HOHENFELS, Germany — Drowning is a global health issue, larger than many accept, and is almost entirely preventable. All official lakes and pools in Germany have their own lifeguards. One of the largest groups is the Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft. Founded in 1913, the DLRG has over 1.8 million members…
Editor’s note: Tom Janis is the Emergency Manager at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria. This is his contribution and analysis. Imagine there was widespread damage from a natural catastrophe while serving overseas and the U.S. Army refused to pay or render aid. Unfathomable? Well, get ready Army. Effective…
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Maintenance response times, lack of transparency of housing work orders, and effective sponsorship were among common findings of over four thousand recent home and barracks visits here, said the garrison commander at a town hall to address housing issues. Garrison Commander Col. Adam Boyd hosted…
By Kellie Matack, USAG Bavaria Emergency Management GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — In the summer of 2003, Europe experienced temperatures 20 to 30 percent higher than the seasonal average. Extreme maximum temperatures of 35 to 40 degrees Celsius were recorded in July and continued into August. This extreme weather was…
By Christa Rolls, USAG Bavaria Environmental Division GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Grafenwoehr Training Area is one of the few places in Bavaria that supports a healthy population of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), a species closely related to the North American bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Recently, one of the…
By Elaine Freeth, USAG Bavaria Environmental Division GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Sightings of web covered shrubs with clusters of yellow and black spotted caterpillars around the garrison and residential areas have raised some voices of concern, but community members don’t have to worry about this particular caterpillar. These native…
By Elaine Freeth, USAG Bavaria Environmental Division GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria authorities request community members to report any nest findings of Oak Processional Moth caterpillars and keep their distance from the locations. The Oak Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoea processionea), or Eichenprozessionsspinner in German, is a…
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Some questions and confusion about recycling and trash pick-up linger at the Netzaberg housing community. Knowing where the recycling points are and how to properly sort materials is the first step to keeping Netzaberg beautiful. What’s the problem? Netzaberg community members can dispose…
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — The Tower Barracks, Rose Barracks, and Hohenfels communities will join forces to make U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria look neat and clean during the annual spring cleanup event April 22 to 26. Soldiers, family members and civilians can help improve the appearance of USAG Bavaria by collecting…
By Christa Rolls, USAG Bavaria Environmental Division GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Residents of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria housing areas have recently expressed concerns about pet waste being left in community green spaces. In one year, a dog can produce nearly 400 pounds of poop, which is equivalent to…