Ramstein wins best environmental program overseas for second year in a row

The 435th Air Base Wing Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight earned the 2003 Gen. Thomas D. White Environmental Quality Award as the best environmental office overseas for the second year in a row.
The award recognizes the Air Force squadron conducting the best or most improved environmental quality program. The Ramstein environmental flight garnered the award for implementing landscape development, species protection and water supply requirements prescribed in the air traffic approval act.
The 17-person flight was responsible for environmental plans and policies for the KMC.
It integrated several environmental protection policies to include wing noise abatement proceedings, preservation of forestry and wetlands.
Additionally, the flight’s close work with the German-American environmental working group helped ensure German requirements were met while eliminating possible environmental violations.
The squadron identified and corrected program deficiencies and initiated new protection programs.
For example, compensation was created for areas impacted by the base expansion and amphibian fences installed to prevent frogs from wandering into construction areas.
Additionally, thousands of fish, dragonflies and ants were relocated to nature restored areas.
“Almost 10 million Euro will be spent for landscape development, species protection and water supply,” said the chief of the environmental flight, Rainer Müller, said.
Further improvement was made in treated soil. More than 25,000 cubic meters of soil were cleaned through the U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s only on-base biological treatment facility operated by the Ramstein environmental flight.
The installation improvements made by the environmental flight earned recognition throughout the community and resulted in favorable coverage in the local German newspapers.