MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — The Cultural Resources Management Program of the Environmental Compliance and Protection Department at Marine Corps Base Hawaii was recently named the Marine Corps recipient of the 2014 Secretary of the Navy Environmental Award for cultural resources management in the small installation category. The cultural resources management team will also be eligible to compete for the 2015 Secretary of Defense Environmental Award.
Each year, through the SECNAV Environmental Awards Program, Navy and Marine Corps installations, ships and individuals are eligible for an award recognizing their environmental work. All categories alternate years in which they are presented.
The small installation cultural resources management award category is presented every even fiscal year. The CRM program, consisting of June Cleghorn, the senior cultural resources manager; and Coral Rasmussen, an archeologist, is responsible for a number of cultural, historical and archeological landmarks not only at Kaneohe Bay, but various properties islandwide, to include one on the island of Molokai.
“The (CRM) program within the Environmental Compliance and Protection Department manages cultural resources to support the military mission, while preserving, protecting and enhancing these resources,” the award narrative reads.
“This is a tribute to Coral and June’s hard work over the last year, and beyond,” said Maj. William Rowley, the director of the Environmental Department. “It is reflective of the incredible team we have in our Environmental Department.”
Cleghorn said she was surprised to receive the award. “What I realized after hearing that we had won the award was that what we think of as ‘ho-hum’ or ‘all in a day’s work’ is actually what is exceptional and important for showcasing the depth of the stewardship responsibilities to which the Marine Corps seriously commits,” she said.
Cleghorn also received the 2013 SECNAV Environmental Award for cultural resources management in the individual/team category.
Rasmussen said she was also surprised, and excited to receive the award. “It made me feel very appreciated for the work that we do,” Rasmussen said.
Last year, the CRM program engaged in various projects, including consultation for the restoration of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band building B374, and working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the University of Hawaii Marine Option Program to complete a record of a landing craft that sunk near Pyramid Rock Beach.
Rasmussen and Cleghorn also finished an ethnographic report last year that has taken them nearly three years to complete. An illustrated version, titled “Mokapu: A Paradise on the Peninsula,” is available at www.mcbhawaii. marines.mil/Portals/114/WebDocuments/IEL/ Environmental/MCBH_ethno_LoRes2.pdf.
“One of the projects we are extremely proud of is the completion of the interpretive center located in the new (Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay) Operations Complex because it is the first of its kind built at MCB Hawaii and it is an exemplary display of the multiple layers of history that occurred on the Mokapu Peninsula,” Cleghorn said.
The new complex, which was officially dedicated in a ceremony Feb. 12, contains information about the base’s history within its walls.
“Additionally, being that the interpretive center is located within the MCAS Ops passenger terminal, there are many members of the base’s ‘public’ who can view, enjoy, and learn about the history of this place,” Cleghorn said. “Part of being good stewards of the MCB Hawaii cultural resources is ‘teaching’ about these resources and their history and in doing so enlisting the public’s help to ensure the continued appreciation and presence of these resources for generations to follow.”
Currently, Rasmussen said the team is about finished working on Site 7411, where the remains of an ancient Hawaiian village were found. In addition, an anti-motor torpedo boat battery was discovered in January near the Presidential Cottage that overlooks Pyramid Rock Beach. Also once known as Battery 7, this site will soon have an informational marker installed for passersby.
From careful observation of construction on base to working with local community groups, the cultural resources management team continues to work to keep the state’s heritage alive, and the Marine Corps operating in harmony with it.