Photo By Senior Airman Mark Sulaica | A photo of the grounds at Bellows Air Force Station, Hawaii, Jan. 17, 2024. Bellows...... read more read more
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WAIMANALO, Hawaii – Bellows Air Force Station is home to a diverse ecosystem of plants and animals along a stunning stretch of shoreline. In an ongoing effort to preserve this beach, Bellows AFS is undergoing a cleanup of military munitions.
A limited closure is currently in place from March 1, 2024 to April 30, 2024 as part of a restoration project aimed at ensuring a safe and accessible area for staff and guests. Part of that effort is implementing Military Munitions Response Program strategies to protect and preserve Bellows’ ecosystem for future generations.
Andrea Gatch, former Bellows AFS Environmental Scientist and the current lead on the conservation project at Bellows, shared her expertise on the matter about the MMRP.
“There are currently multiple projects taking place at Bellows AFS to support the conservation of the land. The MMRP is cleaning up the decaying munitions left behind from a pre-war bombing range that operated on Bellows AFS.”
Bellows AFS has more than just the MMR Program to restore the land, including a cooperative agreement with the University of Alaska Anchorage working to restore native vegetation along the coastline, rebuilding the dunes to prevent beach erosion and renovating the wetlands at Bellows.
“We have partnered with Sustainable Coastlines, the Marine Corps and Hawaii National Guard,” said Gatch. “Other organizations occasionally do outreach projects with the local community for clean-ups and restoration projects.”
Bellows AFS offers many different opportunities for community members to help clean up the beach and clear invasive plant species throughout the year, but the recent restoration closure was implemented as a larger effort to ensure guests and wildlife alike were able to interact with the environment safely.
Maj. Dalin Chhen, Bellows AFS commander, shared a few of his thoughts on the conservation effort and the people working to restore the grounds.
“I’m glad we are after these types of clean-up projects and making the environment safer for staff and guests,” said Chhen. “Collectively, the military MMR team and Bellows staff have been dedicated to this project and we look forward to getting back to normal operations.”
According to Gatch, the restoration efforts so far have helped protect threatened and endangered species like Ae‘o (Hawaiian Stilt), ‘Alae ‘Ula (Hawaiian Moorhen), ‘Alae Ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian Coot), Kōloa Maoli (Hawaiian Duck), ‘Ōpe‘ape‘a (Hoary Bat) and migratory Kōlea (Pacific Golden-Plover).
Looking towards the future, Chhen shared that Bellows AFS is committed to continuing their conservation efforts to ensure that Bellows Beach remains a pristine and protected area for years to come.
“We hope to continue fostering relations with the community and building on our current environment program,” said Chhen. “At the same time we want to focus on taking care of the environment and being good stewards of the land and cherish this āina (land) together.”
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2024 21:30 |
| Story ID: | 469825 |
| Location: | WAIMANALO, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Bellows Air Force Station continues conservation effort, by SrA Mark Sulaica, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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