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O'ahu Island: US Marine Corps Base
The Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) oversees 25 percent of O'ahu Island's protected wetlands. The Marines have worked to enhance native plant and bird species on even the smallest wetlands, such as three half-acre drainage ponds on the base's golf course. Along with local activists, MCBH dredged and reshaped ponds, added solar-powered water circulation devices, and replaced invasive plants with native ones.
Although at first sight these 26-ton amphibious assault vehicles (AAV) look devastating to the marine base's Nu'upia Ponds wetlands, in actuality the massive tracks kill invasive pickle weed plants and create a terrain enjoyed by the endangered Hawaiian stilts. The stilts nest on mud mounds and feed on the insects, worms and crustacean uncovered by the AAVs. To protect the species, AAV training only occurs in the month of January. But the stilts are benefiting: the number of birds at the base has risen from 60 to 160 in 22 years, when the trainings first began.
Ulupa'u Crater sits within the MCBH on the Island of O'ahu. Just off Kane'ohe Bay and the eastern shoreline, Ulupa'u Crater is where, every year, more than 10,000 Marines, soldiers, sailors, federal law enforcement agents, and reservists use approximately 160 acres of the land to engage in weapons training. Within the heart of the range sits the 23 acre Ulupa'u Wildlife Management Area, a nesting site for about 2,500 Red-footed Boobies, a federally protected seabird. The weapons range poses several challenges to the military. The greatest threat to the boobies is brush fires, easily triggered by ricochets in dry grass. An invasion of foreign grasses leaves the landscape with no natural control. In general, fires in impact areas are allowed to burn, but not at the Booby Colony where the birds are protected by federal laws. Management of the Booby Colony includes brushfire management, erosion control, and training protocols. The intentional killing of wildlife is punishable by law and could lead to the permanent closure of the range. Therefore the military's rules of conduct prohibit weapons firing on the west face of the crater (known as Mololani) and surrounding beaches, vehicles going off graded roads, smoking, and the harming or harassment of wildlife.
Dr. Diane Drigot, Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist for the Marine Corp Base Hawaii details the progress of the wetland restoration and drainage improvement projects on the base. The completed project will relieve chronic flooding by replacing a weed-choked drainage ditch with a more naturally functioning wetland lined with native plants. Read more:
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