PMRF Earth Day focused on stewardship, education and community engagement

“Earth Day to me and everyone on our team is every single day,” Tara del Fierro Duran told the children gathered by the beach at Waiokapua Bay for Earth Day events held April 28 at Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands.

“Today we’re celebrating our journey here with our environment, with the land, and in journeys with each other in the communities we are with, and with many schools here,” said del Fierro Duran, an archaeologist and the cultural resources manager at PMRF.

“We’re all part of Kaua‘i, so mahalo for being here. We’re here to learn about a lot of things and visit the partner organizations who are also here today,” she noted.

More than 125 children from three area schools took part in the Earth Day events at Barking Sands. The day featured a competitive beach cleanup that saw approximately 385 pounds of debris and trash removed from the coastline. PMRF personnel held demonstrations on meteorology, and protecting and conserving native plants and animals.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to have you out here at PMRF at this beautiful beach,” PMRF Commanding Officer Capt. Brett Stevenson said as he welcomed the children to the event. “We love our island home here and we want to make it as beautiful and as safe as we can. I’m so thrilled that all of you were able to come here today to help us out with that.”

As part of the featured activities, Kawehi Harris, a biological science technician with U.S. Department of Agriculture for PMRF, Barking Sands, demonstrated how she uses Sweep, a bird hazing dog, to safely remove birds from hazardous areas of the installation; PMRF Meteorologist Tim Golden conducted a science experiment for the crowd of children, showing them how he can make a cloud.

The topics of the day’s events centered on a shared desire to care for the land and invest in our planet, according to PMRF Environmental Director Jessi Behnke.

“This was a wonderful event and I am so grateful for the schools, PMRF personnel and sailors who are a part of helping our beautiful Earth,” Behnke said.

Participating partners included Save Our Shearwaters, Kauai Invasive Species Committee, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, UH Sea Grant, Zero Waste Kauai, USDA Wildlife Services, and The Nature Conservancy.

Located on southwestern Kaua‘i, PMRF protects and conserves native Hawaiian plants and wildlife across the installation landscape.

PMRF is the world’s largest instrumented multi-domain range capable of supporting surface, subsurface, air and space operations simultaneously.