Natural Resources Information
General Information
At Fort Novosel, the DPW-ENRD Natural Resources Branch manages our land, forests, and wildlife using an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) as required by law (Sikes Act as amended in 1989) as well as AR 200-1. The INRMP is one of the operational controls used to help minimize impacts to the environment as a result of our actions. The INRMP is installation specific, and is the road map for performing the necessary actions associated with:
- Forest management
- Fish and wildlife management
- Land management (to include training lands, wetlands, and agricultural lands)
- Erosion control
- Soil conservation
- Wetlands protection
There are a number of federally listed mussel species for which streams
on Fort Novosel provide suitable habitat.
The southern sandshell, southern kidneyshell, Choctaw bean, tapered
pigtoe, and fuzzy pigtoe occur in the Choctawhatchee watershed, of which Claybank
Creek and Steephead Creek on the Installation are part. The Choctaw bean and fuzzy pigtoe have been
recorded on Fort Novosel in recent invertebrate surveys. However, the other
species have not been found in any recent surveys. Also, the Gopher tortoise is a Species of Concern and is located on the installation.
The DPW-ENRD Natural Resources Branch partners with several other offices to successfully manage and sustain the natural resources on Fort Novosel. One of their partners is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who have agreed upon the management procedures in Fort Novosel's INRMP. The DPW-ENRD Natural Resources Office also works with personnel in another program called Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM). The ITAM program was designed as a comprehensive approach to land management, and includes four elements:
- Land Condition Trend Analysis (LCTA) - inventory and monitoring of natural resources (including endangered species where applicable) to document conditions and assess the ability of the land to withstand military training and testing
- Environmental Awareness - education of military and civilians to foster wise use of the land
- Land Rehabilitation and Maintenance (LRAM) - revegetation and erosion control to restore the land, and enhance testing/training realism
- Training Requirements Integration (TRI) - optimization of land use by integrating mission requirements with the carrying capacity of the land.
Hunting, Fishing and Trapping On Fort Novosel
Fort Novosel has many good hunting opportunities. For more details consult Fort Novosel Regulation 215-1 (above), DPW-ENRD Natural Resources Branch at 255-9368/2416, or Range Operations at 255-4837.
