Dune Conservation Program helps protect mission

  • Published
  • By J. Mark Ingoglia
  • AFCEC Pacific Division
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  More than 500,000 Airmen and guests are drawn to the beautiful beaches of Bellows Air Force Station, Hawaii, each year. Unfortunately, due to several environmental factors, the fine white sandy beaches are receding and in danger of disappearing.

Northern sections of the beach have already been lost and a U.S. Geological Survey study reports losses of up to a foot per year for other parts of the installation's shoreline.

In response, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center is working with the base, University of Hawai`i, National Public Lands Day, The Nature Conservancy Native Hawaiian Organizations and the surrounding Waimanalo community to rebuild the dunes and help save the remaining beach.

Simple, low-cost options are already working. One strategy is to remove the invasive Australian Casurina, or ironwood trees, which dominate the dunes and replace them with dune-building, native Hawaiian ground covers, shrubs and trees. Native plants thrive along the coast, slowly capture the sand, and continue to rise up through the sand as the dunes grow with them. This dune building process slowly accumulates a "bank account" of sand as prevailing onshore wind pushes sand up the beach.

Healthy dunes provide many benefits. For example, when winter storms cause erosion and take a "sand bank withdrawal," the dunes help buffer the waves, keeping the sand on the shoreline. Rebuilding the dunes also protects culturally sensitive ancient Hawaiian burial sites, provide habitat for native wildlife and allow visitors to see authentic Hawaiian flowering native plants.

"By removing the ironwood trees and restoring the native groundcovers, we are working with nature to protect the beach for future generations," said William Grannis, AFCEC Pacific conservation program manager. Through a modest National Public Lands Day grant authored by Grannis, two restoration sites were planted and are already rebuilding dunes.

"I was skeptical when we began this program," said Nhut Dao, Bellows AFS base civil engineer, "but seeing the kids have fun weeding and planting, and watching the dunes begin to build again, I'm a believer."

A team of four University of Hawaii environmental studies students helped implement the grant by leading a restoration event and writing a dune management plan. Future UH ES students will continue working on the effort.

Efforts like the dune restoration program are also strengthening relationships between the installation and the local Hawaiin community, said Craig Gorsuch, Bellows environmental program manager.

"With community leaders and their keiki (children) participating with planting and weeding to restore the dunes, we build trust and mutual respect for the land, and show first-hand how the Air Force is caring for the lands for which it has been entrusted," Gorsuch said. "This helps ensure our recreational and training missions are supported by the local community."

Working with base and community groups, Bellows has begun to return its dunes and beaches to their former natural function.

"Ultimately, the Air Force benefits: the beach remains available to our warriors for recreation, and inland, they can continue their training mission with support from the local community," said Bellows AFS Commander Maj. Tony Cambron.