Ecological integrity, military readiness and resilient communities: America’s defense communities leading the way with environmental planning.

February 17, 2026 in Seminar

J. Scott Pippin, J.D., Public Service Associate, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia  

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ABSTRACT

Military installations present unique opportunities and challenges for natural resource management and community resilience planning. Their success in performing their national security function depends on the thoughtful integration of military operations into the surrounding natural environment and the adjacent defense communities. Increasing awareness of the importance of this socio-ecological context has led to significant improvement in landscape restoration, threatened and endangered species management, and sustainable development of nearby civilian communities. To build on these successes, the University of Georgia’s Defense Community Resilience Program is actively engaged in working with these military installations and defense communities to advance these goals and develop projects that simultaneously address military, community, and environmental needs.

BIO

J. Scott Pippin is an attorney and community planner with the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Carl Vinson Institute of Government where he leads UGA’s Defense Community Resilience Program. The DCRP supports long-term resilience planning for military installations and their interrelated civilian communities to support military readiness, community resilience, and environmental integrity. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University (BA – History, 2001), the University of Georgia Law School (JD – 2006), and the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design (MEPD – 2013). Pippin joined in the Institute of Government in 2014 to support Georgia communities and state agencies on a wide variety of topics related to environmental law and policy, land use, and community resilience to natural disasters and other threats. Prior to joining the Institute of Government, Pippin worked as a private attorney and environmental consultant in the Atlanta area. Pippin is a native of Albany, Georgia, and he now resides in Athens, Georgia with his wife, three children, a dog, and a cat.

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