Sikes Act

The Sikes Act (16 USC 670a-670o, 74 Stat. 1052), was enacted into United States law on September 15, 1960. It provides for cooperation by the Department of the Interior and Department of Defense with State agencies in planning, development and maintenance of fish and wildlife resources on military reservations throughout the United States.

The Sikes Act attempts to ensure that fish, wildlife and other natural resources that exist on and are associated with military lands in the United States are protected and enhanced. The Sikes Act is written such that conservation activities are promoted while allowing military lands to continue to meet the needs of military operations. A primary tool for achieving conservation goals is through a planning document called an Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan, or INRMP. Installation commanders are responsible for ensuring that INRMPs are completed for their installation and in cooperation with state and federal fish and wildlife agencies. An INRMP is only valid for a period of five years, after which it must be reviewed and, if necessary, updated by the installation.

Cooperative conservation is also an important provision of the Sikes Act, as currently amended. It provides military service programs and installations the ability to enter into partnerships with State and Department of Interior agencies (such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) that advance natural resource conservation on military lands.^[1]

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