforts. 

Funding 

The DoD NR Program manages the Legacy Resource 

Management Program and the 

Forestry Reserve Account, 

both of which are funding 

mechanisms. 

The Legacy Program awards 

projects through a 

competitive process to help 

manage and sustain natural 

and cultural resources under 

DoD stewardship. Since its 

inception in 1991, Legacy has 

funded approximately 3,000 

projects, totaling over $300 million. 

To be eligible, projects must: 

 have regional or DoD-wide significance and involve 

more than one Military Service; 

 be necessary to support military operations or meet 

legal or statutory requirements that go beyond 

installation-specific needs; 

 be more effectively managed at the DoD level; 

 not be an assigned responsibility of a Military 

Service; and 

 emphasize crosscutting conservation projects that 

support or leverage ongoing or new DoD initiatives, 

demonstrate cost efficiencies and time savings, or 

exhibit new and innovative ways of managing 

resources on DoD lands. 

Forestry Reserve Account funds are awarded to projects 

on a competitive basis, and are primarily used to benefit 

forest resources. Funds result from the sale of forest 

products from military installations, with approximately 

$1-2 million per year awarded. 

Outreach and Education

The DoD NR Program participates in natural resources 

and conservation-related conferences and meetings across 

the country as opportunities arise. The Program’s Natural 

Selections newsletter is disseminated quarterly. 

The NR Program has also sponsored educational courses 

and workshops, such as the Sikes Act Introductory and 

Advanced Sikes Act training courses, Endangered Species 

Act Implementation training course, regional State 

Wildlife Action Plan/INRMP Integration workshops, and 

a variety of other workshops focusing on topics DoD or 

the Military Services identify as high priority. 

Outreach materials and online training resources are 

available at www.DoDNaturalResources.net. 

Emerging Issues 

DoD advances strategies to deal with emerging natural 

resources issues. Areas the NR Program will focus on in 

the near future include species at-risk, species of concern 

and declining species and habitats; ecosystem services; 

the impacts and implications of adapting to global climate 

change; water resources; and energy efficiencies. 

Contact Information: 

 L. Peter Boice 

Deputy Director, Natural Resources 

Department of Defense 

l.p.boice.civ@mail.mil

www.DoDNaturalResources.net

http://twitter.com/#!/DoDNatRes

www.DoDLegacy.org

www.denix.osd.mil/nr/

March 2014 

Mojave Desert, Fort Irwin, CA 

Black-Capped Vireo 

Photo: USFWS