December 9, 2024
The University of Hawaiʻi and the Department of the Navy (DoN) have signed a historic 10-year agreement to support the protection and management of natural and cultural resources on Navy and Marine Corps installations in Hawaiʻi. The agreement, which includes climate resilience support for bases and their surrounding areas, covers Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi on Oʻahu, and Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands on Kauaʻi.
With increasing threats of extreme weather, defense programs throughout the U.S. are investing in collaborations that will allow them to better understand and address the ways severe weather and other hazards could impact military missions. The recently signed agreement enables the DoN to potentially fund UH to conduct $10 million in projects and support services annually to enhance the Navy and Marine Corps’ resilience against environmental hazards.
The agreement, known as a renewable Intergovernmental Support Agreement, or IGSA, is the first in Hawaiʻi between an academic institution, Commander, Navy Region Hawaiʻi (CNRH), and Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC).
Support services provided by UH to CNRH and MCIPAC under this agreement may include, but are not limited to: biological assessment development, pest and predator control, marine debris removal, Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan implementation, curation services, Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plan implementation, engineering plans and implementation of Nature-based Solutions, floodplain analysis and mitigation, wildfire management and planning, hydrology/sea level rise mitigation, shoreline stabilization, Geographic Information System support, land/ocean/nearshore based surveys, and equipment and supply purchases.
The agreement, signed by UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment Meredith Berger, provides the necessary framework for UH to use its collective knowledge and resources—scientists, laboratories, students, and outreach programs—to help the DoN balance the critical needs and requirements of the nation’s defense with its ongoing natural and cultural resource responsibilities in Hawaiʻi.
“I am pleased that UH was able to enter into this important agreement with the DoN,” said Syrmos. “Those who live and work in Hawaiʻi have a responsibility to be good stewards of the land and this partnership with the Navy signifies their willingness to fulfill their natural and cultural resource responsibilities by utilizing UH’s knowledge and expertise in these areas.”
As a large part of its land-, sea-, space-grant mission, UH works to leverage federal partnerships like the IGSA to provide meaningful impacts for the state in environmental and cultural management.
“We are proud to partner with the University of Hawaiʻi and will benefit tremendously from its world-class research, specialized training programs, and the traditional ecological knowledge that UH incorporates into its educational program,” said Berger, who also serves as the DoN’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “As proud members of this community, we recognize our kuleana to protect Hawaiʻi’s environment and natural resources. When we care for this extraordinary place, we advance our diplomacy and reinforce our defense.”
Source: A UH News story
