Tag: Featured
Canine detectives help locate long-forgotten burials at a Virginia military base
Mulberry Island, Virginia, the location of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, has a long history of human habitation, dating back 10,000 years. The area has more than 230 archaeological sites, including cemeteries with unmarked graves. CEMML, in partnership with the Fort Eustis Cultural Resources Program, is using human remains detection dogs to help identify unmarked burial sites to better understand, honor, and preserve the area’s rich history.
February 7, 2024
CEMML partnership helps ensure Native American voices are heard in military planning
Much of the roughly 26 million acres that the Department of Defense oversees nationwide was once occupied by Native American tribes. Military installations are legally required to consult with interested tribes when carrying out projects that affect natural and cultural resources. A tool developed by CEMML and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center helps determine which tribes may have an interest in an installation’s land or airspace.
January 4, 2024
CEMML interim director assumes executive director role
Barker Fariss has been selected as CEMML’s new executive director. He has led CEMML as interim director since July, 2023. Fariss brings an extensive background in environmental regulatory compliance, making him uniquely suited for overseeing CEMML and its land management support to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.
December 6, 2023
CEMML botanists help gain recognition for new Hawaiian plant species
After 35 years since its initial discovery, Hawai’i has a newly recognized species of pamakani, thanks to the persistance of CEMML biologists. Dubbed Tetramolopium stemmermanniae, the daisy-like plant joins 47 other species of rare plants found within Hawaiʻi’s U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa Training Area.
December 4, 2023
Spreading the love of monarchs: CEMML intern works with Midwestern pollinators
As part of his CEMML internship, Alexx Uecker’s work for the Midwest Natural Resources Program of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center gave him the opportunity to study bats and support important pollinators like the monarch butterfly. During his six-month experience, Uecker supported monitoring and survey efforts at Air Force bases across the Midwest.
November 29, 2023
CEMML archaeologists uncover grinding stone artifact in Wisconsin
While investigating an archeological site at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, CEMML archaeologists uncovered a mano, a type of grinding stone used to process both wild and cultivated plant foods. Ground stone tools are not commonly found at Fort McCoy. Of 162 archaeological sites at Fort McCoy, only 24 have unearthed ground stone tools. These 24 sites yielded 64 ground stone tools, of which only eight were assumed to be grinding tools associated with food processing.
November 20, 2023
Ecology expert joins CEMML Executive Committee
After 7 years as a principal investigator, Dr. Mindy Clarke joins CEMML’s executive committee as an assistant director. Clarke brings 25 years of environmental management experience to CEMML’s leadership team and a passion for bridging the gap between science and management.
November 2, 2023
CEMML wildlife and ecology technician wins Alaska license plate design contest
CEMML wildlife and ecology technician, Sabrina Kessakorn, recently won the Alaska state license plate design contest. She spoke to Alaska Public Media, as part of their State of Art program, about her work in wildlife and ecology and what inspires her art work.
November 1, 2023
One of North America’s rarest snakes gets a boost from military conservation efforts
CEMML biologists at Fort Johnson, located in west-central Louisiana, are working to change the negative perception that people have about snakes. Education and outreach to both soldiers and the broader community is a key effort in helping to ensure the survival of one of North America’s rarest snake species, the Louisiana pinesnake.
September 7, 2023
CEMML biologist’s “cool job” featured in regional magazine
In June, CEMML biologist Chris Melder was featured in Thrive Magazine. The “cool jobs” article highlighted Melder’s work involving the conservation of endangered species including the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and the Louisiana Pine Snake. Based at Fort Johnson (formerly Fort Polk) in west-central Louisiana, part of Melder’s role entails education and outreach in the community, including local schools.
August 30, 2023
On a Hawaiian military base, CEMML staffers help residents safeguard water quality
Teaching local residents and children how to take care of their Oʻahu home is the specialty of CEMML’s Angie Arroyo and Kristy Morris. As water programs support staff, they help Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, an Air Force and Navy base, implement its stormwater program. As part of their role, they provide educational programs at local libraries and schools and work with adult volunteer groups.
August 15, 2023
Three decades of impact: CEMML associate director brings career to a close
Military lands management wasn’t on Calvin Bagley’s radar as a possible career path when he graduated with a master’s in range science from Utah State University in 1987. But an initial role with the Army Corps of Engineers’ Construction Engineering Research Laboratory would eventually lead him to Colorado State University and a thirty-year career with CEMML helping the DoD manage its natural and cultural resources.
July 26, 2023