By Joseph Bonfiglio,
Honolulu District Public Affairs
Volunteers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers partnered with Junior ROTC cadets to clean up Waikiki Beach April 5 as part of Earth Month 2014.
Approximately 30 volunteers from Punahou Junior ROTC (which includes cadets from other area high schools and some home-schooled students) joined Corps’ employees and their friends and families to clean up the beach and berm area at the Corps’ Pacific Regional Visitor Center (RVC) at Fort DeRussy in Waikiki. About 45 volunteers participated.
“We’re happy to be here,” said Lt. Col. Robert Takao, commander of the Punahou Junior ROTC program. “I’m very encouraged by what I see of these young people. They see the impacts on the environment from the trash and they respond from the heart to protect the land. I’m also very happy with the RVC staff and what they have done to organize and support this event over the years.”
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Rangers Angela Jones and Don Espaniola organize and coordinate this annual event.
Earth Day was established March 21, 1970 as an annual event to deepen reverence and care for life on the planet.
For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, visit the Honolulu District website: http://www.poh.usace.army.mil; or call 438-2815 for information about the Pacific Regional Visitor Center.
The Corps’ RVC first opened its doors at Battery Randolph in 1983. Its goal is to enhance the public’s understanding of the multidimensional role of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Particular emphasis is on Civil Works and water resources development that affect the lives of all the residents of Hawaii and the people of the Pacific.
The RVC is located on the second floor of historic Battery Randolph at Fort DeRussy, Waikiki. Battery Randolph is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites and is one of 16 coastal fortifications built by the Corps between 1906 and 1917 for the protection of Honolulu and Pearl Harbors.
Release no. 14-003