About: Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos is the last military airfield still operating in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County area, a 1,300-acre installation hemmed in on every side by the suburbs of northwestern Orange County. Commissioned as Naval Air Station Los Alamitos in 1942 and transferred to the Army in 1973 under license to the California National Guard, it is now the largest Army airfield operated by the National Guard in the country, with an 8,000-foot main runway capable of taking C-5s, C-17s, Air Force One, and the Marine presidential helicopter detachment. It serves as home station for the 40th Infantry Division and the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade’s Black Hawks, hosts more than 70 tenant organizations from every reserve component and a range of federal, state, and local agencies. It is also home to the Energy Resilience and Security Project, a large-scale solar photovoltaic installation built to keep the base, and its role as the region’s disaster-response hub, operating independently of the grid.
Species Conflict: The California Military Department manages its natural resources under an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan and the environmental requirements that apply to Army National Guard installations, balancing the needs of the species that persist there against military operations. Grassland and drainage margins across the base provide habitat that supports MBTA-protected nesting birds in large numbers and hosts one of the larger remaining stands of Southern Tarplant, which is a rare annual of coastal grasslands and vernal margins that has lost most of its historic range to development across Los Angeles and Orange counties. It’s very active airstrip accompanied by ample wildlife habitat, especially for several species of birds, is a potential hazard for both humans and wildlife. Additionally, it’s large stretches of solar arrays, constructed as part of the Energy Resilience and Security Project, also provide ideal nesting and roosting structure for a variety of avian species of which could negatively impact functionality and integrity of the array.
Our Role: WI provided environmental compliance services for the Energy Resilience and Security Project spanning preconstruction, construction, and post-construction monitoring of the solar arrays. On the avian side, WI prepared the project’s Avian Protection Plan, assisted in permit acquisition, conducted nesting bird surveys, nest mapping, and establishment of mitigation measures during construction and vegetation clearing efforts. WI also employed and maintains nesting deterrents on the arrays. To assist with the airfield’s Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program, WI conducted post-construction surveys of bird use on and around the solar structures to evaluate any changes in bird activity and associated strike risk to aircraft. Additionally, in collaboration with another team, helped develop and implement the project’s Tarplant Mitigation Plan, which included the identification and preparation of a mitigation planting site and re-establishment for plants displaced by construction efforts.