The home of the "only Naval sea-to shore bombardment training range in the United States," is also the San Clemente Island loggerhead shrike's territory. The bird is making a comeback after teetering on the brink of extinction, and is somehow thriving in the bombing range.
There were only seven breeding pairs of the songbird in the 1990s, now that number is up to 70, The Telegraph reported.
The shrike is constantly under fire, but the Navy actually can take most of the credit for the species' revival.
Navy officials funded an annual three million dollar program to restore the dying shrikes.
Shrikes don't seem to be affected by the military activity on their home island off the coast of Southern California.
"The shrike seems to be unaffected by the loud noises," Melissa Booker, a Navy biologist told The Telegraph.
The Navy claims to be taking environmental protection and restoration more seriously than they had in the past.
"I've seen entire convoys with dozens of soldiers come to a screeching halt because a desert tortoise was crossing the road," Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright told the Albany Democrat-Herald.
The Pentagon said $73 million was spent on protecting over 400 species, The Telegraph reported.
"If we were to abuse the island, we would lose it," Commander Christopher Kirby, the officer in charge of San Clemente, told The Telegraph.
The population of San Clemente Foxes has risen over the past 10 years, lizard numbers are also on the up and up.
"Some places that resembled cratered moonscapes are now covered with native shrubs so thick it's hard to wade through them," Booker said.
On the other hand, goat populations on the island fell to zero in the 1990s as a result of military activity, the Albany Democrat-Herald reported.
"They're doing some good things for endangered species, which is great, but there are activities that are really damaging to the environment at the same time," Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity told The Telegraph.
