Established in 1942, Fort
Hood occupies
over 87,000 ha within the Crosstimbers and Southern Tallgrass
Prairie Ecoregion, near the junction with the Edwards Plateau
Ecoregion (The Nature Conservancy 1997). The Fort Hood landscape
typifies this crossroads of ecological regions. Sixty-five percent
of the land area is described as perennial grassland and thirty-one
percent as woodland (Unpublished data U.S. Army LCTA program).
These lands are used primarily for military training but are
managed for multiple use, including recreation, fish and wildlife,
and agriculture. Fort Hood also provides breeding habitat for
two federally listed neotropical migrants, the black-capped vireo
(Vireo atricapillus) and the golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica
chyrsoparia). Nondiscretionary terms and conditions established
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a Biological Opinion
issued in 1993 requires the Department of Army, Fort Hood Military
Reservation to establish management plans and conduct scientific
studies to minimize potential harm to the listed species. This
project addresses those terms and conditions, as described in
the biological opinion, that relate to the management and protection
of endangered species within the multiple-use objectives on Fort
Hood. This ecosystem-scale research will provide knowledge and
insight which will be applied to wildlife conservation throughout
the state. |