At Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, one ongoing activity that some may find surprising is conservation work. The base is home to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW). In 1989, after the United States Forest Service prevented the military from conducting a munitions test because of the risk posed to the RCW, the Department of Defense (DOD) embarked on a groundbreaking collaboration with civilian scientists and others to protect the RCW’s habitat. This intriguing photodocumentary provides an account of those efforts. DOD lands “hold more threatened and endangered species than the United States’ National Parks System.” A brief account of other DOD conservation projects, author’s note, glossary, sources notes, and further reading suggestions are at volume’s end.

The United States Department of Defense has more than four hundred military bases across the country. They are used to house and train personnel, keep watch of enemies, support allies, and . . . protect America's plant and animal species. The Sikes Act of 1960 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 require military bases to collaborate with federal land management agencies to protect the endangered or at-risk species within their borders. On Eglin Air Force Base, scientists and soldiers work together to study and manage endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, and reticulated flatwoods salamanders. Discover the unique challenges endangered species face and the work the military is doing to protect them.