sfgate.com — Two of the most cherished checkmarks on the must-see list of every birder -- the black-capped vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler -- are common sights at Fort Hood, Texas, but alarmingly rare most other places. They're thriving amidst daily artillery fire, Apache helicopters and tanks!
May 21, 2007 View in Crawl 4
Closed AccountMay 21, 2007
Military training grounds and other restricted areas (e.g. the area around Cape Kennedy) are extremely valuable for many species, because it's often the only place they're left alone. For many species being shelled by artillery a couple of times per year or having the odd tank roar past is far less disturbing than having schoolclasses or hikers running around all the time - not to mention e.g. recreational boaters, hunters, fishers... Also those training grounds are usually not "well managed", meaning there's dead trees, small puddles of standing water, brush, and other features which benefit species who have a hard time surviving in rationally cultured woodlands.