Freshly plowed mud creates an ideal habitat for the Hawaiian stilt, a bird found on Mokapu Peninsula. Amphibious assault vehicles from Combat Assault Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, helped plow the ponds during the 30th annual Mud Operations at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Feb. 28 through March 1.“When we started doing this as an annual routine, we weren’t doing it in some areas and the pickleweed was [waist] high,” said Diane Drigot, senior natural resource management specialist, Base Environmental. “When [the AAVs] began to plow through it, the birds [spread out] so they can nest and feed in a habitat that wasn’t used at all because of too many weeds.”
Lance Cpl. James Sauter
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