{"id":338275,"date":"2021-02-11T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=338275"},"modified":"2021-02-11T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T20:00:00","slug":"dod-says-it-is-invested-in-green-practices-in-the-cnmi-guam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dod-says-it-is-invested-in-green-practices-in-the-cnmi-guam\/","title":{"rendered":"DoD says it is invested in \u2018green\u2019 practices in the CNMI, Guam"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Stephen Mosher, a brown snake program handler with the Navy Facilities Engineering Command, checks a snake trap at West Field on Tinian during Exercise Forager Fury III in 2014. The snake traps are designed to trap any brown tree snakes that may have stowed away in aircraft or cargo departing from Guam. (LANCE CPL. LUIS RAMIREZ)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ASAN, Guam\u2014The U.S. Department of Defense says it continues to\u00a0invest in the protection, preservation and conservation of natural resources\u00a0in Guam and the CNMI.<\/p>\n

In this fiscal year alone, Joint Region Marianas estimates more than $26\u00a0million will be executed for conservation projects in the region, including\u00a0approximately $5 million in environmental mitigation associated with military\u00a0construction. In previous years, from 2016-2020, more than $35 million went to\u00a0environmental protection and preservation throughout the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking a proactive approach to protecting the region\u2019s natural and cultural\u00a0resources remains a priority for DoD,\u201d Rear Adm. John Menoni, JRM commander\u00a0said. \u201cWe recognize that the stewardship of the region\u2019s cultural and natural\u00a0resources is a significant responsibility and it is one we take seriously. We\u00a0maintain open lines of communication with our local government partners and\u00a0are committed to our alliances across the islands to ensure we are doing\u00a0everything we can to respect and protect the history, heritage, and\u00a0environment of this region.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there are numerous environmental protection programs in the region, the\u00a0U.S. military has placed an emphasis on a few top priorities, which include\u00a0military construction, military training, and ungulate management.<\/p>\n

Marine life protection a priority in military construction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Military construction projects not only improve existing infrastructure and\u00a0further enhance defense capabilities in the region, but include initiatives to\u00a0protect and preserve natural resources to further support the DoD mission.<\/p>\n

For example, a wharf improvement project was awarded in fiscal year 2021, which\u00a0requires the relocation of approximately 4,500 coral colonies and the\u00a0retention of the wharf\u2019s historic features in inner Apra Harbor on U.S. Naval\u00a0Base Guam.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an unprecedented amount of coral with a cost of approximately $4\u00a0million to prepare the relocation habitat, delicately move thousands of coral, and monitor and maintain their survival for up to five years,\u201d said Andres\u00a0Reyes, a marine scientist with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas at NBG.<\/p>\n

Future projects include plans to relocate an additional 150,000 coral colonies\u00a0with an estimated cost of approximately $10.4 million. Approximately $3.9\u00a0million is expected to be invested in conservation actions and historic\u00a0property protection for this project alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cA tremendous amount of resources, planning, dedication, and patience is\u00a0required to successfully complete the translocation of coral,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cPrior to considering coral relocation, the Navy is required to consult with\u00a0multiple federal and local agencies and receive their approvals. Once the\u00a0consultations and regulatory permitting processes are completed, a team of\u00a0marine biologists prepares the relocation site. This process can take anywhere\u00a0from a few weeks to a few months depending on the weather and diving\u00a0conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reyes said the relocation of coral avoids and minimizes adverse effects to\u00a0essential fish and marine habitats. \u201cEssential fish habitat includes a variety\u00a0of other marine resource units such as fish, macro-algae, water quality, and\u00a0endangered species,\u201d he said. \u201cSo this approach allows for ecosystem-based\u00a0management.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biosecurity emphasized in military training<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to protect threatened and endangered plants and animals in the\u00a0region, the Navy continues to maintain an active biosecurity monitoring\u00a0program. In particular, during military training events, biosecurity is a\u00a0primary focus and an important component toward minimizing the risk of\u00a0introducing invasive species to the islands.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Mariana Islands Training and\u00a0Testing Biological Opinion of 2015, the Navy is required to inspect all\u00a0aircraft, cargo, and equipment departing Guam for off-island destinations. In\u00a0addition, they are to conduct inspections upon arrival in the CNMI when items\u00a0arrive from Guam; have invasive species rapid response capability for\u00a0high-risk species; and adhere to Armed Forces Pest Management Board guidance, which sets cleanliness standards for all cargo and equipment transfers.<\/p>\n

During major military exercises in the Mariana Islands all exercise\u00a0participants, including foreign allies, are required to adhere to all\u00a0biosecurity policies. The Navy and other DoD service branches provide funding\u00a0to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection\u00a0Service Wildlife Services, to conduct brown tree snake inspections of all\u00a0items.<\/p>\n

Assuring cleanliness standards are met, the Navy partners with Colorado State\u00a0University\u2019s Center for Environmental Management on Military Lands to inspect\u00a0all cargo and equipment moving into and out of the Mariana Islands upon\u00a0arrival and prior to departure. Approximately $3.2 million is invested\u00a0annually to support BTS interdiction efforts in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiosecurity measures are integrated into every aspect of training to ensure\u00a0invasive species are not being transported during training events,\u201d Stephen\u00a0Mosher, NAVFAC Marianas natural resources specialist said. \u201cKeeping invasive\u00a0 species out of the transportation network during training events reduces the\u00a0risk of invasive species getting established and impacting threatened and\u00a0endangered species.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ungulate management leads to habitat enhancement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Within the last fiscal year, up to $1.5 million has been invested in ungulate\u00a0fence projects on each of the military installations in Guam. This serves to\u00a0protect native habitats from two specific non-native invasive species\u2014feral\u00a0pigs and deer\u2014which destroy natural vegetation, increase rates of erosion, contribute to the loss of native plant and animal species, and increase the\u00a0spread of invasive plants.<\/p>\n

Each conservation project involving an ungulate fence is composed of four\u00a0phases: construction of the fence, removal of ungulates, removal of invasive\u00a0species, and restoration of the area with native plant species. Currently, five fences are built or are under construction, covering approximately 885\u00a0acres on the Naval Munitions Site, Haputo Ecological Reserve Area, and<\/p>\n

Northern Forest Enhancement Site on NBG. On Andersen Air Force Base, there are two fences constructed and several under design, which will conserve\u00a0approximately 890 acres of habitat. In the next several years, 20 fence\u00a0projects are planned to cover an area of more than 2,400 acres. The total\u00a0investment of these fence projects is estimated to be $43 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cUngulate eradication is a primary step in enhancing native forests,\u201d said\u00a0Aaron Rieffanaugh, NAVFAC Marianas natural resources specialist at AAFB. \u201cOn\u00a0AAFB, Philippine deer and feral pigs impact nearly every aspect of forest\u00a0regeneration and ecosystem management. They increase erosion and invasive\u00a0plant intrusion by disturbing soil systems, which when combined with browsing\u00a0pressures, prevents native plant recruitment causing negative impacts to the\u00a0forest structure and its diversity. With the addition of the ungulate fences\u00a0at AAFB and others within JRM, we expect to see dramatic improvements [toward] a much healthier ecosystem here [in] Guam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProtection and conservation of our natural resources while sustaining DoD\u2019s\u00a0mission in the Marianas for the security of our nation, our region and our\u00a0island is paramount and a cornerstone of our environmental programs,\u201d John F.\u00a0 Salas, NAVFAC Marianas environmental director at JRM, said. (PR)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ASAN, Guam\u2014The U.S. Department of Defense says it continues to\u00a0invest in the protection, preservation and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":338279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[26,51,200],"class_list":["post-338275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-cnmi","tag-guam","tag-military"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=338275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/338279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=338275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=338275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=338275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}