Service Members, Volunteers Clean Up Ahua Reef

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (NNS) -- Service members, as well as volunteers from Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, celebrated National Public Lands Clean Up Day by volunteering their services at Ahua Reef along the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam shoreline, Sept. 29.

Some of the work completed included pulling or cutting non-native plants, outplanting of native plants and spreading mulch after outplanting has occurred.

"About 30 percent of coastal wetlands in Hawaii have been destroyed, and the ones that are left are very degraded, and there's not many native species that remain," said Tiffany Thair, botanist and environmental planner for SWCA. "So today we have some kids pulling pickle weed, which is a non-native invasive plant, and then planting some native Hawaiian species."

The volunteers learned about elements of Hawaii's environment, how to preserve and take care of Hawaii's wetlands and the animals that live there.

"One of the primary reasons we do this is because the Navy has a responsibility to be good stewards to the natural and cultural resources under our stewardship," said David Sullivan, the deputy regional environmental coordinator for Navy Region Hawaii. "Another important reason is to engage the military community and their children, to show them what we're doing as stewards of the environment. Hopefully, we'll inspire them to be good stewards as well."

To volunteer or initiate a cleanup, contact Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs Office at (808) 473-2926.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, Det. Hawaii, visit www.navy.mil/local/pacenhawaii/.