Camp Umatilla wins Environmental Security Award
SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon National Guard with the remarkable efforts of Jim Arnold and his Environmental Branch team, have received the Environmental Security Award Fiscal Year 2020. This is for the Cultural Resources Management -Small Installation designation of the award.
The Umatilla Chemical Depot opened in 1941 as part of the preparations leading up to World War II. The depot's mission was to store and maintain a variety of military items ranging from blankets to ammunition. The depot took on its chemical weapons storage mission in 1962 and stored 12% of the nation's stockpile. From 1990 to 1994, the facility reorganized in preparation for eventual closure, shipping all conventional ammunition and supplies to other installations.
Dismantling of the chemical disposal facility began in August of 2013, and the base was designated to be transferred for state and private use by early 2015. Decommissioning and transfer of land, to the Oregon Military Department in 2018 who planned to use part of the base for a training facility, while the rest becomes industrial land and a wildlife refuge.
The first challenge the Oregon Army National Guard (ORARNG) Environmental Branch and Cultural Resources Management (CRM) program faced was finding a way to preserve the historic value of the training site in accordance with state law while still allowing training mission and operations and the construction needed to support those operations to proceed.
The training site would be key in housing the Regional Training Institute (RTI) and an Infantry school as well as a place for scheduled monthly weekend drills and annual training events.
The biggest hill the Cultural Resource Management Team conquered was a Programmatic Agreement (PA) with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) along with the completion of an Environmental Assessment of Camp Umatilla as part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.
The biggest achievement by the CRM was to create a “Grand Bargain” with the SHPO establishing an Historic District where18 buildings on 23.5 acres would be managed as historic rather than 563 buildings spread over 7,500 acres. It focused on maintaining historically significant structures that held the military heritage and preserve the story of the installation.
“Without the prior relationships we have established over the years with the State Historic Preservation Office and positive government-to-government relationships with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation this agreement would have been much harder to accomplish” said Arnold.
Camp Umatilla now has a new Regional Training Institute building with new barracks, dining facilities, and day rooms. There will also be a new small arms ranges and troop maneuver areas.
Of the many historic landmarks on Camp Umatilla is the 1874 wagon road that was considered part of the connecting spur to the official Oregon Trail. The installation also includes Coyote Coulee that is a traditional religious and cultural property for the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Camp Umatilla also provides an opportunity to connect with the local community. The plan is to host local sports opportunities with summer football camps and cross-country races for area youth athletes. Earth Day events and local school field trips will further utilize the prominence of Camp Umatilla to residents in the area.
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