The Grey Papers are a compilation of information from the Environmental Impact Statement and various federal and local agencies regarding the impact of the proposed buildup on Guam’s jungle and wildlife.
The activist group said Gov. Eddie B. Calvo’s signing of the Programmatic Agreement cleared the way for DOD to begin work on the 160-plus projects related to the proposed buildup.
Some of the effects of DOD’s proposed projects, identified in the EIS, include the destruction of over 2,000 acres of jungle, which includes 1,580 acres of limestone forest; the destruction of over 1,300 acres of recovery habitat for the endangered fanihi, Mariana crow and Micronesian kingfisher; and the destruction of up to 10 percent of the total amount of forest cover on Guam, according to the paper.
The Department of Agriculture has stated the proposed reduction of up to 10 percent of the total forest cover on Guam “is a significant impact that affects the viability of Guam’s forests, including reductions in the benefits of forests such as groundwater infiltration, potential habitat, biodiversity and water quality.”
“The total area of jungle DOD plans on destroying is larger than the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite and Hagåtña combined,” said We Are Guåhan member Cara Flores-Mays.
“The destruction of 10 percent of the forest cover on Guam is probably why Undersecretary Robert Work only talked about efficient energy when explaining DOD’s commitment to a ‘Green Guam.’”
One example of DOD’s proposed mitigation for the destruction of over 1,300 acres of recovery habitat for the endangered fanihi, Mariana crow and Micronesian kingfisher, is to have a biologist visit construction sites one week before a project begins, according to the paper.
If the biologist sees one of these endangered species, DOD will postpone destroying the jungle in that area until the bat or bird has left.
“Some DOD officials may be hurt by us raising these issues,” said Flores-Mays, “but the destruction of thousands of acres of jungle — as well as the impacts on our hospital, our schools and our homes — are important issues to our community. The people who call Guam home deserve honest answers to these questions, not rehearsed talking points.”
