Homestead Air Reserve Base (ARB), located in Homestead, FL is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing which supports contingency and training operations of several commands and tenant units. Homestead ARB hosts year-round counter-land, counter-sea, and counter-air operations training to provide combat-ready airmen and airwomen. Its strategic presence at the southernmost tip of the continental United States provides an invaluable platform from which to launch its full range of capabilities. Poised to protect and defend, readiness is its primary mission.

Noise and safety risks associated with the vital aviation training and national security missions at Homestead ARB are exacerbated by dense urban development. Sea level rise and an increase in storm surge magnitude and storm event frequency due to climate change threaten Homestead ARB’s mission capabilities because of the increased probability for potential damages or flooding which may delay or halt mission activities.

To ensure Homestead ARB’s mission and the community continue to grow in a compatible and mutually beneficial manner, CLF is partnering with Homestead ARB to conserve agricultural and natural lands near the installation to achieve mission sustainment and environmental goals. The preservation of farmland and natural lands will prevent incompatible development pressures which could reduce or restrict installation operations. Preservation will also support the continuation of the economically important agricultural industry in Miami-Dade County and provide installation storm buffering protections.

In September of 2025, CLF proudly celebrated a major conservation win in the Texas Hill Country: the permanent protection of the 654-acre Cibolo Preserve near the headwaters of Cibolo Creek in Boerne, Texas. Thanks to a fully donated, multi-million-dollar conservation easement through the Camp Bullis REPI partnership, this privately owned property is now protected forever.

Located in a critical recharge zone, Cibolo Preserve helps filter and stabilize water entering the Edwards Aquifer—benefits that directly support both regional water quality and the long-term training mission at Joint Base San Antonio–Camp Bullis. By safeguarding this landscape, the easement helps moderate stormwater flow, reduce flash-flood risks, and strengthen the installation’s operational resilience.

“This is a positive story for everyone involved,” said CLF Program Manager Clayton Livingston. “Protecting this land not only conserves a unique Hill Country property, but also supports the mission at Camp Bullis by improving water flow stability and water quality.”

The Cibolo Preserve project shows what’s possible when landowners, military partners, and conservation leaders work together—advancing both land stewardship and national defense.

In addition to Cibolo Preserve, CLF successfully completed two additional conservation easement projects at Camp Bullis: the Schmidt and Wohlfarht properties in Bexar County, Texas — totaling 159.1 acres. These properties protect the fundamentals that Camp Bullis depends on for a realistic training environment—open space, working lands, wildlife habitat, and dark skies—resources that strengthen the installation’s mission while also supporting the character and quality of life of the Hill Country community. Larry Dotson, Chief Operating Officer of CLF, notes that both projects exemplify how consistent collaboration with local landowners keeps momentum going strong.

Third-generation Alaskans Ron and Margie Illingworth (CLF’s Mary Nixon, shown in the photo along with Mr. Illingworth) own and operate North Pole Peonies, a thriving peony farm just outside Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Known for producing high-quality, late-season peonies prized by florists and designers, the farm has become a standout agricultural enterprise in Interior Alaska—where the region’s long summer days and cool nights create ideal growing conditions.

The Illingworth’s have long been dedicated to responsible land stewardship. Wanting to ensure their property would remain open, productive, and healthy for future generations, they partnered with CLF through the Department of Defense’s REPI Program to place a 29.68-acre conservation easement on their farm. This permanently protects the land from incompatible development while ensuring it continues to operate as an agricultural farm.

With guidance from CLF’s Mary Nixon, the Illingworth’s shaped an easement that reflects both their personal goals and the region’s broader conservation priorities.

“The restrictions in the easement were nothing we were not already doing. It fit perfectly with what we wanted for our land,” said Ron Illingworth.

Today, North Pole Peonies continues to flourish as a sustainable, family-run farm—and now also serves as a compatible buffer supporting the mission and long-term readiness of Eielson Air Force Base.

The Defense Department funding will protect military readiness while conserving the Edwards Aquifer and providing willing landowners with financial assistance to preserve working lands located near the installation.

Today the Department of Defense announced $5.1 million in funding for Camp Bullis, a military training base located within Joint Base San Antonio, via the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program. The REPI program is a key tool for combating encroachment that can limit or restrict military training, testing, and operations.  The REPI program protects our military’s readiness by creating partnerships between military installations and local partners and stakeholders to reduce potential conflicts in land use.

The Defense Department is awarding the funding to the Compatible Lands Foundation (CLF), via the 2023 REPI Challenge, an initiative that focuses on advancing efforts to preserve key mission capabilities of strategic importance to DoD and that enhance resilience to climate change and severe weather events. The funding will leverage existing partnerships between CLF and the City of San Antonio, the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape, Great Springs Project, and other local organizations to protect military readiness while enhancing local efforts to safeguard the Edwards Aquifer.

The REPI Challenge award will achieve several objectives. It will advance the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape, a locally led partnership that seeks broad support for natural resources conservation around Camp Bullis and into the Texas Hill Country north of the rapidly growing metropolitan area of San Antonio. This award will also enable CLF and partners to work with willing local landowners to purchase conservation easements limiting development and maintaining existing land uses like farming or ranching. In addition, this funding will support existing local efforts to increase groundwater retention and capture in the Edward Aquifer, a major source of drinking water for San Antonio, surrounding communities, and Camp Bullis.

“The Compatible Lands Foundation is honored to receive this REPI Challenge funding to support the important work at Camp Bullis,” said Lt. Col (Ret.) Joe Knott, Executive Director of the Compatible Lands Foundation.  “Working with our partners, the funds will allow us to purchase conservation easements from willing landowners.  This is a triple win:  land owners are compensated for preserving open space, impacts to the Edwards Aquifer are reduced, and military readiness is protected.”

Statements from Partners:

“This award is a great opportunity to support private land stewardship, said Daniel Oppenheimer, Land Program Director, Hill Country Alliance and Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape Coordinator. “Good land stewardship benefits everyone that relies on groundwater and natural resources – the landowner, community, and Joint Base San Antonio. It’s a win-win.”

“Great Springs Project is honored to work with Compatible Lands Foundation in this incredible opportunity to increase conservation outcomes within the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape, protect the Edwards Aquifer, and enhance military readiness,” said Garry Merritt, Chief Executive Officer of Great Springs Project.

Photo (L-R):

Anita Harless, Program Manager, Compatible Lands Foundation
Lyda Creus Molanphy, Strategic Engagement Officer, Great Springs Project
Rich King, Community Mission Integration Encroachment, Joint Base San Antonio
Dan Chapin, Director of Military Partnerships, Compatible Lands Foundation
Mr. Jeffrey Domm, Director, Installations Directorate, Air Force Civil Engineer Center
Daniel Oppenheimer, Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape Coordinator, Hill Country Alliance
Mary Nixon, REPI Program Manager, Air Force Civil Engineer Center
Joe Knott, Executive Director, Compatible Lands Foundation

At CLF, we are putting Natural Infrastructure (NI) solutions to work across the Texas Hill Country to enhance water retention, reduce erosion, and support resilience. As part of our broader water resilience efforts, CLF is currently assessing Best Management Practices (NI BMPs) across five properties within the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape.

These nature-based practices include berms, brush management, rock features, bioretention systems, deep soil ripping, bioswales, and Zuni bowls — all designed to slow runoff, capture stormwater, and support healthy ecosystems.

NI BMPs not only enhance water capture but also deliver co-benefits such as:

• Soil compaction relief
• Flood and runoff mitigation
• Erosion control
• Improved infiltration and groundwater recharge
• Pollinator habitat creation

This work aligns closely with NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) goals, including enhancing aquatic habitats, maintaining water quality, and supporting healthy plant and soil communities.

Next Steps for CLF:

• Share recommendations with landowners and gather feedback
• Support permitting and funding efforts
• Provide construction inspections and post-installation monitoring

This initiative underscores CLF’s commitment to practical, science-based solutions that mimic natural processes to build long-term land and water resilience. Through collaboration with landowners and partners like NRCS, we are creating landscapes that can better manage stormwater, reduce erosion, and thrive in changing conditions.

Want to learn more?

Contact Karen Bishop, Water Resilience Program Manager, for more information on these efforts and how you can support or participate. kbishop@compatiblelands.org

Compatible Lands Foundation receives a $149,000 Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration 2024 Challenge award from the Department of Defense to focus on the long-term preservation of the Weber Water Basin at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Hill Air Force Base (HAFB) is nested within the Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and contiguous to the Salt Lake City MSA.  The base faces pressure from continued urbanization within the greater Great Salt Lake region.  This frequent development also rapidly decreases permeable surface area, threatening recharge zones within the Weber Water Basin that feeds the aquifer.  Protecting the Weber River Basin promotes the long-term mission sustainment of HAFB and benefits the protection of the Great Salt Lake and greater Great Salt Lake Watershed, which are severely threatened.

The water used on HAFB comes from two sources: water produced from on-base wells connected to the Delta Aquifer and surface water from the Weber River purchased from Weber Basin Water Conservancy District.  This project will preserve the long-term mission sustainability of HAFB through increased drought resilience by identifying priority areas for projects to enhance aquifer recharge, which will reduce strain on the Delta Aquifer fed primarily by the Weber River Basin.  By safeguarding the watershed’s integrity, the project ensures a stable and reliable water supply for the base, reducing the risk of water shortages or restrictions on water usage during prolonged droughts or other water stress events.

Participating Partners include Hill Air Force Base, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, City of Layton, and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District.

The REPI Challenge is a competition with dedicated funding for conservation partners to advance project outcomes outside installations and ranges through large-scale innovation, conservation, and climate resilience actions.  From its pilot project in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the REPI Program designed the REPI Challenge for partners and installations to cultivate innovative projects that harness creativity and protect critical testing and training capabilities.  Since FY 2012, the REPI Program has distributed over $169 million in program funds to REPI Challenge projects in 62 locations.  REPI Challenge projects have leveraged more than $474 million in partner contributions that promote compatible land use, enhance military installation resilience, and relieve current or anticipated environmental restrictions on military testing, training, or operations in areas of strategic importance.