John I Borja

Pacific Daily News

Dozens of protesters held signs outside the governor’s office for more than two hours Tuesday to remind the governor they are not happy with a new military firing range complex. The military last week announced a $78 million contract had been awarded to build it.

“Our homes. Our history. Not your target practice." "Ritidian: Death by firing range." "We demand our land back." Those were the messages protesters displayed on signs as they stood in solidarity at the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor’s Complex at Adelup.

Since January, Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian has been building momentum in its goal to put a stop to the live-fire training range complex, which would be used by incoming Marines as part of Guam’s military buildup. The group’s efforts are a fragment of more than a decade of opposition toward development projects to house 5,000 Marines coming from Okinawa.

The firing range complex will be built on 700 acres of federal property, at Northwest Field on Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo. The surface danger zone of one of the firing ranges — for machine guns — is within proximity of Ritidian, which the group is fighting to protect. The danger zone will restrict access to Ritidian while that range is in use.

Tuesday was Gov. Eddie Calvo's birthday. While supporters were not sure if Calvo was in his office at the time, they still wanted to get their message across. After gathering at Adelup, supporters of the cause marched into the governor's complex, shouting "Prutehi Litekyan! Save Ritidian!" in the otherwise quiet halls.

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Clarissa Torres, 30, from the village of Barrigada, joined the protesters by praying and meditating. She is a part of Guma Yo'Åmte - Håya Foundation, which works to revitalize traditional healing.

"If you lose a part of your culture, whether it's land or speech, there's a disconnect from the place that you're from," Torres said. The firing ranges could affect the Håya Foundation's efforts to maintain Guam's ancient culture of healing, as it could take away the plant medicine healers use, Torres said.

College and high school students also took part in the protest as part of their classes. Tiffany Demesa, 20, from Agat, heard about the protest in her social work classes at the University of Guam. She and some of her classmates took part in the demonstration.

Students from John F. Kennedy High School were present as part of their marine biology class. Liana Okuhira, a junior attending the Tamuning school, said she enjoys going to the beach at Ritidian and she'd hate for things to be different there.

Prutehi Litekyan wants the land to remain untouched to respect the authenticity of cultural and historical artifacts found throughout the area. The group also argues the firing range complex will disrupt the habitat of some of Guam's native species.

According to the final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Marine relocation projects, the ranges could be used up to 39 weeks a year, though the military doesn’t anticipate each range to be used that many times. Training would be conducted mainly on the weekdays. During training, there will be limited access to Ritidian.

“Access restrictions are not anticipated until sometime in 2023,” stated Maj. Timothy Patrick, public affairs officer for Marine Corps Activity Guam, in a news release issued Tuesday.

Military ensures protection

While Prutehi Litekyan's opposition continues, Guam Navy and Marine officials remain firm in their stance that conservation, recovery and mitigation efforts planned for the firing ranges will be beneficial.

In a news release, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas reiterated that carefully considered steps will be taken to minimize harmful impact to the environment surrounding the firing ranges. This includes the handling of cultural artifacts.

“This deliberate focus on protection and restoration is consistent with our commitment to the One Guam and Green Guam pillars set forth by the Secretary of the Navy in the Marine Corps relocation to Guam,” according to Capt. Stephanie Jones, commanding officer of NAVFAC.

The construction projects can’t happen without restoration plans in place, according to NAVFAC. The Navy intends to restore up to 1,000 acres of land as compensation for the new development. This is meant to accommodate and recover habitats for Guam’s endangered species, including the Mariana fruit bat and kingfisher.

Guam’s primary source of drinking water comes from the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer, which is near the development site. Prutehi Litekyan supporters argue that bullets coming from the firing ranges could contaminate the lens. NAVFAC stated that monitoring wells will be constructed within the firing range complex to help protect the water aquifers.

Prutehi Litekyan also stated concerns about the fate of Guam’s only adult Serianthes nelsonii tree, locally known as hayun lågu. The group has stated that, even if the military establishes a buffer zone around the tree for protection, the clearing of surrounding forests will leave it exposed and susceptible to damage.

The Navy is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Guam to plant the tree’s seedlings in the hopes of having more adult trees on the island.

“Taken as a whole, the implementation of natural resource conservation measures and other restoration offsets that are part of the Marine Corps relocation would have a net-positive benefit to all protected species habitats affected by development,” said Al Borja, environmental director of Marine Corps Activity Guam Public Works Department.

READ MORE:

Guam buildup project for Marine Corps base construction awarded

Live-fire training range complex contract awarded to Black Construction

Local, off-island families oppose Marine firing range impact on Ritidian