Pagat land to be nominated in national list
By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • January 12, 2010
An effort to get a portion of the Pagat area listed among the most endangered historical places in America intends to disrupt the military's plan to use the area for a proposed firing range, said Joe Quinata of the Guam Preservation Trust.
Quinata is one of among those working to get the Pagat area listed in America's 11 Most Endangered Places, an annual project that has drawn the spotlight to threatened national treasures since 1988.
Every year, the National Trust for Historical Preservation, a private nonprofit corporation, publishes a list of noteworthy landmarks that may be damaged, destroyed, neglected or forgotten.
The Pagat land currently falls under the Chamorro Land Trust. It was unclear yesterday what impact the endangered historical places designation would have on the Land Trust property.
"We believe that if at least the nation is aware of what is happening here on Guam, and this program is powerful enough to make that happen, we could make changes," Quinata said. "If it doesn't change (the military's) plans, at least you have all these (watchdogs) that are monitoring the Pagat area."
Application paperwork for the project is finished and filed, Quinata said, but the Guam Preservation Trust still has until Friday to collect photographs from the public. The selected places will be named May 19.
The remains of the ancient Pagat village may be affected by the coming military buildup because the Department of Defense plans to build a firing range nearby. Quinata said he fears that military activity might destroy or trample the artifacts that remain. Although Pagat village is no more, local history is layered into the area, he said.
Grinding stones called "lusongs" and latte stone pillars are easy to find in the jungle in the area. Beneath the soil, 3,500-year-old artifacts tell a story of how ancient Chamorros lived and survived. Pagat Cave, which was once a source of fresh water for the village, is now popular hiking destination and tourist attraction.
If the buildup moves forward as planned, public access to the area will be restricted.
The public has until Feb. 17 to submit comments about the buildup plan, including Pagat Cave. Quinata said the same information provided in the application to the national trust will be submitted as a comment to the buildup.
The list
If Pagat is chosen for the list of most endangered places, it will be an unusual -- but not unprecedented -- pick.
According to the national trust's Web site, most of the places selected are historical structures that are still standing, but are threatened by urban development or poor maintenance. Schools, stadiums, hotels and bridges that are historic, but not ancient, dominate the list.
The natural places that make the list are generally quite grand, like a 12,000 foot mountain that is threatened by uranium mining, or California's under-funded park system.
The most recently selected place that closely compares to the Pagat village is Pinon Canyon, Colo., which was selected in 2007.
The canyon was threatened by expansion by the U.S. Army facility that would have condemned private lands, damaged the historic Santa Fe Trail -- an American highway that predates automobiles -- and destroyed some undisturbed prehistoric archeological sites.
Since Pinon Canyon was selected by the National Trust for Historical Preservation, Congress and the Army have moved funding to other projects and started expanding a different facility in Louisiana, according to the national trust's Web site and the Denver Post.
Quinata said the Pagat site carries value unlike any other.
"We will be one of a kind and that's what we are looking for," Quinata said.
Showing posts with label Artifacts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artifacts. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Hikers worry about site access: Military plans would restrict public from lands
Hikers worry about site access: Military plans would restrict public from lands
By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • December 13, 2009
A series of hikes in January will take anyone who wants to go to five natural sites before they become more difficult, impossible or illegal to visit when the military buildup arrives.
Guam Boonie Stompers President Dave Lotz hopes to take as many people as he can to places such as Pagat Cave before the Department of Defense utilizes these areas. He hopes enamored hikers will join his cause to preserve the access local residents have now.
Pagat Cave is a sinkhole and stone cavern in Yigo filled with cool, waist-deep water and candlelight. Locals and tourists swim in the cave and explore the coast almost every day. An ancient Chamorro village once drew fresh water from the cave, Lotz said. Artifacts pepper the ground.
The military will build a firing range next door.
When the Boonie Stompers hike to Pagat Cave on Jan. 2, some residents might go there for the first time.
Or for the last time.
"Go while you can," Lotz said on Dec. 4. "Obviously we want to garner support for our cause, but realistically we may not prevail. But we are optimistic we will."
The military buildup will bring about 8,000 Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to Guam in the next few years. Air Force and Navy operations will expand as well.
As the military's presence grows, so will its borders.
According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement released on Nov. 20, the Department of Defense will acquire or transform large portions of land in northern, central and southern Guam for its increased needs.
There are a lot of hiking sites on that land, and the Guam Boonie Stompers want to ensure the public will not lose access to them completely after the Marines arrive, Lotz said.
Three of the hikes -- Pagat Cave, Ague Cove and the Lajuna area -- are on land the public will lose access to, according to the Draft EIS report. Access to Mount Lamlam and other southern mountains won't be restricted significantly, but Lotz isn't taking chances.
"In some of them (restriction) seems quite apparent, in others it's ambiguous," Lotz said. "As we have seen on this island -- and I've been here 40 years -- access is basically at the whims of the base commander."
Balance
The access craved by hikers such as Lotz must be balanced with military needs and public safety, according to an e-mail from Joint Guam Program Office spokesman Capt. Neil Ruggiero.
It is not the military's intent to unnecessarily restrict access, Ruggiero wrote.
Although the preferred plans listed in the Draft EIS state that public access to Pagat Cave, Ague Cove and the Lajuna area would end, Ruggiero wrote that it is premature to assume that all access to these areas will be prohibited. Comments from the public could change plans for the future.
"Comments on the DEIS, to include those on the subject of access, will be analyzed and considered in the development of the Final EIS. Thus, final decisions have not been made at this time, and specific policies regarding public access to military bases and facilities on Guam will be determined by the Joint Region and base commanders," Ruggiero wrote in his e-mail.
Exchange
According to a preliminary statement prepared by the Boonie Stompers, Lotz and his fellow hikers will request the military include specific plans and schedules for continued access to the noteworthy places that could be gobbled up by the buildup.
If a plan for public access isn't spelled out, Lotz worries access could wither over time until it barely exists -- like at Fena Caves.
The caves are the site of a brutal World War II massacre that sits on Navy property in Santa Rita. A small group of mourners are allowed to visit the caves once a year, but the site is otherwise closed to the public.
If access to Pagat Cave and the other sites are going to be restricted in a similar way, the public should get something in return, Lotz said.
The Boonie Stompers will request the military create access to areas including Haputo Beach, Double Reef Beach, Orote Point, Fena Caves and Tarague Beach as an exchange, according to the statement.
Ruggerio did not respond to a question about whether renewed access to these areas was a possibility.
By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • December 13, 2009
A series of hikes in January will take anyone who wants to go to five natural sites before they become more difficult, impossible or illegal to visit when the military buildup arrives.
Guam Boonie Stompers President Dave Lotz hopes to take as many people as he can to places such as Pagat Cave before the Department of Defense utilizes these areas. He hopes enamored hikers will join his cause to preserve the access local residents have now.
Pagat Cave is a sinkhole and stone cavern in Yigo filled with cool, waist-deep water and candlelight. Locals and tourists swim in the cave and explore the coast almost every day. An ancient Chamorro village once drew fresh water from the cave, Lotz said. Artifacts pepper the ground.
The military will build a firing range next door.
When the Boonie Stompers hike to Pagat Cave on Jan. 2, some residents might go there for the first time.
Or for the last time.
"Go while you can," Lotz said on Dec. 4. "Obviously we want to garner support for our cause, but realistically we may not prevail. But we are optimistic we will."
The military buildup will bring about 8,000 Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to Guam in the next few years. Air Force and Navy operations will expand as well.
As the military's presence grows, so will its borders.
According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement released on Nov. 20, the Department of Defense will acquire or transform large portions of land in northern, central and southern Guam for its increased needs.
There are a lot of hiking sites on that land, and the Guam Boonie Stompers want to ensure the public will not lose access to them completely after the Marines arrive, Lotz said.
Three of the hikes -- Pagat Cave, Ague Cove and the Lajuna area -- are on land the public will lose access to, according to the Draft EIS report. Access to Mount Lamlam and other southern mountains won't be restricted significantly, but Lotz isn't taking chances.
"In some of them (restriction) seems quite apparent, in others it's ambiguous," Lotz said. "As we have seen on this island -- and I've been here 40 years -- access is basically at the whims of the base commander."
Balance
The access craved by hikers such as Lotz must be balanced with military needs and public safety, according to an e-mail from Joint Guam Program Office spokesman Capt. Neil Ruggiero.
It is not the military's intent to unnecessarily restrict access, Ruggiero wrote.
Although the preferred plans listed in the Draft EIS state that public access to Pagat Cave, Ague Cove and the Lajuna area would end, Ruggiero wrote that it is premature to assume that all access to these areas will be prohibited. Comments from the public could change plans for the future.
"Comments on the DEIS, to include those on the subject of access, will be analyzed and considered in the development of the Final EIS. Thus, final decisions have not been made at this time, and specific policies regarding public access to military bases and facilities on Guam will be determined by the Joint Region and base commanders," Ruggiero wrote in his e-mail.
Exchange
According to a preliminary statement prepared by the Boonie Stompers, Lotz and his fellow hikers will request the military include specific plans and schedules for continued access to the noteworthy places that could be gobbled up by the buildup.
If a plan for public access isn't spelled out, Lotz worries access could wither over time until it barely exists -- like at Fena Caves.
The caves are the site of a brutal World War II massacre that sits on Navy property in Santa Rita. A small group of mourners are allowed to visit the caves once a year, but the site is otherwise closed to the public.
If access to Pagat Cave and the other sites are going to be restricted in a similar way, the public should get something in return, Lotz said.
The Boonie Stompers will request the military create access to areas including Haputo Beach, Double Reef Beach, Orote Point, Fena Caves and Tarague Beach as an exchange, according to the statement.
Ruggerio did not respond to a question about whether renewed access to these areas was a possibility.
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