Residents have until July 15 to submit comments, ask questions or express concerns regarding a harmful military project that is proposed to span 57 acres of land in Northern Guam for yet another military base on our 212 square mile island.
Project J-017 spans 57 acres, and proposes to construct area distribution nodes and telecom cabling on base, construction for this project is expected to be done in the area where remnants of the ancient village of Magua' were cleared by the military in 2018 without the knowledge of the community and under the nose of the Guam Preservation Trust.
Site work for the latest Project J-017 includes extensive land work, such as grading, digging, trenching, drilling, paving along with site improvements such as creating parking, drainage, utility systems and installation of communication lines, which required the clearing of three historic sites with pieces of our ancient history that were eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
These sites were all eligible for the NRHP under criterion D. Under this criterion, sites "show, or may be likely to yield information important to history or prehistory." yet, despite the significance of this site to our history, it was cleared to construct their marine base.
The first site that was cleared was the size of 12.3 football fields. It was comprised of two earth oven complexes, three quarries, three lusong (one with associated latte stones), two middens, and 13 latte stone features (either tåsa, haligi or both), one with an associated midden. All of these parts of our history generally date to the Latte Period (approximately A.D. 900 through 1700). Five fragments of human remains were recovered as they cleared this historically significant site.
The second site cleared for this project had a brick oven and a scatter of related artifacts. Artifacts found also suggest it was a Post-World War II Seabee encampment. The third site cleared was a small Latte Period artifact scatter. Human bone fragments were recovered from an earth oven on the site, suggesting it was deposited during the latte period, approximately A.D. 900 through 1700.
The PA Memo process the DOD uses to gather community input is lacking and ultimately leaves us with more questions than answers. More often than not, these memos, which outline buildup projects and impacts to our cultural and environmental resources, are misleading, as well as lack complete information and detailed mitigation plans.
This leaves us guessing the whereabouts of our historical artifacts, remains of our ancient ones and remnants of our ancient past. If data recovery requires that sites be cleared, where are they putting our artifacts DOD does not deem significant. Are they discarded? who is surveying these sites independent of DOD? Shouldn't the comment period come before our ancient sites are destroyed?
Losing three cultural sites eligible for the NHRP is a grave loss for Guåhan. Mitigation through data recovery is not an appropriate measure considering we are losing sites that are irreplaceable and culturally invaluable.
Please let your voices be heard during this comment period.
We are calling on all who fiercely love and protect our home to submit comments against this harmful project. We do not need another military base on our small island and we must protect the lifeline that is our culture and heritage.
RESIDENTS HAVE UNTIL JULY 15 TO SUBMIT COMMENTS. EMAIL COMMENTS TO CRIWEBCOMMENT@NAVY.MIL.
IF SUBMITTING VIA POSTAL MAIL, SEND TO:
ATTN: CRI WEB COMMENTS
CODE EV23, NAVFAC PACIFIC
258 MAKALAPA DRIVE, SUITE 100
JBPHH, HAWAII 96860-3134
To read the PA memo for this project, visit http://go.usa.gov/kZWG
Kon Respetu,
Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian