Photo By Lance Cpl. Mark Dvoskin | This graphic illustration poster showcases the Mariana eight-spot butterfly and was...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BLAZ, GUAM – Beyond pulling targets in the pits and completing your annual weapons qualification – have you ever considered other ways that range land could be utilized? On Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, range and environmental staff are working together to sustain forested lands and support important native plants and animals in designated areas.
Currently, the two teams are engaged in efforts to reincorporate the endangered Mariana eight-spot butterfly by: growing host plants in designated forest enhancement sites, out planting hosts plants on limestone berms within active ranges, and maintaining the created habitat established at the Mason Range.
“This inclusion came as a conservation requirement under the Marine Corps build up biological opinion," said Jennifer Abrincia, natural resource specialist with Camp Blaz Environmental Division. “This enhances the habitat corridor and connectivity of existing locations of the Mariana eight- spot butterfly host plants in Northern Guam.”
Three quarters of Mason Range land is reserved for forest preservation conservation. The Mariana eight- spot butterfly, endemic to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, depends solely on the host plants: Procris peduculata and Elatostema calcareum, which have been out planted in forest enhancement sites within Camp Blaz and will, in the near term, be out planted in its ranges.
“In the Caiguat Forest Enhancement Sites, two thousand host plants have been out planted by a collaboration with the environmental team at Camp Blaz and the Guam Department of Agriculture,” said Abrincia.
The host plants will serve to sustain a habitat where the Mariana eight-spot butterfly will be able to repopulate, find nutrition, and thrive. The success in the forest enhancements sites measured by invasive species control, host plant growth, and various signs of butterfly lifecycles, has provided the environmental team with signs of progress. The positive trend in butterfly colonization supports the proposed effectiveness for the upcoming out planting on the active range.
Behind the berms at Mason Range exist limestone barriers that have been prepared for Mariana eight- spot butterfly host plants. Within the five range areas, eradicated ungulates and designated out planting sites will ensure a functioning ecological habitat once the project reaches completion.
“All five ranges have a location to plant the host plants, range one and two are the biggest berms, so they have the most space to plant,” said Phillip Villarreal, range control officer for Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.
These protected habitats will serve as additional routes for butterfly movement and repopulation within the northern part of the island. Having the ability to connect protected forested areas, and land utilized for mission readiness within MCB Camp Blaz, demonstrates how the two teams working together can achieve compatible success.
“Host plants [will be] out planted in the firing range berms to create connectivity between existing host plant sites in northern Guam,” said Abrincia.
When the project reaches completion, a series of maintenance efforts will need to be conducted with range and environmental teams to ensure safe and efficient operations for both parties. Practices such as schedule coordination, contractor deployment, and invasive species removal will all be taken into account. Additionally, the Mariana eight-spot butterfly, and host plant safety, will be a top priority during range operations from both human interference and range debris.
“It's highly improbable for any of those rounds to get to the butterflies or the plants in the back of [the berm], those berms are solid limestone,” said Villarreal.
While invasive ungulates no longer forage through Mason Range, maintenance in the form of potential weed or vine removal will be important to ensure the host plants are not competing for limited resources.
“Removal of weeds and other invasive species in the forest enhancement site is conducted to prevent competition with the host plant,” said Abrincia.
Across the nation, it is common for range control and environmental conservation to work hand-in-hand as military ranges are typically surrounded by buffer areas of wilderness, Mason Range on Camp Blaz demonstrates a harmonious working relationship that meets mission requirements for the Marine Corps while also keeping the promise of protecting Guam's natural resources.
“We have a really good working relationship with the environmental team,” said Villarreal. “We talk often about what's going on with eradication in different areas, as well as how we are supporting environmental for seed collection and other aspects.”
The range and environmental teams have been working in unison for the last decade to implement a sustainable habitat for the Mariana eight-spot butterfly.
This unique relationship, merging sustainability and mission readiness, demonstrates the Marine Corps’ commitment to environmental and cultural stewardship. For additional information and resources on this project and beyond, visit the MCB Camp Blaz website: https://www.mcbblaz.marines.mil/Environmental-Program/ .
| Date Taken: | 03.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2025 19:46 |
| Story ID: | 492554 |
| Location: | GU |
| Web Views: | 120 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Camp Blaz Environmental and Range staff work together to protect endemic butterfly, by LCpl Afton Smiley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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