Hurlburt tops in nature conservancy Published Feb. 5, 2008 By Tech. Sgt. Kristina Newton 1st SOW Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The Air Force recently announced Hurlburt Field as the winner of the 2007 General Thomas D. White Natural Resource Conservation award in the small base category. This honor recognizes the Installation Natural Resource Management Plan, which manages Hurlburt's 6,634 acres of land, as the best and most improved natural resource management program in the Air Force. The program deals with many aspects of the base and its environment. Every tree, bird, plant, animal, insect and reptile has a place on Hurlburt field and the environmental team takes care of them. Philip Pruitt, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron natural resources manager, has worked on the base environmental program for 12 years. He said the purpose of the program is to protect and preserve the base's natural resources while fully supporting the mission. More than half of Hurlburt's acreage is protected wetland and home to 16 rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals. Mr Pruitt said one of the biggest projects was the restoration of 6,000 feet of fire plow lines which are an obstacle to rare amphibians as they migrate to breeding ponds. The base environmental team worked with local, state and national organizations to restore the natural hydrology of the area. Another technique the base uses to preserve the habitat is controlled burning. Controlled burns can help prevent massive forest fires by clearing dense, dry underbrush and encouraging growth of plants that need heat to develop. Traci Dewar, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron environmental flight chief, is also a 12-year veteran of the program. She said the environmental program is vital to the mission because it keeps the base viable. "When you're here you know the water and air are safe, you know you don't have to worry about your family's health," she said. But she admits the environmental flight can't take all the credit. "There are so many agencies that contribute to this program, both on and off base, that I can really say this is an enormous team effort," she said.