INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

W Compat

WHAT IS “COMPATIBLE USE”?

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“Compatible use” is a planning term that describes land uses that are compatible with each other and/ or do not interfere with one another. In the military context, “compatible use” refers to land uses in areas outside of an installation, considering whether or not they support the mission’s operational and training environments, community growth and development in the surrounding area, and local resident quality of life. Many of the nation’s military installations, when originally built, were located outside of major urban addition, stood how the h o d howtthe od eas erate rate p e p sta t ation ha ti n t o asg w eas s asss o opment rtunities and cha es, ern dern nry n at s se and the need for nd h th an DOD aining, exam e w g o a i gi a amplesDO D m issues as “encroachment, ch s “ s hm es ro is limit on installations to limit the to i a al o o ll mi mit t ately omi ommis m se ommppr o o p y ad areas. In addition, it was not well-understood how the installation’s themselves would generate population growth. Over the years, as the nation has grown economically and in population, areas surrounding installations have also grown. This development has brought opportunities and challenges, just as modern weaponry has created more noise and the need for night training, just to give a few examples. DOD refers to these issues as “encroachment,” as they place pressure on installations to limit their activities and can ultimately compromise readiness.

The project’s goal is to develop plans and strategies to promote land uses compatible with the installation’s military mission, while protecting the area’s natural resources and encouraging sustainable economic development that preserves the region’s rural character and improves quality of life for area citizens. This plan focuses on leveraging the success of Fort Moore’s regional land conservation efforts, and it updates the Implementation chapter of the 2008 Fort Benning Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) by adding new strategies for achieving the installation’s compatible use goals and supporting neighboring rural communities.

From the beginning, a central tenet of this project has been that promoting compatible use in the region must be driven by local residents embracing compatible development practices because it makes economic and quality of life sense for them to do so. The RVCCD planning and engagement process identified several key areas where the communities’ goals and desires connect with the compatible use needs of the Army and Fort Moore. This plan is designed, ultimately, to inspire communities to build upon their strengths to create places where people want to be — while leveraging the wider, natural landscape that surrounds them and serves as an important buffer area for Fort Moore.

A team from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, in partnership with the River Valley Regional Commission, worked with six rural counties that surround Fort Moore: Marion, Chattahoochee, Stewart, Taylor, Talbot, and Russell. These counties include some of the poorest and most underserved populations in the country,5 yet these communities are vital to the functioning and longterm resilience of Fort Moore. It is critical to the military mission that local residents and community leaders support the installation and its efforts to build long-term resilience. However, these communities need the capacity and the resources to do so while also meeting their own needs and addressing their own priorities.

Fort Moore recognizes the need for mutual support and to identify resources that can strengthen these communities so that they, in turn, can support the Army’s mission. This effort was initiated by Fort Moore after a request from the Army Compatible Use Buffer Advisory Board to do the following:

• Develop county-level plans that focus on nonregulatory and incentive-based programs that facilitate land use practices, downtown planning, and infrastructure development that promote economic prosperity, preserve rural character and place, and further the military’s compatible use goals.

• Outline a regional approach to implement local plans, with concrete action items that leverage shared opportunities and resources across the region.

• Leverage regional private and public land conservation efforts to support rural economic development opportunities such as outdoor recreation, tourism, and the arts and artisans.

• Conduct and develop an implementation strategy that identifies both existing and new funding and resource opportunities for short- and long-term actions that strengthen surrounding rural communities, emphasizing ways in which the Army and the Department of Defense can better support these communities.

• Support Fort Moore’s efforts to reduce the risk of incompatible land uses near the installation and relieve internal and external pressures of environmental compliance.

Fort Moore is one of the country’s most important installations. As home to the Maneuver Center of Excellence, it combines the Army’s premier Infantry Training Center and the Armor School in one location, with five types of infantry training on post: mechanized, light, airborne, air assault, and ranger. Located adjacent to the city of Columbus, Fort Moore covers approximately 182,000 acres of river valley and rolling terrain in the southern sandhills region of Georgia.6

The unique habitat in the area and increasing development outside of the fence line create challenges for Fort Moore’s on-post training mission.7 Land within and near Fort Moore provides critical habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, the gopher tortoise, and several other endangered, threatened, and candidate species. 8 Conservation and sustainability of natural systems inside and outside the installation boundary is strategically important to military readiness and sustaining the military mission by ensuring the installation can provide a realistic training environment within its perimeter. For almost 20 years, Fort Moore and the Department of Defense (DOD) have worked with a broad consortium of state and federal agencies and private-sector partners to encourage private and public land conservation efforts in the region that will support the military mission within the installation. Known as Fort Moore’s Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program, the effort has had concrete results for protecting endangered species, restoring critical habitat, and preserving ecosystems of environmental, historical, and cultural importance.

The ACUB’s goal is to protect approximately 75,000 acres in the region to support compatible land use activities near the installation’s boundaries. To date, approximately 36,000 acres surrounding the installation have been protected as private landowners have voluntarily sold their land to conservation organizations (neither the Army nor DOD own any of this land) or have entered into conservation easements. This work has not only benefited the installation and the sustainability of its mission, but it has also played a crucial role in the state of Georgia’s overall effort to protect the gopher tortoise and keep it and other species from being listed under the Endangered Species

Act, which has profound impacts for promoting economic development across this region and the state as a whole.9 Species listings can also adversely impact military missions.

Ultimately, the ACUB program is designed to address what are known as “encroachment threats” on the installation’s ability to test, train, and conduct operations.10 Buffer projects benefit the military by allowing for the ability to conduct live-fire and maneuver training, reducing workarounds and lost training days, preserving night-vision capabilities, and mitigating noise and smoke conflicts.11 Buffer areas also reduce the negative impacts military activities have on civilians related to noise, smoke, and air traffic, and they support the installation’s responsibilities to comply with environmental regulations for clean water, endangered species protections, and other issues. ACUB programs allow the Army to collaborate with partners such as land conservation groups. Together, they work with willing landowners who volunteer to establish conservation easements or sell their property to the state or partnering nonprofit organizations to be conserved and protected in a strategic way to create an effective ACUB buffer. ACUB programs exist across the country, and they are part of a larger Department of Defense program known as the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program.12

While protecting these areas through the Army Compatible Use Buffer program is vital to the sustainability of Fort Moore, conserving these lands creates both opportunities and challenges for surrounding rural communities. Properties acquired by the state or nonprofit entities are no longer on the tax roll, and conservation easements on private property can also reduce the amount of tax revenue local governments and school systems are able to collect. A full analysis of the impact of conservation efforts in the ACUB landscape on local property taxes is found in Appendix B of this document. Key findings from this tax assessment analysis include the following:

• Since 2009, DOD provided funding for its partners to reimburse Marion and Talbot counties approximately $765,000 for taxes that otherwise would not have been paid on lands acquired for the ACUB program, thereby mitigating the potential total losses. Nonetheless, since 2015, land acquisition in support of the ACUB program has cost Marion and Talbot counties an estimated total of $827,000. Marion County has experienced the majority of that impact, with current estimated losses of $136,000 per year and a total of $541,000 in lost taxes since 2009. Talbot County’s estimated losses are $41,000 per year, for a total of $286,000 in impact.

• Looking forward, as additional lands are protected to meet the ACUB goal, Marion County may see as much as $234,000 per year in lost property tax revenues once the overall land protection target is met, slated for 2045. Talbot County may lose as much as $55,000 per year. In Taylor County, no lands have been acquired under the program to date. If future acquisitions do reach this far east, the impacts could be as much as $5,000 per year.

• In Chattahoochee, Stewart, and Russell counties, the ACUB partners plan to acquire conservation easements rather than outright property purchases.a Depending on the processes used to value the impacts of a perpetual easement on a Conservation Use Valuation Assessment property, this could result in as much as $14,800 per year for Chattahoochee County, $14,300 per year for Russell County, and $11,000 per year for Stewart County. For rural communities with tight local government budgets, every dollar counts. This plan has two primary goals. First, it is a step toward mitigating the revenue impacts resulting from buffer land protections, which are critical to the largest economic driver in the region, Fort

Moore. Second, the plan aims to leverage these natural resources into long-term economic development assets. These efforts will help participating communities access the resources needed to advance compatible economic development and increase resilience. Over time, the ideas and steps outlined in this plan will work to alleviate some of the poverty-driven pressures on these communities that make long-term land use and development planning difficult, if not impossible.

Consequently, an initial and vital component of this process has been the ability of the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government to work with communities to acquire state and federal funding or set the stage for them to do so. Many rural communities have difficulty applying for state and federal funding programs because they lack adequate resources to meet program guidelines.13 A table of efforts to position communities in the study area for funding is included in the concluding sections of this document

The financial impacts of these buffer lands on these communities’ tax bases are a very real challenge that these counties and their residents face for the benefit of the greater region and the nation. However, when measuring these impacts, it is important to recognize some of the positive effects conserved undeveloped land has on communities. First and foremost, conserving these lands promotes these communities’ long-term visions for themselves. Preserving the small-town rural character of these communities is a top priority in almost every plan prepared for this region.

Protecting the lands prevents the type of suburbanization that has undermined those aspects of so many other communities. The communities surrounding Fort Moore want to avoid anonymous sprawl and maintain their rural character.

Rural communities must also be mindful that unplanned and sprawling growth will actually cost them more money to service. Numerous studies have shown that farmland, timberland, and conservation lands require far fewer community services and less infrastructure than residential developments.14 Conservation areas cost taxpayers much less to service and maintain, particularly when compared to residential development. Research from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the American Farmland Trust indicates that timber and agricultural land actually subsidizes the cost of servicing much residential development. However, managing development and preventing sprawling growth requires resources that some rural communities do not possess. Outside support is needed to build capacity to enact long-term growth management and land use regulation.

Property owners can benefit from conservation areas as well. Because of the conservation significance of the region, since 2019, federal and state programs have provided approximately $753,750 in new cost-share funds paid directly to local private landowners in the area to help them implement conservation practices. This number does not include standard USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service or Regional Conservation Partnership Program funds that many landowners access as well.15 An additional $570,000 has been identified to support similar activities through 2025. In addition, several studies have concluded that permanently preserved open space significantly increases nearby property values.16 Value arises out of the certainty that conservation properties will not be developed and the viewshed will be permanently protected. Access to nearby open space and recreational opportunities also increases property values. Increased property values created by nearby conservation lands often leads to increases in overall tax revenue over the long term.17

Repeatedly during focus groups and interviews, local residents said that rural character and a small-town sense of community matter greatly to them.

Importantly, while some uses are restricted in conservation areas, many of these areas are open to the public for hunting, fishing, and other forms of outdoor recreation. In addition to enhancing local opportunities for these activities, these lands are economic, recreational, and cultural assets for the surrounding communities, and the communities located within these landscapes are rich in history, culture, and quality of life because of their natural surroundings. Moreover, when the number of conservation personnel who live and/or work in an area to assist with land management increases, these individuals contribute to the tax base by purchasing property, fuel, supplies, and other goods, and by employing people in the community. A robust accounting of the economic benefits these conservation lands provide would be an important next step in helping these communities recognize the full value of these lands and expand on it for their long-term prosperity. Many of these protected areas have been turned into state-run wildlife management areas (WMA), which a 2013 statewide study found provide significant economic benefits to host communities.18 Updating that analysis for the post-COVID-19 economy and focusing on the public lands in this region would be a great resource for understanding the value of these lands.

One economic value the lands support is regional tourism. Research conducted by the University of Georgia as part of this project indicates that the rural counties surrounding Columbus have the strong opportunity to tap into a vibrant regional tourism economy by showcasing their natural and cultural resources. The Columbus region tourist economy annually produces more than $1.1 billion in total economic output.19 However, Columbus–Muscogee County captures more than 90% of that output. In addition, only about 1% of that total is direct spending at natural areas/parks. While there is clearly more spending associated with nature-based attractions, and a more robust assessment of the full economic value of the areas is needed, this still indicates that there are opportunities for economic growth in this sector. Significant opportunities exist for the rural communities in the region to generate economic benefits by connecting their local assets to Columbus’s growing success as a recreational destination. This plan, therefore, focuses on ways these communities can develop and thrive in a “conservation and outdoor recreation economy.” By embracing their natural resource assets, these communities can pursue strategic economic development that aligns with Fort Moore’s compatible use buffer.

Responses to a survey conducted as part of this project indicate that community members support efforts to sustain Fort Moore’s mission and that they are likely to appreciate and welcome how nature-based tourism offers opportunities to do that. Respondents perceive the greatest strengths of the River Valley Region to be the presence of Fort Moore (74%) and the region’s nature-based features, including natural resources (63%) and outdoor recreation (68%). Respondents find natural resources to be extremely important (64%) to the region and express enthusiasm for numerous outdoor recreational activities, including boating, kayaking, or canoeing (89%); hiking (85%); and fishing (84%). One way to facilitate greater outdoor activity is to create walking and biking trails. Approximately 75% of the survey respondents think such trails would be useful when connecting communities across the region. Appendix D contains the full survey results.

Finally, while the rural communities in the region receive many benefits from their proximity to Fort Moore and from the conservation efforts surrounding their communities and the installation, the vast majority of benefits accrue to the larger Columbus region, the state of Georgia, and the nation as a whole through the economic impacts of Fort Moore and its significant role in national defense. The ACUB program is essential to the long-term viability of this installation and the continuation of its mission, but its long-term costs are very real challenges for the nearby rural communities, particularly Marion County. Consideration should be given to the idea that because the benefits of this conservation extend well beyond these communities, the costs should be shared more broadly as well. Put simply, from ensuring our soldiers have the training they need to prepare to defend our nation, to providing recreational areas for hunting, fishing, and hiking, to keeping the gopher tortoise off the endangered species list, we all benefit from the protection and conservation of these ACUB buffer lands. Increased state and national investment in alleviating the systemic poverty around the installation, promoting the long-term economic prosperity of these communities, and enhancing local capacities for planning and infrastructure investments will be critical to ensuring that the rural communities within these areas thrive in ways compatible with the nation’s national security mission.

From keeping the gopher tortoise off the endangered species list, to ensuring our soldiers have the training they need, to providing recreational areas for hunting, fishing, and hiking, we all benefit from the preservation of the buffer areas surrounding Fort Moore.