MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, HAWAII -- Deep, rumbling diesels broke the morning reverie of the Nuupia Ponds at MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Jan. 28, as 26-ton amphibious assault vehicles - bristling with weapons and belching exhaust - thundered into the wetlands.
The AAVs, the Marine Corps' signature assault vehicles, weren't on a mission of destruction or combat support in the ponds, but operating with orders to aid a six-inch tall, endangered bird.
Since 1982, Combat Support Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, has been holding annual "mud ops" in Nuupia Ponds to aid the nesting and foraging habits of the Hawaiian stilt, or Aeo.
"Over 20 years ago, it was discovered that as amphibious, tracked vehicles made their way through the mud of the wetlands, the Hawaiian stilt would follow using the furrows left in the mud to nest," said Dr. Diane Drigot, natural resources management specialist for MCB Hawaii.
The Marines quickly altered the path they took to the sea in order to protect the stilt. A plan was hatched to increase the bird's dwindling population while giving amphibious vehicle drivers new training opportunities.
Now, once every year, the 3rd Marine Regiment's AAV platoon hits the mud for some environmentally friendly field operations.
"We get to go out and give our drivers "stick time" on unfamiliar terrain that we normally don't have an opportunity to train on," said Staff Sgt. David Hickman, amphibious assault vehicle section leader, CSC. "At the same time, it lets us protect the environment and clean up Nuupia Ponds."
"It's really a symbiotic relationship between the AAVs during the mud ops and the Hawaiian stilt," explained Drigot. "The tread marks fill in with water in such a way that the stilts' nests are protected by a little moat that increases the hatchling survival rate."
The AAV crews aren't just creating nesting opportunities for the birds, however. The churning of the huge, steel tracks during the Ops also rids the ponds of both an invasive weed and a species of tree, neither of which is native to Hawaii.
"The pickleweed thrives in wetland conditions, but it completely covers the mudflat that the stilts and other species need access to in order to forage and breed," said Drigot. "The red mangrove tree, common to Brazil, chokes out the wetlands as well. The AAVs take care of them both."
The number of Hawaiian stilts counted at the Nuupia Ponds Wildlife Management Area has grown from around 60 in the early 80s to more than 160 today, said Drigot.
"Mud Ops is one of the most successful military environmental programs in the Department of Defense," she added.
Lance Cpl. Owen Kintzley, AAV crew chief, CSC, agreed that it was a unique opportunity to train and help make a difference.
"These ponds are the only place like it on Hawaii for this kind of training," he said. "Getting to do the Mud Ops here will help us be prepared for this kind of terrain in combat. It's a once-a-year chance."
The Mud Ops have become an annual tradition at MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, and the Hawaiian stilt population should continue to grow with the help of a few Marines and their AAVs.