Camp Navajo operates as a storage and training facility, serving as an active-duty and reserve maneuver training site for all departments of the military. It is the only Tier II Maneuver Training Center in Arizona. The Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS) has the distinction of being the U.S. Navy’s dark-sky observatory and thus requires clear, dark skies to effectively execute its mission. The Coconino County Military Installation Sustainability Study comprises five distinct components that individually and collectively support installation and community sustainability and compatibility, along with the mutually beneficial relationship between Camp Navajo, the NOFS, and the surrounding region:

Nonconforming Outdoor Lighting Database and Outreach Campaign. To address dark skies and outdoor lighting, Matrix developed a dark-sky nonconforming database and a public outreach and education campaign plan for local communities. The database was created via on-the-ground and drone surveys of properties with suspected nonconforming outdoor lighting. Over 230 properties were assessed.

Industry Feasibility Study and Market Analysis. Matrix completed an industry feasibility study to identify uses that can improve forest health, grow the local economy, and enhance compatibility with the installations. The assessment addressed numerous factors from compatibility, environmental, and water to transportation and land use. The study will also be used to inform the potential transfer of Camp Navajo land for development of a business/industrial park.

State Legislation and Strategic Engagement Plan. Matrix developed draft State legislation, and a strategic engagement plan to promote the legislation, to help protect the installations from incompatible-use encroachment. The legislation is modeled on nationwide best practices and tailored to provide regulatory solutions for management of the private and public lands that surround the installations.

Coconino MIR Study. The Coconino Military Installation Resiliency (MIR) Study focused on developing a climate change vulnerability assessment matrix that aligns climate change hazard indicators with scientifically predicted climate change and extreme weather events for the study region that are cross-referenced against installation mission resiliency categories. This risk assessment built on the most recent regional scientific climate literature, analysis, and quantifiable predicted changes to identify specific anticipated regional climate impacts to Coconino County installations. Using this method, Matrix identified the frequency, magnitude, and probability of risk for each category of climate change and extreme weather events and assessed the most likely future impacts to the installations within each mission resiliency category. Leveraging the resiliency threat assessment, Matrix used the latest geospatial mapping techniques and data to model climate change vulnerability. Matrix developed raster-based maps that illustrate forest health and increased wildland fire risks for Camp Navajo, the NOFS, and the surrounding communities.

Installation Economic Impact Analysis. Matrix completed an economic impact analysis to quantify the value of the installations to the local economy. Installation capital budgets, wages, and other expenditures, along with demographic information on the enlisted and civilian workforces of the installations, were assessed. This showed how the installations provide valuable financial and economic support to local businesses and communities in addition to the benefits related to national security, local disaster response, and community service.