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Wetland restoration provides remarkable opportunities to understand vegetation dynamics and to inform success of future projects through rigorous restoration experiments. Salt marsh restoration typically focuses on physical factors such as sediment dynamics and elevation. Despite many demonstrations of strong top-down effects on salt marshes, the potential for consumers to affect salt marsh restoration projects has rarely been quantified. Recently, major restoration projects at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in central California, USA provided an opportunity to examine how herbivory influences restoration success. We quantified the strength of consumer effects by comparing caged to uncaged plantings, and compared effects among plant species and sites. We used camera traps to detect which herbivores were most common and how their abundance varied spatially. Beyond characterizing consumer effects, we also tested management strategies for reducing negative effects of herbivory at the restoration sites, including caging, mowing, and acoustic playbacks of predator sounds. We found extremely strong consumer effects at sites with extensive stands of exotic forbs upland of the high marsh; uncaged restoration plants suffered heavy herbivory and high mortality, while most caged plants survived. Brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani) were by far the most frequent consumers of these high marsh plants. Our work thus provides the first evidence of mammal consumers affecting salt marsh restoration success. Mowing of tall exotic forb cover adjacent to the marsh at one restoration site greatly reduced consumption, and nearly all monitored plantings survived at a second restoration site where construction had temporarily eliminated upland cover. Playbacks of predator sounds did not significantly affect restoration plantings, but restoration efforts in marsh communities vulnerable to terrestrial herbivory may benefit from concurrent restoration of predator communities in the upland habitats surrounding the marsh. A landscape approach is thus critical for recognizing linkages between terrestrial and marine vegetation.

MacDill AFB uses numerous 6 AMW-approved development plans to project installation development requirements. These plans propose demolition, construction, infrastructure improvement, natural infrastructure management, and strategic sustainability performance projects intended to ensure that the installation can sustain its current and future national security operations and mission-readiness status. These projects include installation development projects contained in the MacDill AFB Installation Development Plan, Base Comprehensive Asset Management Plan, and the community of all other existing Wing-approved development and resource plans. MacDill AFB seeks to improve its understanding of the potential environmental consequences associated with the continuing installation development process by evaluating in a single environmental assessment (EA) selected projects from those projects proposed in the 6 AMW-approved community of plans for installation development, called the Installation Development EA (IDEA). The Proposed Action is to implement a range of selected projects, such as demolition of aging facilities, new facility construction, facility upgrades, facility repair and renovation, utilities upgrades, community living upgrades, infrastructure improvement, recreational upgrades, natural infrastructure management, and other environmental projects that would be among those proposed to be completed or implemented during the next 5 years (from Fiscal Year [FY] 2012 to FY 2017). The IDEA uses a fenceline-to-fenceline approach, capturing and addressing in some form identified projects within the installation boundary that have been proposed by host and tenant agencies in accordance with Interservice Support Agreements. The intent of the IDEA is to address the Proposed Action of implementing installation development actions for continuing development on MacDill AFB to ensure that future mission and facility requirements are met.

Scott AFB uses numerous 375th Air Mobility Wing (375 AMW) approved plans to project installation development requirements. These plans propose demolition, construction, infrastructure improvement, and natural infrastructure management activities intended to ensure that the installation can sustain its current and future national security operations and mission-readiness status. These projects include installation development projects contained in the Scott AFB Installation Development Plan, Base Comprehensive Asset Management Plan, and the community of all other existing Wing-approved development and resource management plans. Scott AFB seeks to improve its understanding of the potential environmental consequences associated with the continuing installation development process by evaluating in a single EA selected projects from those projects proposed in the Scott AFB Wing-approved community of plans for installation development, called the Installation Development EA (IDEA). The Proposed Action is to implement a range of selected projects, such as demolition of aging facilities, new facility construction, facility upgrades, facility repair and renovation, utilities upgrades, community living upgrades, infrastructure improvement, recreational upgrades, natural infrastructure management, and other environmental projects that would be among those proposed to be completed or implemented during the next 5 years (from Fiscal Year [FY] 2012 to FY 2017). The IDEA uses the fenceline-to-fenceline approach, capturing and addressing in some form identified projects within the installation boundary that have been proposed by host and tenant agencies in accordance with Interservice Support Agreements. The intent of the IDEA is to address the Proposed Action of implementing installation development actions for continuing development on Scott AFB to ensure that future mission and facility requirements are met.

The 89th Airlift Wing (89 A W) of the United States Air Force (USAF) has proposed to consolidate the Brandywine Receiver Site at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB), Maryland. The Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative were assessed in the attached Environmental Assessment (EA), which is hereby incorporated by reference. Andrews AFB is a USAF base under the Air Mobility Command and is the headquarters base to the 89 AW. The 89 AW provides logistical support for the President, Vice President, Cabinet members and high-ranking U.S. and foreign government officials. In 1967, a survey was conducted for locating a communications satellite terminal at the Brandywine site; installation of the facility was completed in January 1968. Over the last 35 years, advances in technology have reduced the amount and size of equipment and the manpower necessary to run the site. As a result, the majority of buildings at the site are no longer necessary to continue operations. In addition, the existing main building is deteriorating rapidly and maintenance and repair of the building have been quite costly in recent years. Under the Proposed Action, the existing main building and other excess buildings would be demolished. The current gymnasium (built in 1997) would be converted to the main building. The site would become unmanned. Although personnel would frequently visit the site, no personnel would be permanently assigned to the site.