PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION COVERAGE PAGE 9 VOLUME 52 NO. 3
JANUARY 24, 2013
SERVING NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA
INSIDEJET
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DAM NECK ANNEX
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NALF FENTRESS
Dunes project gives new life to Christmas trees BY CATHY HEIMER Jet Observer
TRUMAN, CVW-3 UNDERWAY
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BLOOD PROGRAM CELEBRATES 60 YEARS
PAGE 6 A town hall meeting for family housing residents will be Jan. 31, 6:30 7:30 p.m. at the Wadsworth Community Center, 1200 S. Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach. Oceana command leadership,Navy Housing Service Center and Lincoln Military Housing representatives will be available to answer questions. — See pg. 8 for more information
Each year following the holidays, the Environmental Program Division of the NAS Oceana Public Works Department, in partnership with the 1st Lieutenant’s Department at Dam Neck Annex, offers a unique way to give Christmas trees a“new life,” by recycling the trees on Dam Neck’s beach. For at least the past 10 years, Sailors from the 1st Lieutenant have used donated trees to build up the dunes along the Dam Neck’s four miles of beaches. Beginning each January, as trees pile up at two collection sites, the bushy evergreens of every shape and size imaginable are placed side-by-side behind the fence.To catch the sand better, trees are placed with the cut end toward the fencing. As the wind and waves blow the sand over the trees, it builds up the dunes and over the years, the pine trees underneath the sand decompose. “The purpose of the program is dune stabilization and to create a barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and our military mission,” explained Michael Wright, natural resources specialist at Photos by MC2 Antonio P. Turretto Ramos Oceana.“It allows us to continue training on base AMAN(AW) Jacob Barfield from the 1st Lieutenant’s Department at Dam Neck positions the evergreens and it allows us to do it in a more natural way.” behind the dune fencing Jan. 9. The trees are placed with the cut ends toward the ocean, so the fuller part Wright explained the trees help catch the sand of the tree can collect the most sand.
Sailors from the 1st Lieutenant’s Department load the donated Christmas trees into a truck. Natural Resources at Oceana expects to collect nearly 1,000 trees this year to use to help build up the dunes along the four miles of beach at Dam Neck.
and build up the dunes. “So when we do have storms like [Hurricane] Sandy come through, we don’t end up with ocean water breaches, which would one, destroy habitat and displace wildlife and two, cause delays and stoppage of military training.” This year’s recycling project began the first week of January and by the second week,the Sailors were adding nearly 40 trees to those already lined up side-by-side behind the new wooden fencing put into place following the hurricane. “Every couple of days, we’ve been coming out, laying as many out as there are, leaving about 15 just so there’s a good pile so people can see the distribution point,” explained Cryptologic
Technician –Technical 2nd Class (SW/AW) Noah McHugh from the 1st Lieutenant Department. The number of trees recycled annually has ranged from 500 up to 2,000 and Wright expects in 2013, the total to be around 1,000 trees. In 2008, Natural Resources began contacting the regional landfills, local businesses and tree farms for any leftover trees that could be picked up by the 1st Lieutenant’s Department. But she noted that many businesses did not carry as many trees the past two holidays, resulting in fewer donations to the program. Recycling the trees is one of three parts of the dune restoration efforts by Natural Resources. — See Dune restoration Page 12