WAIMANO VALLEY, ISLAND OF OAHU, Hawaii -- WAIMANAO VALLEY--A thick jungle canopy covers the fertile forest floor where thousands of species of beautiful and exotic plants take root. The all-around view is breathtaking. This colorful landscape is located throughout the Waimano Trail in Waimano Valley. Although the seven-and-a-half mile-long trail scenery is remarkable, it can still get out of hand.The ground itself has become somewhat overgrown with vegetation over the last few months due to the rainy season.Marines from Headquarters and Service Co., 1st Bn., 3rd Marine Regiment, aboard MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, set out Feb. 3 to assist the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife in clearing the vegetation that has accrued on the trail. The Marines volunteered for the project to give back to the community and help preserve the trail. The Marines voluntarily contributed a total of eight hours and managed to clear vegetation from two and a half miles of trail with the help of nine Marines.The Marines began the project at 7:30 a.m. and worked until 4 p.m. After they arrived at the Waimano Trail, they broke up into groups and used weedeaters and machetes to clear the path. "I was really impressed with the amount of effort the Marines put into clearing the trail," said Ryan Peralta, a Na Ala Hele trails technician for the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife. "I thought the Marines would only be able to clear a mile or so of the trail in the amount of time they were there, but they managed to clean up more than two miles. I was really impressed." "We just wanted to give back to the community," said 1st Lt. Robert Lafferty, a scout sniper platoon commander for Headquarters and Service Co., 1/3. "It was also a good chance for the Marines to go out and see some of the trails and the great scenery on them."