MANA — The Chief of Naval Operations recently announced the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kaua‘i as the one of the winners of the 2008 CNO Environmental Award for the Cultural Resources Management Installation category, a PMRF news release
MANA — The Chief of Naval Operations recently announced the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kaua‘i as the one of the winners of the 2008 CNO Environmental Award for the Cultural Resources Management Installation category, a PMRF news release said this week.
The annual CNO Environmental Awards program recognizes Navy ships, installations, and individuals or teams for exceptional environmental stewardship. The 2008 competition categories included: natural resources conservation, cultural resources management, environmental quality, pollution prevention, environmental restoration and environmental planning. PMRF will be recognized among the other 29 awardees in a formal ceremony June 2, at the United States Navy memorial in Washington, D.C.
PMRF has established itself as not only the largest, fully instrumented range in the world, but as a continuing example of cooperative and constructive conservation, forging alliances and developing ongoing working relationships through a multitude of environmental and cultural programs.
PMRF was also involved with the successful eradication of invasive species Long Thorn Kiawe through ‘08, preventing long-term recovery of the seed beds and stubborn root systems through periodic inspection and treatment. This innovative protocol has become the model for LTK eradication, and is recommended by the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee.
Currently a cooperative conservation project is in the planning stages, initiated last year, for a cultural/natural resources display at the PMRF Pass and ID area near the main gate. The combined effort in partnership with the Kaua’i Westside Watershed Council and the National Tropical Botanical Gardens involves the construction of a series of natural biomes that depict the habitats characteristic of the Mana plain on which Barking Sands represents the barrier dunes to a former wetlands. The displays will include narratives explaining the vegetation and features — with particular attention to the significance of these components to the Native Hawaiian culture prior to Westernization — food, shelter, construction, medicine and cultural practices.
Capt. Aaron Cudnohufsky, commanding officer of PMRF, emphasized his pride in PMRF and its employees in their continued effort towards the cultural stewardship the Navy commits to Kaua‘i.
“I am very proud of the PMRF team and the command being recognized with the Cultural Resource Management Installation award. It starts with a strong cultural resource and environmental team, but at PMRF it goes beyond that. There is a deep respect throughout the work force to include military, government civilians and contractors for the cultural resources here at PMRF. We introduce and address cultural sensitivities and traditions at command indoctrination and continue to reinforce them routinely. We reach out to the local community as well as to include them, to understand their concerns, to listen to their recommendations, and learn from them and their traditions. It is truly a team effort and we are blessed to be located at, and caretakers of, one of the most sensational places on earth with a very rich history,” said Cudnohufsky.
John Burger, PMRF’s complex sustainment support team environmental coordinator, said, “From the CO through the work force, PMRF as an organization is committed to protect both the physical aspects as well as the spirit of the ancient cultural history of Barking Sands. We are blessed with a location that is rich in both natural and cultural resources, and while the rules, regulations and instructions stipulate the ‘how to,’ it is the dedication of the individuals that work here that is our distinguishing virtue.”
PMRF embodied the symbiotic relationship between a high-tech military installation and a very supportive local community through extensive outreach programs and proactive environmental stewardship. The base would not succeed in its mission without the help of the residents of Kaua‘i and the understanding and respect PMRF has for the island and its people, the news release states.
Among the members of the PMRF workforce that willingly share their mana’o (thoughts) is transportation buyer Kunane Aipoalani. As a member of the Kaua‘i Burial Council and Na Papa O Mana, he belongs to the families that are recognized as caretakers of this region.
“As a descendent of Nohili and the surrounding area of Barking Sands, I’ve felt PMRF has always been a good neighbor in their established relationship of being sensitive and respectful to the ‘aina (land), its people, and the cultural history of this place. I appreciate the importance of this relationship which is vital to the preservation of a legacy that was left by our ancestors,” said Aipoalani.
“We rely on Kunane and others to guide our efforts so we are in line with traditions,” said Burger.
