A prescribed fire burns along Coyote Coulee at Rees Training Center, Hermiston, Ore., Oct. 12, 2022. The burn was conducted to reduce fuel loads and manage invasive species as part of the installation's integrated natural resources management program. (Courtesy photo, Oregon Military Department)
Oregon Army National Guard training facility Rees Training Center near Hermiston has earned one of the Army’s top environmental honors for its work balancing military readiness with natural resource conservation.
The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment announced April 17 that Rees Training Center received the 2026 Secretary of the Army Environmental Award in the Natural Resources Conservation, Small Installation category.
The award recognizes exceptional achievement in mission-focused environmental management programs across Army installations. Rees Training Center has also been nominated for the 2026 Secretary of War Environmental Awards competition, with final winners expected to be announced in June.
“This award reflects the hard work of an entire team committed to proving that environmental stewardship and military readiness go hand in hand and directly supports our soldiers’ ability to train,” officials said in a statement. “Through the connections with our partners, like the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, we have invested in making Rees Training Center a model for what competent and responsible land stewardship looks like on a military installation.”
Located on 7,500 acres at the former Umatilla Chemical Depot near Hermiston, Rees Training Center supports Oregon Army National Guard units and regional military forces with weapons ranges, maneuver areas, tracked vehicle driver training, and a Regional Training Institute.
The installation has also become nationally recognized for its conservation efforts involving the Western Burrowing Owl, a species designated as both a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bird of Conservation Concern and a Department of Defense Military Sensitive Species.
When the site was still managed by the Army in 2008, only four nesting owl pairs remained. Through a long-term conservation partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the owl population has rebounded significantly. Today, more than 80 nesting pairs occupy approximately 11,500 acres across the training center and adjacent tribal lands.
A key part of the recovery effort has been the creation of low-cost artificial burrows built from donated 55-gallon barrels provided by the local Tree Top processing plant. Officials said the burrows can be relocated when needed to avoid interference with active military training operations.
“Our work with the Western Burrowing Owl at Rees Training Center proves that environmental stewardship and military readiness aren’t mutually exclusive; they actually reinforce one another,” said Rhande Shaw, Natural Resources Program Manager for the Oregon Military Department. “By strategically placing artificial burrows, we are able to carefully deconflict wildlife habitat from active training. Our priority is always the mission and ensuring soldier training remains unimpeded while conserving natural resources.”
Last year, Tree Top donated 100 barrels that officials say will eventually create 200 owl burrows. The program has drawn interest from researchers at Boise State University and environmental personnel from the Idaho Army National Guard, who recently visited the site to observe the burrow construction and installation process.
Rees Training Center also hosted a Department of Defense Avian Knowledge Network owl training event attended by Army, National Guard, tribal, and state agency representatives.
In addition to wildlife conservation, the installation has worked to reduce wildfire risks and restore native habitat in the Coyote Coulee area. Following a prescribed burn and targeted herbicide treatment to combat invasive cheatgrass, RTC entered into an agreement with Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey FIREss Team to reseed more than 350 acres with native grasses and flowering plants.
Officials said data collected through the partnership will help develop customized wildfire models and guide updates to the installation’s Integrated Wildland Fire Management Plan.
In Photo A prescribed fire burns along Coyote Coulee at Rees Training Center, Hermiston, Ore., Oct. 12, 2022. The burn was conducted to reduce fuel loads and manage invasive species as part of the installation’s integrated natural resources management program. (Courtesy photo, Oregon Military Department)
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