The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership (SLP), a public and private consortium of governments, nonprofits and private-sector collaborators, is expanding its national footprint with two new designations that link military readiness, land conservation and long-term regional investment.
The partnership recently named Pikes Peak, Colorado, and East Mississippi, Mississippi, as its newest Sentinel Landscapes, bringing the national network to 21 designated regions. The additions mark the latest expansion of a federal, state, local and private-sector initiative that has directed billions of dollars toward sustainable land use, natural resource protection and compatible development around military installations and training areas since 2013.
The new designations are expected to open the door for targeted investment in forest resilience, watershed protection, wildfire mitigation, agricultural preservation and land-use strategies that support key military missions.
The SLP is composed of a coalition of federal, state, local and private entities that collaborate with landowners and land managers to safeguard the nation. These designated Sentinel Landscapes predominately serve to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, bolster agricultural and forestry economies, increase access to outdoor recreation and improve landscape resilience.
These landscapes represent shared interests between conservation, working land and national defense. As part of the latest developments, the SLP has announced the next two additions to the initiative – Pikes Peak and East Mississippi.
The Pikes Peak location is anchored by the U.S. Air Force Academy and contains the Schriever Space Force Base, Peterson Space Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station and Fort Carson. East Mississippi is a centerpiece for training the nation’s pilots using extensive training routes, special-use airspace and compatible rural lands.
The selection of these sites opens the door to significant capital investment in each region. Colorado pitched the Pikes Peak Region as a designation with five priorities to drive development, conservation and security:
- Reduce incompatible development near military installations and training areas.
- Build resilience across forests identified as high-risk.
- Develop stormwater and watershed management along two priority sites.
- Direct wildfire fuel treatments to key locations that reduce risk to critical water and energy infrastructure.
- Conserve habitat for sensitive wildlife species.
The proposal outlines other priority projects, including restoring landscape-scale forests, reducing fuels, improving resilience against post-fire flooding and erosion and supporting the long-term viability of private agriculture and ranchland operations.
The East Mississippi Region will emphasize efforts to support America’s pilot training enterprise, focusing on projects that protect flight corridors, preserve compatible uses and reduce wildfire risks. Currently, about 90% of the region is privately owned across six million acres, creating a swathe of new opportunities to align development to support flight training through low-level training routes, special-use airspace and rural landscapes.
In related news, the partnership released its 2025 Accomplishments Report, highlighting its successes throughout FY 2024. These include roughly $368 million in investments across Sentinel Landscape regions, capping the coalition’s total investment at roughly $1.8 billion.
Photo by gabesdotphotos photographer from Pexels
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