Military conservation agents recognized for support

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jared Marquis
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  From chasing bears out of housing, enforcing fish and wildlife laws, to educating the public, the efforts of Elmendorf's military conservation agents tend to be behind the scenes and rarely noticed ... until now.

The program was recently recognized by the National Military Fish and Wildlife Agency for having the best Military Support of any Natural Resources program in the Department of Defense.

"I nominated the MCA program because the MCAs inspire me every day with their dedication and contributions to the people on Elmendorf," said Gregory Schmidt, environmental planning and conservation chief. "They are the unsung heroes of the base."

The program, which has been around since the fall of 1991, is led by Mark Sledge, a graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Agents are active-duty servicemembers, who dedicate their off-duty time to educating the base populace about Alaskan wildlife, enforcement of natural and cultural resource laws, and assisting security forces by serving as "eyes and ears" for criminal activity or trespassing in the undeveloped portions of the base, Mr. Schmidt said.

But, that is not all they do.

"These agents go above and beyond in ways that most people would never imagine," he said. "For example, during last fall's moose hunt, several agents physically removed the gut pile from a moose kill because they were concerned that it would attract ravens and other birds to the end of the Six Mile Sportsman's Club runway."

It is tasks like these that go largely unnoticed by the majority of Elmendorf residents. Many Elmendorf residents are unaware of the level of protection offered by the MCA program.

"Most families in housing have no idea that an MCA has rolled through the housing area and school yard in the early morning to check for moose that might be a threat to their child walking to school," Mr. Schmidt said. "Many pilots don't know that MCAs have frequently been called to support removal of moose from the airfield."

Mr. Schmidt credits the success of the program to the civilian leadership of Mark Sledge, as well as the senior military agents who evaluate, select and train volunteers. These applicants go through a rigorous training and field evaluation process before certification to perform conservation enforcement duties as an additional duty. Without them the program would fail, and failure is not an option, said Mr. Schmidt.

"I see the MCA program as critical to the base. The agents not only assist wing safety with removing potentially hazardous wildlife (moose and bears) from the airfield, but are providing wildlife education in the schools and at the Wildlife Museum."

While conservation programs are not unique within the DOD, Elmendorf is the only installation that allows active-duty servicemembers to undergo specialized training and serve as enforcement officers. And there is no shortage of applicants.

"This past weekend, we evaluated over sixty applicants, of which only 20 were selected," Mr. Schmidt said.

The task these individuals have signed up for is not an easy one. In 2007, 32 members donated 8,237 hours. That is in addition to their normal military duties. That adds up to 3.5 years of volunteer service.

With that level of dedication, it is not hard to understand why they have been recognized as the best Military Support of Natural Resources program in the DOD. 

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