By Karen Neill

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On August 30 Mililani’s Army Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) cadets participated in expelling invasive plants from Pouhala marsh. Partnered with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), JROTC’s goal was to remove all non-native plants from the marsh and replace them with native ones.

“As one of the largest remaining Hawaiian wetlands, it is important we take care of what remains and help the population of native plants,” explained JROTC Service Learning Coordinator (Cadet First Lieutenant) Junior Samantha Alvarado.

Pouhala marsh in Waipahu is home to many native plants and bird species, including 10 percent of the Ae’o (Hawaiian Stilt) population who use the marsh as a nesting ground.

The Pouhala marsh service learning project was an opportunity for the Leadership Education and Training (LET) one cadets to apply lessons from the classroom to the field. “This was a good field trip. I think it’s always nice to help the community,” stated Senior Iris Corrales, a LET two who helped supervise and teach the LET ones.  “It is such a great honor to share our knowledge with our Battalion’s newest members,” said Alvarado.

During the service project, the JROTC cadets participated in pulling approximately 1,500 feet of weeds from the marsh’s banks; a continuation of last year’s project. As a result, JROTC was rewarded with a sectioned area for personal service projects. “They’ve kind of given us an area that we’ve made (improvements on) since last year so we keep going to the same area, which is at the very beginning of the marsh and needs most of the work,” said Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Schiller, “(DLNR and DOFAW) are very supportive of us and what we do.”  Alvarado explained, “Plans are being made to return to plant more native plants such as Akulikuli, Wiliwili and Hala along its banks with its growing numbers of cadet volunteers in the near future.”

Mililani’s Army JROTC cadets hope to continue work on Pouhala marsh; JROTC also hopes to work on new service learning projects such as helping veterans in VA hospitals and other environmental issues.