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The Department of Defense (DoD) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program announced the award of approximately $11.1 million that will directly benefit three separate and ongoing natural resources conservation programs in Guam.
Through collaborative efforts between Joint Region Marianas (JRM) and local and federal government partners, the REPI program has added $8 million to an ongoing cooperative agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to conserve government of Guam (GovGuam) forests in Taguan in Mangilao and Masso Watershed in Piti.
Additionally, the 2023 REPI Challenge program has awarded JRM and its partners the Guam Department of Agriculture(GDoAg) and White Buffalo Inc. (WBI) $1.9 million for native plant nursery upgrades for island-wide habitat enhancement, and $1.2 million for a landscape scale feral pig control program in Northern Guam.
“This is a fantastic example of the success that’s possible when we commit to working together for the good of our community,” said JRM Commander Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson. “I am extremely pleased to see this multi-agency collaboration under the REPI program and I commend our teams collectively for realizing yet another significant milestone.”
Balancing military mission while addressing natural resources conservation requirements on a landscape scale has been the priority for the JRM REPI team working alongside GovGuam in supporting resource management needs.
This $8 million agreement will support objectives in the Five-Year Guam Implementation Plan to bolster conservation efforts of the agriculture department and the recovery priorities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
“In fulfilling promises made by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio, the Department of Agriculture seized this opportunity for a collaborative partnership to maximize conservation and management efforts of Guam's natural resources,” said GDoAg Director Chelsa Muña-Brecht. “Our community will see tremendous prioritization and growth in our public conservation areas through this REPI partnership,” she added.
“We are grateful to the agriculture department and Ms. Chelsa Muña-Brecht for her vision leading to selection of priority areas of Taguan and Masso. The input and guidance was also crucial to the nursery upgrade and feral pig control projects,” said Camp Blaz Forest Enhancement Program Manager and REPI Technical Lead Adrienne Loerzel of Naval Facilities Engineering and Systems Command (NAVFAC) Marianas.
“Together with our partners, GovGuam and USFWS, we will continue to strive even harder to achieve our milestones of growing our capacity to identify local solutions for the recovery of endangered species and fractured habitats.”
Through a memorandum of understanding, JRM and the USFWS have worked together to ensure that increased DoD investments in GovGuam lands will translate to long-term benefits to listed species and their habitats vital to recovery. USFWS played a key role throughout the development of the Five-Year Guam Implementation Plan.
The NFWF is the nonprofit foundation that manages JRM awarded REPI funds towards the five-year plan and works with all partners to oversee conservation projects within GovGuam’s priority conservation areas.
"The funding provided by JRM will enable the conservation community to improve the resilience of the limestone forest ecosystems," said Jeff Trandahl, NFWF executive director and chief execution officer. "NFWF looks forward to working with JRM, GovGuam, FWS, and other implementing partners to address the conservation priorities of the Guam Habitat Conservation Initiative."
“We look forward to taking these big steps with GovGuam and our REPI partners to mobilize our projects. Given the long-term nature of natural resources conservation, we do have to celebrate even the incremental wins as we push for significant conservation benefits,” Loerzel said. “Getting GovGuam projects mobilized in priority conservation areas are just the beginning. Our long-term hope is that success from these investments further inspires a deeper sense of ownership throughout the community to preserve our island’s natural beauty and restore our biodiversity.”
The REPI program pays local governments and private landowners across the United States to increase or enhance natural habitats without requiring the transfer of ownership. The strong forward progress by existing Guam REPI partnerships will translate to more funding opportunities in the future.
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For more information please contact the JRM Public Affairs Office at
cjrmpao@fe.navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2023 00:02 |
| Story ID: | 440618 |
| Location: | GU |
| Web Views: | 187 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Joint Region Marianas, Local and Federal Agencies Collaborate; Bolster Conservation Programs in Guam, by Catherine Cruz-Norton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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