Within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Department of War (DoW) manages approximately 400,000 acres of land for national security and international defense. Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), one of those installations, encompasses roughly 17,000 acres of diverse landscapes that directly contribute to military training, operational readiness, and community partnerships. By aligning restoration, conservation, and pollution prevention with mission requirements, the DoW ensures that installations effectively manage their natural resources and maintain the operational flexibility necessary to train, operate, and deploy a lethal warfighting force. Within the Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape (KRCL), FTIG’s conservation and compliance programs contribute to maintaining the quality of water resources within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Collaborative Conservation

Forests, wetlands, grasslands, and shorelines provide essential environments for realistic live-fire training, weapons testing, and operational exercises that prepare warfighters for diverse conditions. FTIG uses proactive natural resource management activities to support mission readiness by maintaining healthy habitats, including those for threatened and endangered species, while reducing regulatory constraints and continually meeting training mission requirements. Beyond operational benefits, FTIG’s natural resources management programs support critical habitat and watershed protection that benefits the Chesapeake Bay program goals, as well as quality of life through recreational opportunities, including hunting and fishing programs, as well as access to nearby Memorial Lake State Park and the Appalachian Trail.

Environmental stewardship also plays a key role in protecting installation infrastructure and addressing stormwater runoff issues that contribute to maintaining water quality within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. FTIG incorporates stormwater best management practices (BMPs) into construction projects and continuously monitors, maintains, and improves stormwater systems. The Bureau of Environmental Management partners with installation maintenance teams, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure stormwater structures function properly, BMP locations are accurately tracked, and surface water quality issues are addressed. FTIG is also developing future projects for riparian buffer protection within the REPI Agreement Area and within the installation boundaries. These efforts reduce flooding and erosion, protect wetlands, support groundwater recharge, and preserve clean water resources, ultimately protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its connected tributaries. These efforts enhance warfighter health, sustain installation resilience, maximize mission capability, and serve to maintain and improve ecosystem health.

Innovative Partnerships

To protect military readiness from incompatible development, the DoW works with federal, state, local, and private partners through programs such as the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) and Sentinel Landscapes Partnership (SLP). Through these efforts, the DoW and its installations work to prevent encroachment, sustain land and water resources, and protect mission-critical buffers. At FTIG, REPI efforts have conserved approximately 14,000 acres, including the DeHart Reservoir project, a joint collaborative effort with The Nature Conservancy. This project protects a critical aviation training area and a high-quality drinking water source for the Harrisburg region, helping to maintain a large area of forested cover that benefits the quality of water flowing to the Chesapeake Bay.

Commitment to Community

Strong community relationships are vital to sustained military operations. Installations advance stewardship through education, outreach events, and collaborative projects that engage military personnel and neighboring communities. At Fort Indiantown Gap, partnerships focused on land conservation, stormwater management, and riparian buffer protection contribute to cleaner waterways that flow into the Susquehanna River and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. These collaborative efforts build trust, reduce conflicts, and promote a shared understanding of military operations, safety requirements, and environmental protection. Through conservation partnerships and watershed protection efforts, FTIG, with its partners in the KRCL and federally recognized Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape (KRSL), contributes to the health of the Chesapeake Bay while ensuring the installation remains prepared to train, operate, and support the warfighter now and into the future. By implementing integrated, multi-benefit projects, DoW installations like FTIG and others across the Tidewater, Middle Chesapeake, and Potomac Sentinel Landscapes contribute to the protection of vital lands in the Chesapeake Bay region and strengthen operational capability while protecting mission-critical resources and surrounding communities.