Concerns for kingfisher delay Guam military buildup plan

HAGATNA, Guam (AP)—The final supplemental environmental impact statement for a military buildup on Guam has been promised for this summer, but concerns about the Micronesian kingfisher are delaying the report.

The Pacific Daily News reports that the federal Wildlife Service remains in talks with Pentagon representatives about how to assure habitat preservation.

The kingfisher population in Guam was federally listed as an endangered species in 1984, but by 1988 was close to becoming extinct. Although the bird is believed to be extinct in the wild on Guam, kingfishers are being cared for in captivity with a plan to reintroduce the birds to their habitat.

The Record of Decisions is expected June 26 and is said to be the last procedural step before construction projects to relocate about 5,000 Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam can begin.