CEMML program manager receives award from National Military Fish and Wildlife Association

In April, CEMML’s Lena Schnell was presented with the Military Natural Resource Conservation Research Award for her work at Pōhakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Over her 23 years with CEMML in support of PTA, Schnell has developed management programs for federally listed plant and wildlife species that support adaptive management and Endangered Species Act compliance.

May 14, 2026

CEMML helps the Park Service get data into scientists’ hands

As part of an effort to better manage National Park lands, an Inventory and Monitoring program has been underway since 1998. Through a partnership between NPS and CEMML, CEMML’s Issac Quevedo coordinates the data publication team and is helping lead a push to standardize data that is collected with the parks and disseminate it publicly.

May 12, 2026

On Guam, NPS and CEMML work together to curb one of “world’s worst” invasive species

Who knew such a small creature could be so destructive? The National Parks Service and CEMML, that’s who. The removal of the highly invasive little fire ant on Guam is key to a multi-agency program to restore native ecosystems and rare forest birds. The ant’s presence on Guam is detrimental to rare birds as it destroys avian food sources such as insects and larvae.

April 14, 2026

Community partnerships drive conservation success at Bellows Air Force Station

For Emma Beard, a CEMML natural resource specialist based at Bellows Air Force Station in Hawai’i, the work is all about sustainability – ecologically, culturally, and operationally. To achieve that, it takes a whole community. Beard regularly brings together service members, educators, community leaders and volunteers all in the name of an island-wide conservation effort.

February 12, 2026

An intertwined ecosystem: Species monitoring helps wildlife and the military mission

What does the behavior and health of a small, roundish mammal scampering through the sandy soil at Hill Air Force Base’s Utah Test and Training Range have to do with the military mission? More than you’d think. CEMML, in partnership with the base’s Natural Resources Program, is tracking the dark kangaroo mouse and several other species to better understand the health of the local ecosystem and inform military training operations.

December 9, 2025

Conserving reptiles — and training troops – in the Mojave Desert

The arid Mojave desert sprawls across roughly 50,000 square miles, mostly in southeast California and southern Nevada. Several rare species of wildlife live here, including the western pond turtle and the Mojave desert tortoise. These reptiles thrive in habitat free from development and human intrusion — and they find it on the Mojave’s vast military bases. CEMML, in partnership with the Air Force, is keeping a close eye on their behavior and numbers.

December 2, 2025

Nothing but flowers: On an Air Force base, CEMML helps create pollinator habitat

As a participant in CEMML’s Early-Career Development Program, Rebecca Morse is supporting pollinators and the military mission at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas. Morse and her counterparts at the installation planted native wildflowers and grasses in a new pollinator garden they created on land once occupied by military housing and a golf course. Work on the garden has also involved local families as well as airmen from the installation.

May 6, 2025

CEMML staff present as part of Natural Areas Association webinar

CEMML Assistant Director, Mindy Clarke, and Principal Investigators Jennie Anderson and Dave Jones recently presented as part of a webinar hosted by the Natural Areas Association. Clarke began the presentations by providing an overview of CEMML and our work on military lands. Jones then presented on the ‘Importance of DoD Lands to Biodiversity Conservation,’ and Anderson wrapped things up with her insights on ‘Natural Resources Management Planning & Partnerships.’

April 1, 2025

Colorado State University and University of Guam sign MOU

Alonso A. Aguirre, Dean of the Warner College of Natural Resources, and the leadership team from the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands recently traveled to Guam to sign a MOU between the University of Guam and Colorado State University. The MOU aims to provide opportunities for future collaboration and cooperation including internship placement of University of Guam students into natural and cultural resource management opportunities with Warner College/CEMML.

February 27, 2025

Restoring native vegetation for endangered plants in Hawai’i

An article by CEMML staff member Lena Schnell was recently published in the U.S. Army’s Ecosystem Management Protection Bulletin. In the article, Schnell highlights how the Natural Resources Program at U.S. Army Garrison, Pōhakuloa Training Area and CEMML are working to restore native habitats of Pu’u Nohona O Hae, a prominent cinder cone on Hawai’i island.

January 14, 2025

CEMML intern wins 2024 Great Plains CESU Award

Levin Brandt, an intern with CEMML’s Early-career Development Program, was presented with the annual Great Plains CESU Graduate Student Award for his outstanding work supporting ecosystems on Air Force installations in Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, and North Dakota. Mr. Brandt is a graduate student in Biology at the University of North Dakota.

November 8, 2024

On Travis Air Force Base, a rare salamander gets a helping hand

Twice a year, federally protected California tiger salamanders make their pilgrimage between breeding pond and burrow. At Travis Air Force Base, that bi-annual journey includes obstacles like runways and streets. CEMML biologists in partnership with Travis’ natural resources program is helping the species navigate those obstacles. Their efforts ensure the species’ survival, while also allowing the Air Force to continue to carry out its mission.

July 11, 2024