The Navy recently closed on its first conservation easement in Delaware on the Cod Creek Property in Sussex County. To mark the first land acquisition in Delaware executed with the help of Navy Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) funding, the Chesapeake Conservancy hosted a gathering at Phillips Landing Park in Laurel, Delaware Aug. 9. Capt. Scott Starkey, Naval Air Station Patuxent River commanding officer, spoke at the event on the partnership that made such an event possible. "The Navy is excited to partner with Delaware to preserve land that not only benefits natural resources, but also sustains and supports military readiness while ensuring compatible land use," said Starkey. "This parcel expands on the Navy's current partnerships in the Nanticoke region and efforts to protect a corridor of land beneath the Navy's Atlantic Test Range and special-use airspace used by our service men and women for essential flight research, development, test, evaluation and training." Department of Defense's REPI Program is a key tool for preventing the encroachment that can limit or restrict military training, testing, and operations. It supports cost-sharing agreements between military services, private conservation organizations, and both state and local governments to secure conservation easements or other interests in land from willing landowners near installations and ranges. The added benefit to the program is environmental. By protecting these lands, natural resources, endangered and threatened species, and natural landmarks such as the Chesapeake Bay are preserved for environmental conservation. To date, NAS Pax River and the Atlantic Test Ranges have successfully preserved 20 parcels of land since 2010 totaling more than 5,000 acres through REPI beneath the range's restricted airspace in southern Maryland, the Eastern Shore, and Delaware.

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