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from:  Tony Castanha

Subject: [demilnet_Hawaii] GUAM MILITARY BUILDUP COULD DESTROY JUNGLE, WILDLIFE


GUAM MILITARY BUILDUP COULD DESTROY JUNGLE, WILDLIFE
2,000 acres under threat according to activists

By Therese Hart

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Marianas Variety, April 15, 2011) – We Are Guåhan, in its sixth
installment of the Grey Papers, claims the Department of Defense will destroy
over 2,000 acres of jungle and wildlife.

The Grey Papers are a compilation of information from the Environmental Impact
Statement and various federal and local agencies regarding the impact of the
proposed buildup on Guam’s jungle and wildlife.

The activist group said Gov. Eddie B. Calvo’s signing of the Programmatic
Agreement cleared the way for DOD to begin work on the 160-plus projects related
to the proposed buildup.

Some of the effects of DOD’s proposed projects, identified in the EIS, include
the destruction of over 2,000 acres of jungle, which includes 1,580 acres of
limestone forest; the destruction of over 1,300 acres of recovery habitat for
the endangered fanihi, Mariana crow and Micronesian kingfisher; and the
destruction of up to 10 percent of the total amount of forest cover on Guam,
according to the paper.

The Department of Agriculture has stated the proposed reduction of up to 10
percent of the total forest cover on Guam "is a significant impact that affects
the viability of Guam’s forests, including reductions in the benefits of forests
such as groundwater infiltration, potential habitat, biodiversity and water
quality."

"The total area of jungle DOD plans on destroying is larger than the villages of
Mongmong-Toto-Maite and Hagåtña combined," said We Are Guåhan member Cara
Flores-Mays.

"The destruction of 10 percent of the forest cover on Guam is probably why
Undersecretary Robert Work only talked about efficient energy when explaining
DOD’s commitment to a ‘Green Guam.’"

One example of DOD’s proposed mitigation for the destruction of over 1,300 acres
of recovery habitat for the endangered fanihi [small fruit bats], Mariana crow
and Micronesian kingfisher, is to have a biologist visit construction sites one
week before a project begins, according to the paper.

If the biologist sees one of these endangered species, DOD will postpone
destroying the jungle in that area until the bat or bird has left.

"Some DOD officials may be hurt by us raising these issues," said Flores-Mays,
"but the destruction of thousands of acres of jungle -- as well as the impacts
on our hospital, our schools and our homes -- are important issues to our
community. The people who call Guam home deserve honest answers to these
questions, not rehearsed talking points."

Marianas Variety: www.mvariety.com

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