VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Vandenberg biologists survey southwestern pond turtles in April. During the survey, Zia Walton, 30th Civil Engineer Squadron natural resource specialist and Taylor Spencer, volunteer, processed a Southwestern Pond Turtle at Lake Canyon at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
The turtle was weighed during an April Southwestern Pond Turtle survey after undergoing an initial assessment process. Surveys gather data on the population at Vandenberg within the installation’s bodies of water.
Vandenberg’s environmental conservation efforts are maintained by a team of 40 civilians, cooperators and contractors — the largest environmental team in the U.S. Space Force. Vandenberg’s 30th CES environmental team routinely assesses the installation’s plant and animal habitats to provide updated information, underpinning VSFB’s environmental stewardship initiatives.