Photo By Cpl. Samantha Sanchez | June Noelani Cleghorn, senior cultural resources manager, Environmental Compliance and...... read more read more
Subscribe
As the primary resident on the unique and culturally significant Mokapu peninsula, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) takes its stewardship responsibilities of cultural resources seriously. As part of that responsibility, MCBH employs a passionate team of military and civilian personnel to aid in protection and preservation of Mokapu’s cultural resources.
The Environmental Compliance and Protection Division (ECPD) carries out the functions of compliance, pollution prevention, conservation, installation restoration, training and education, and outreach at MCBH. Oahu-born Native Hawaiian, June Noelani Cleghorn, Senior Cultural Resources Manager, ECPD, MCBH, is integral for ensuring the compliance and military readiness of the base remains at the forefront of our mission with the continual protection and conservation of such resources.
While attending college on the mainland, common among Hawaii-raised high school graduates, Cleghorn had a difficult time determining a career path that she felt passionate about. She had left the islands, only to realize her passion and potential calling was home all along – Hawaii. “Coming back, I realized I liked working in Hawaii’s physical environment,” Cleghorn remembered. “When I was a teenager, I worked the summers at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, they had a Youth Conservation Corps program and I loved it.” Back in Hawaii, she enrolled at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where she enjoyed learning about Hawaiian culture and prehistory through her archaeology courses there. “I have a link to these resources,” Cleghorn explained. “Being part Hawaiian, I know that what I’m doing is helping Native Hawaiians as a whole, documenting and preserving the physical remnants of our ancestors.”
After earning her Bachelor’s degree in 1982 in Anthropology, with Archaeology as her focus, from UH-Manoa, one of her first jobs was with the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Hawaii State’s designated Museum of Natural and Cultural History, where she was hired as a field archaeologist assisting with recovery of significant archaeological resources on the Kuakini Highway project in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Island. This solidified her interest in archaeology leading her to pursue a Master’s degree in Anthropology and eventually securing a position at MCBH in 1996. “One of my colleagues called me and said Marine Corps Base Hawaii is looking to hire its first full-time cultural resources manager, you know, archaeologists,” she remembers.
Cleghorn’s essential role is to support the Marines and Sailors at Marine Corps Base Hawaii by managing cultural resources. Specifically, the ECPD Cultural Resources Management (CRM) program, now consisting of three (3) full time cultural resource managers and one contract archaeologist, ensures compliance with federal laws in order to protect Hawaiian culture and heritage, which allows for required military training and operations.
“Our first priority is to support the mission of the Marines and Sailors that work and live on MCBH,” Cleghorn stated. “Most recently, the Marine Corps changed its forces in Hawaii and the Pacific resulting in the loss of some of our aircraft squadrons and creating a need to accommodate new ones.”
The new aircraft squadrons require MCBH’s current facilities to either be upgraded or demolished. The ECPD CRM team ensures such actions can be accomplished in compliance with federal laws that require consulting with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO), and other consulting parties in developing plans that seek to avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts to MCBH’s cultural resources.
“The Marine Corps and the Department of Defense, recognizes that cultural resources play a role in the story of the heritage of the United States,” Cleghorn said. “We are maintaining and trying to protect as best we can, the cultural resources that are on our installations in Hawaii, and we do it for our own Native Hawaiian community, families, and organizations as well as for the entire nation.”
Cleghorn's passion for Hawaiian heritage and the environment has led her to fulfill a significant role at Marine Corps Base Hawaii's Environmental Compliance and Protection Division. As a steward of these resources, Cleghorn takes her responsibilities seriously and recognizes the significance of preserving Hawaiian heritage not just for the base but for the entire country and all future generations. Cleghorn's dedication and commitment to her job and community serve as an inspiration to us all to make every person, place, or condition better than we found it.
“We don't ‘own’ these resources, but we are stewards of them,” she explained. “We take our stewardship responsibilities very seriously because the heritage is not just of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, but really of the whole country. It tells the story.”
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2023 21:29 |
| Story ID: | 443548 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 166 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Make Every Person, Place or Condition Better Than You Found It, Always: June Cleghorn, by Cpl Samantha Sanchez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT