Sergio Sergi, an environmental specialist at Fort A. P. Hill in Caroline County, takes a noise-level reading in an area on the Army post that is close to a residential zone. Sergi is one of 20 staff members who safeguard the facility's natural resources. van View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

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Army post is Bay's friend

Fort A.P. Hill aims for balance between its mission and the environment

By RUSTY DENNEN

Date published: 12/2/2003

By RUSTY DENNEN Fort A. P. Hill earns award for environmental work

Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County is one of the Army's premier training venues.

With its vast expanse of woodland, fields, ponds, streams and marshes, it is also home to abundant wildlife and some endangered and threatened species.

Balancing the needs of the Army with environmental protection may seem impossible, but the post has an innovative approach, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Fort A.P. Hill, occupying 76,000 acres north of Bowling Green, recently received the bay program's outstanding achievement award for environmental stewardship among federal facilities.

The work starts even before an Army unit arrives at the fort for training.

"A lot of environmental programs focus on what people should not be doing," said Terry Banks, a civilian employee who heads up the A.P. Hill's 20-member environment and natural resources division. "We tell them what to do" to protect land and water "and how to do it."

"We brief commanders on what our requirements are, and we definitely bring out environmental concerns," Banks said. "We publish our environmental regulations and make sure everyone gets a copy of those." There's an incentive program to reward employees or Army units that go above and beyond their duties in protecting the environment.

Military training involves a lot of potentially hazardous materials, such as petroleum products, solvents and heavy metals.

"We go out to them in the field and help them [comply]," Banks said. For example, drums are provided for contaminated rags; dead batteries are picked up and recycled; any hazardous materials brought on the post are tracked, stored and disposed of. The hazardous-waste management program, launched several years ago, has reduced generation and disposal of toxic materials by 76 percent.

Encouragement and training lead to compliance, Banks said. "What we do is a gathering of ideas. The Army gives you guidance" on environmental requirements. "You take that and make it work for you."

The intent of the program is prevention, rather than cleanup after a stream or maneuver area has been polluted.

Mary Lynn Wilhere, coordinator of the bay organization's Businesses for the Bay program, said the military has made strides in dealing with pollution.

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Date published: 12/2/2003