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Pacific News Center
"We Are Guahan" (in its 6th Grey Paper) says their conclusions are based on a "compilation of information from the Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) and various federal and local agencies regarding the impacts of the proposed buildup on Guam’s jungle and wildlife."
"We Are Guahan" lists the following impacts:
* 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.
* DoD’s (U.S. Department of Defence) proposed projects will destroy up to 10% of the total amount of forest cover on Guam. The release quotes "We Are Guahan" member Cara Flores-Mays as saying:
“The total area of jungle that DoD plans on destroying is larger than the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite and Hagåtña combined. The destruction of 10% of the forest cover on Guam is probably why Under Secretary Robert Work only talked about efficient energy when explaining DoD’s commitment to a ‘Green Guam.’”
The "We Are Guahan" reads as follows:
We Are Guåhan: DoD plans on destroying over 2,000 acres of jungle.
We Are Guåhan has released its sixth installment of the Grey Papers, which is a compilation of information from the Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) and various federal and local agencies regarding the impacts of the proposed buildup on Guam’s jungle and wildlife. Governor Calvo’s signing of the Programmatic Agreement (“PA”) cleared the way for DoD to begin work on the 160+ projects related to the proposed buildup.
Some of the impacts 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.
· DoD’s proposed projects will destroy up to 10% of the total amount of forest cover on Guam.
“The total area of jungle that DoD plans on destroying is larger than the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite and Hagåtña combined,” says We Are Guåhan member Cara Flores-Mays. “The destruction of 10% of the forest cover on Guam is probably why Under Secretary 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, Mariana crow and Micronesian kingfisher is to have a biologist go to construction sites one (1) week before a project begins. 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,” continued 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.”
