By Joni Simon
Contributing Writer

U.S. Reps. Ciro Rodriguez and Charles Gonzalez, accompanied by San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, toured Camp Bullis on July 21 and proposed a long range wildlife mitigation program that would be far less expensive than the $100 million estimated cost of buying up land around the post itself to provide habitat for endangered species.

“Failure is not an option,” Rodriguez said.

The proposal would involve purchasing conservation easements in the surrounding area to preserve them for wildlife habitat, which would free up existing land for restricted development.

“When you utilize so many acres, you mitigate by buying an equal number of acres,” Rodriguez said. “If you are going to utilize so many acres around the post, you have to mitigate it with additional acreage where it makes sense, to protect the wildlife.”

Gonzalez compared this proposal to the “cap and trade” system, which is used to reduce air emissions.

Development near the Leon Springs post has brought the future of Camp Bullis into question, due largely to the fact that much of the land that is being developed is habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler, and when that land is removed, the bird nests instead on Camp Bullis. 

Military installations are required to protect endangered species on their land and setting aside acreage for the bird leaves less land available for training. Military officials have noted this comes at a time when Camp Bullis is preparing to absorb a vastly increased workload due to a decision to consolidate all military medical training at Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis by 2011.

The congressmen stressed that the developers and property owners near Camp Bullis need to understand that they have a patriotic duty to limit use of their land to protect the post, which trains medics and other military medical professionals.

“We as the community have the responsibility to protect this post,” Rodriguez said. “The community realizes what’s at stake; the neighborhood associations have been very cooperative. But we all need to do everything we can to make sure that any future encroachment is looked at very carefully.”

Rodriguez also blasted homeowners who live near the base who complain about the noise and other inconveniences and he proposed state laws that may require homeowners to agree to accept the noise and other inconveniences of the post if they decide to move into newly developed residential areas.

“You’re next to an Army base,” he said.