She became an archeologist because of her love for exploration and discovery. She became a land conservationist because of the U.S. Army. And somewhere in between, she figured out that the land surrounding a military base might be just as important as what’s inside the fence line. 🌱
Coral Eginton grew up in California as an only child before spending years chasing ancient mysteries — from shipwrecks off the coast of Spain to ruins buried in the jungles of the Yucatan. She has a master’s in nautical archeology. She’s excavated Dutch East India Company wrecks in Australia.
In 2016, she walked onto Fort Irwin in the middle of the Mojave Desert — 65 miles from the nearest gas station — and fell in love with the military world.
She spent years running the federal REPI program (Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration), which is a program design to keep military bases capable of doing their mission by protecting the land around them from incompatible development.
Now she’s the Executive Director of Compatible Lands Foundation, a land trust with a singular focus — military readiness and environmental conservation. Their tagline says it best: protecting the lands that protect America.
In this episode, Coral breaks down conservation easements in a way that actually makes sense — what landowners gain, what’s in it for the installation, and why protecting your ranch might also be one of the most pro-military things you can do.
Plus: the encroachment problem nobody’s talking about. How a city creeping toward a base can silently shrink its ability to train — and cost taxpayers billions.
God’s not making any more land. This one’s worth your hour.
🎧 Enjoy!
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