Photo By Chelsey Suarez-Pierce | The Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz's natural resources team and contractors with Pacific...... read more read more
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Out planting efforts officially began at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz’s Live Fire Training Range Complex (LFTRC) to enhance habitat for the Mariana Eight-Spot Butterfly, June 13, 2025.
This milestone follows over a decade of planning, coordination, and construction. Blaz’s natural resources team, alongside contractors, planted the first batch of 250 Procris pedunculata host plants behind four of the five range berms. In the near future, all of the ranges’ earthen berms will be out planted with the host plants.
The endangered butterfly lays its eggs on only two known plant species, Procris pedunculata and Elatostema calcareum, also called Tupun Ayuyu. As part of Camp Blaz’s natural resource commitments, the natural resources team continues to create protected and continuous habitat for the endangered Mariana eight-spot butterfly. The habitat creation efforts support the butterfly’s life cycle, providing a place for the butterfly to lay their eggs and host plants for the caterpillar to subsist.
The recent out planting at the LFTRC extends the protected, host-plant habitat corridor. In 2023, more than 2,500 host plants grown in the Camp Blaz nursery were out planted in the Caiguat forest enhancement area. Now, roughly 62 plants will be out planted behind each range berm.
Behind each of the five LFTRC ranges are earthen berms populated with limestone boulders formed at their base. The spaces between the limestone are ideal locations for host plant out planting to create additional habitat corridors for butterfly movement to other known habitats; most notably, areas of Ritidian and Tarague.
The spread of invasive species, such as ungulates and brown tree snakes, had significantly reduced both the habitable area and health of native butterfly host plants. This has led to habitat degradation and loss of food sources for the species. However, with an active invasive species mitigation plan and strategic use of range berms for conservation, Camp Blaz continues to support biodiversity while maintaining its operational readiness.
The project exemplifies the Marine Corps’ commitment to balancing mission-critical operations with environmental stewardship. Efforts by NAVFAC Natural Resource specialists, environmental contractors, and Range Control team members will provide the endangered species the ability to travel through a variety of sites in the expansive habitat of limestone forest in Guam’s northern plateau.
MCB Camp Blaz’s natural resource team is part of Naval Facilities Command, Marianas.
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.18.2025 02:01 |
| Story ID: | 500926 |
| Location: | DEDEDO, GU |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Mariana eight-spot butterfly host plants at the range, by Chelsey Suarez-Pierce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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