Base, range designated 'sentinel landscape'

As of Wednesday, Cannon Air Force Base along with Melrose Air Force Range and the 2.4 million surrounding acres of land have been designated a sentinel landscape.

Being the first for the state of New Mexico, the Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape is one of five new landscapes within the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership.

"Eastern New Mexico is about to make a very important, indelible mark on a landscape that has significant influence on this side of the state... We have taken aggressive action as a collective through very solid collaboration, leveraging the power and influence of so many partners to save our water and become water resilient," Executive Director of the Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy Ladona Clayton said.

Clayton said at a Cannon AFB press conference the sentinel landscapes partnership program facilitates collaboration between federal, state, and local government agencies and voluntary landowners to mitigate climate change effects and enhance sustainable land and water management practices near military installations.

According to a press release from the 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs Office the lands will "encompass agricultural and/or forestry lands and are the appropriate size needed to address the ecological restoration objectives defined for each landscape."

Clayton said this partnership will impact not only Cannon, but also all of Curry County and parts of Roosevelt and Quay County.

"We're going to take 21,000 acres, and we're going to make it 2.44 million acres. And we're going to continue to work and serve those farmers who have come forward to change their generational way of life so that we keep a generation, the word generation, in the rest of their stories, for their kids and their kid's kids," said Jeff Davis, the technical project manager for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program.

The 2024 sentinel landscape designation include:

• Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape, New Mexico.

• Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape, Utah.

• Hawaii Sentinel Landscape, Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii Island.

• Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape, Pennsylvania.

• Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape, California.

City and county officials gathered at Cannon AFB on Wednesday to hear "the exciting news" to bring further water security within the local area.

Mayor Mike Morris, who is a part of the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority board, bringing water to Eastern New Mexico through the Ute Pipeline Project, showed enthusiasm to this news.

"Our partnership with Cannon Air Force Base is essential for ensuring the sustainability of our water resources. By working together, we can implement innovative strategies for water conservation, benefiting both our community and the military installation," Morris said.

Clayton said the partnership will be a "supplemental ground water supply to complement the ute pipeline surface water."

According to a press release the goals of the Eastern New Mexico Landscape are:

• Sustain installation and community resilience by mitigating the impacts of intensive agriculture, climate change, and declining water supply.

• Enhance climate-resilience and wildlife habitats by boosting groundwater recharge, promoting grasslands, and restoring playas.

• Promote agricultural vibrance by protecting working lands, supporting local viability, and advancing innovation for sustainable farming.

• Empower area stakeholders through comprehensive education, training, and capacity building.

Clayton said the effort is expected to save up to 12 billion gallons of water over the three years.

The sentinel landscapes have attracted approximately $355 million in USDA funds, $233 million in DOD funds, $93 million in DOI funds, $341 million in state funds, $26 million in local funds and $142 million in private funds.

"For the sentinel landscape we'll be starting right away. We have at least a five year timeline moving forward to execute the key priorities and goals that we've set for ourselves. But could it take longer? Yes, we want it to be sustainable so we project we'll go beyond the five year time map," Clayton said.