THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996 TAG: 9604100381
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALISON BOLOGNA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
On a 5,025-acre master jet base, with planes spitting out gallons of carbon monoxide every day, there's a man who ensures that deer and other critters don't stroll onto the runway.
This is the same man who plants meadows full of wildflowers, turns castaway Christmas trees into sand dunes and maintains a boardwalk around the base's pond.
He is Brian Hostetter, natural resources manager at Oceana Naval Air Station.
``I have the best job in the Navy,'' the 38-year-old Hostetter said. ``There's no one individual thing that stands out. It's just a good place to work.''
Hostetter is primarily responsible for keeping the environment healthy while pilots fly their planes.
``It's kind of a tricky scenario,'' he said.
One problem he deals with every year is keeping Oceana's deer population under control.
He and his staff of three take monthly spotlight surveys to count deer on the base. He also plants wildlife food patches around the grounds to lure deer away from the runway. And he regulates an active hunting program.
``Generally, it's not too much of a problem, and we try to keep it that way,'' Hostetter said. ``Last year hunters took out about 65 deer.''
Hostetter has worked at Oceana for almost four years. He said one of the most challenging parts of his job has been trying to balance military life with preserving the environment.
``It's hard to blend in the natural resources program, especially in this heavily urbanized area,'' he said. ``We're trying to run a good program, yet we have to recognize that our mission is to fly planes.''
So far, however, Hostetter believes he has succeeded. He is particularly proud of the Urban Forestry Program.
``It's come a long way,'' he said. ``There's never been an effort to re-plant trees or reuse the right species. We're trying to relandscape Oceana, providing more trees and using the right species.''
A long-term goal, Hostetter said, is to be the first Navy base to be part of Cool Communities, which involves planting trees and painting roof tops ``cool'' colors, such as white and tan that reflect rather than absorb heat from the sun, to reduce energy consumption.
The Department of Defense has supported Hostetter's efforts. He believes the department is a step ahead of private industry in protecting the environment.
Hostetter has recently been selected by Navy Secretary John H. Dalton for a natural resources conservation award. This award will put Hostetter in the running for the secretary of the Defense environmental award later this month.
But the natural resources manager doesn't accept this award on his own. Rather, he said, it's a base award. He attributes his success to the work of his staff.
Hostetter said the only frustrating part of the job has been having too many good ideas and not enough time.
``If I go home at the end of the day and I feel that I've done something for the natural environment or the base, then I've had a good day and that's job satisfaction.
``I work a lot with the city of Virginia Beach and I think seeing the community come together over the environment and natural resources is just real gratifying,'' he said.
Hostetter said he has always been interested in the environment, so working at Oceana has been a good fit.
``It took a while to eventually get here, but it's something that I've always shot for.'' ILLUSTRATION: Navy photo by FRANK PALMITESSO/
Brian Hostetter was recently selected by Navy Secretary John H.
Dalton for a natural resources conservation award.
by CNB