However, in the past five years an era of some co-
operation has emerged on “both sides of the fence”
with the recognition that encroachment is a two-way
street. The military, other federal agencies, non-profit
organizations and local landowners have begun to
creatively address and resolve encroachment issues
through land use partnerships and collaborative con-
servation (Benton et al. 2008). These strategies em-
ploy many different approaches such as alignments,
easements, buffer zones, and zoning regulations. For
example, the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB)
program, allows the military to expend funds through
non-profit organizations to support non-development
of lands from private land owners surrounding an in-
stallation, thus reducing the potential for noise, dust
and other impacts on the installation’s neighbors.
Many of these strategies have emerged as communi-
ties grow and military land use becomes more con-
strained, and as some communities are threatened
by base closure and realignment (BRAC). Buffer ar-
eas have recently been established adjacent to Fort
Carson, CO and Fort Riley, KS through collaborative
conservation. The successful implementation of these
strategies is paramount if military lands and commu-
nities are to coexist for the future.
The Future of Military Lands Sustainability
As the nation’s military enters the second decade
of the 21st century, a new era of military land manage-
ment is emerging. Our armed forces have been at war
for the past decade, with virtually all forces prepar-
ing for, engaged in, or returning from deployments
to Iraq and Afghanistan (Doe 2011). These wars have
required intensive, short-term use of training and test-
ing areas in the United States, but overall, because of