Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Louis Lea | KEKAHA, Hawaii (Apr. 25 2025) Students visiting Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF),...... read more read more
PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY, Kekaha, Hawaii – Under canopies casting cool shade from the blazing Mānā sun, nearly 250 students and chaperones on a field trip to the Pacific Missile Range Facility, (PMRF), Barking Sands gathered on a grassy field to learn from PMRF Natural Resources personnel and partner organizations from across Kauai, about the environment, the various ways that environmental professionals are working to preserve the earth and how they themselves can play a part in a greener future.
After a welcoming oli given by the students of Ke Kula Ni'ihau O Kekaha, members of the PMRF team that worked to put the event together introduced themselves and taught the students about the many different roles PMRF has in protecting the precious ecosystem on the far west side of Kauai.
“One of the things we take very seriously here is while we are protecting our country we also want to protect the aina where we live,” said Commanding Officer Capt. Brett Stevenson to the students and chaperones. “While you visit the different displays and learn about the areas that we live in, I want you to think about all the different plants and animals that make this place beautiful and how important it is to ensure that they thrive.”
The students visiting PMRF this year were fourth graders from Kekaha, St. Theresa’s, Ke Kula Ni'ihau O Kekaha, ʻEleʻele and Kalaheo elementary schools.
Following crowd favorite, PMRF Meteorologist Tim Golden’s demonstration of cloud formation, the student’s and chaperones split up into groups for presentations from environmental professionals in more than 12 different areas of study such as electricity storage and production, endemic birds, composting, smart recycling and alternative fuel sources.
This year students didn’t just gain knowledge about the world around them, ways to move towards sustainability and memories with their classmates; they returned home with a four sectional potted seed starter and the knowledge of how to care for the seeds inside.
“We chose to have the students plant an adaptable and significant native plant, aʻaliʻi, which is common on PMRF, as well as an important food crop, papaya,” said PMRF Natural Resources Manager Brooke McFarland. “We wanted to give the students an appreciation of not only the plants native to Kauai, but also the work and care that goes into growing things, and how rewarding it can be to see those plants grow tall and strong. We’re hoping to help foster that wonder and joy for the next generation of botanists and home gardeners.”
Before loading onto buses to return to school the students stayed for lunch and enjoyed fresh fruit kindly donated by Aloun farms and cut down to size for tiny hands by PMRF volunteers.
The event was made a success by community partners: Applied Energy Services, Archipelago Research Conservation, DMK & Associates, DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources, DLNR’s Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Program, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Na Maka Onaona, Pacific Biodiesel, PMRF Natural Resources, PMRF Meteorology, University of Hawaii, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit at PMRF, USDA Wildlife Services – Bird Air Strike Hazard Program, Zero Waste Kauai, Aloun Farms, Barking Sands Fire and Emergency Services and Koa Lani.
PMRF Community Planning Liaison Officer, Kaulana Mossman while addressing everyone in attendance said,“Mahalo to everyone who came out to PMRF and volunteered their time to educate you all [the students] not just about the earth but about your home and how we can keep it green.”
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| Date Taken: | 04.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2025 18:47 |
| Story ID: | 496507 |
| Location: | KEKAHA, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Lā Honua: PMRF Hosts Annual Field Trip for West-Side Students, by PO1 Louis Lea, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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