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When a NASA space shuttle lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida people from miles around can feel the roar of the launch. The 800,000 pounds of thrust from the solid rocket boosters shakes and rumbles the entire Cape Canaveral region as they lift the 4.5-million pound shuttle into orbit. The smoke from the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen rockets billows around the launch pad and up into the sky, showing the trail of the shuttle as it blazes into orbit. Air Force Delta and Atlas rockets also soar into the sky from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. To protect citizens from the hazards of the space mission, people cannot live inside the Cape area, but there are still native residents who have no choice but to stay so close to the dangerous environment. Alligators, sea turtles and Florida scrub jays are just three of the approximate 40 types of animals, birds, reptiles and plants that are indigenous to the area that are endangered and protected. With the hazards that come from mankind’s need to use space, Air Force officials are committed to taking care of the environment and to do all they can to preserve and protect all living creatures at this and every Air Force installation. “We have 11 federally listed threatened and endangered spe- cies here, a number of species of concern, lots of state listed species, and then protected species,” said Don George, a natural resource manager with the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. “We have a lot of undeveloped land and because of some of the items on Air Force property (like solid fuel storage areas), you cannot build too close to a lot of areas here. Our job is to manage these habitats in a way that preserves these species and hopefully enhances their survival.” Take, for instance, the scrub jay population, which is a covered under the Endangered Species Act. The Florida scrub jay is found only in central Florida where the land is nutrient-poor soil, or scrub habitat, and they bury acorns like a squirrel would. The bird is tame, lives in family units and shows almost no fear of people. Before base officials began looking at protecting this territo- rial bird, the number of scrub jays dwindled over the years. The mismanagement of the land and the development in Florida has led to the loss of the scrub jay habitat. Only 9 percent of the historic scrub areas are still present in Brevard County, which relates directly to how many scrub jays you have, Mr. George said. Cape Canaveral AFS is made up of 15,800 square acres, of which 8,000 square acres are habitable for the scrub jay. In addition to the number of acres that affects the popula- tion of scrub jays, snakes, hawks and even vehicles are hazardous to their existence. “Scrub jays are low- and slow-flying birds. By lowering the speed limit to 35 mph in the industrial areas where scrub jays are on Cape Canaveral AFS, we avoid the num- bers of collisions vehicles have with scrub jays,” said Lex Stokes, the 45th CES Environmental Flight chief. “The scrub jay (population) goes up every year in the J May-June 2009 43