FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (June 19, 2019 – Hagåtña) – Senator Therese Terlaje remains focused on preventing the removal of historic artifacts at Northwest Field and sent the following letter to the Governor calling for a pause on the clearing and construction at the proposed Live Fire Training Range Complex at Northwest Field to allow for a thorough assessment of the cultural significance of at least four recent discoveries.
See Senator Therese Terlaje’s letter attached here.
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (June 19, 2019 – Hagåtña) – I acknowledge that there are personnel actions pending, however, I am deeply troubled by this recent move by the administration to dismiss the State Historic Preservation Officer in the midst of one of the largest construction projects in our recent history, including the bulldozing of 5000 acres of limestone forest and numerous historic sites. We are in desperate need of persistent and loud voices pushing for historic preservation particularly as DOD continues to insist destruction is “unavoidable”.
The SHPO has been one of Guam’s biggest and sometimes only advocate for the protection of precious cultural and historical resources while many remain silent.
The SHPO, in her official capacity, had to witness and carry the burden of representing Guam and the Chamorro people in the face of ten years of the largest buildup in the history of peace. I had high hopes this new administration would help shore up the legal or other expert resources that office needs to truly represent Guam. To put someone inexperienced in an acting capacity leaves Guam vulnerable to further bulldozing of historic sites and leaves Guam voiceless during a critical period of potential harm to our culture and our environment. Silencing and intimidation are the opposite of standing up for the people of Guam.
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (June 14, 2019) Senator Therese M. Terlaje with the co-sponsorship of Senator Mary Torres, introduced Bill 159-35 (COR), to increase emergency shelter capacity, so that CPS can get children at risk of harm off the streets and into a home where they can sleep without fear of being raped by a drunken man, who enters their makeshift shelter, with no doors, in the jungle.
Senator Terlaje’s efforts were prompted by the sexual assault of a four (4) year old girl and a disabled girl who were living in an abandoned structure in the Dededo area back in April 2018. A series of meetings and roundtables with Senator Therese Terlaje, Senator Torres, and other woman senators in the previous term, GPD, CPS, GHURA, GHC, the Guam Homeless Coalition, and others, repeatedly highlighted the shortage of shelter for children living in an environment of harm or potential harm. This shortage was an impediment to CPS, who by law, has the authority to remove children found to be living in an environment of harm or potential harm without a court order and place them in protective custody, pending further investigation and long term solution.
The bill would immediately increase the capacity of a brand new children’s group home being constructed beyond the current limit of 12 children, in order to urgently address the 35 children on the foster home wait list and some of the estimated 294 children living homeless.
According to Terlaje, discussions with BOSSA/DPHSS indicate that additional capacity for children’s’ shelter will be available as early as this summer, upon the expected completion of the $1.4M federally funded DPHSS I Guma Mina’åse’ Sr. Mary Brigid Perez, R.S.M. The approximately 7,000 square foot facility, led by the efforts of the Rigalu Foundation and former First Lady Christine Calvo, can accommodate beyond the current maximum of 12 children under current law, rules and regulations. It is the intention of Bill No. 159-35 (COR), to authorize the Director of DPHSS the discretion to increase the capacity of this group child care facility or foster home to accommodate a greater number of children in need of emergency shelter.
DPHSS Director Linda DeNorcey has indicated her full support of the legislation’s intent to address the gaps in emergency shelters for children.
“No child should be subject to sexual or other abuse on Guam for lack of a safe shelter. It is our hope that this bill can be passed swiftly to immediately accommodate as many children as feasible in the facility, including temporary shelter of the 35 children on the waiting list for foster homes and those additional children who are currently homeless, who CPS determines are in need of immediate shelter. I commend BOSSA/DPHSS and the RigaluFoundation for their vision and work in the completion of the facility, and stand ready to help expedite the placement of children as soon as possible, ” Terlaje stated.
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (June 14, 2019 – Hagåtña) – Senator Therese Terlaje continues to ask the Governor for a pause to be placed on the clearing of vegetation and construction of the Live Fire Training Range Complex (LFTRC) at Northwest Field to give more time for the State Historic Preservation Officer and community to consider the importance of the newly discovered historic artifacts, and for the Governor to lead discussions with the military as to whether the additional historic properties can be avoided at the proposed construction area adjacent to the ancient village of Ritidian.
Recently, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) was notified of at least three more new discoveries of additional historic sites during the clearing of the forest in the proposed Known Distance Rifle Range (KDRR) area which is one of five proposed firing ranges at LFTRC. One of the sites discovered had at least 400 pieces of pottery found in a dense area, and another area encompassing 7 acres of artifacts needed further surveying. The Marine Corps Activity Guam report noted that the 3 areas are probable sites or extensions of one larger site, pending confirmation by additional investigations. The properties found contained fire features (potential earth ovens), Latte Period ceramic scatters, various lithics, and shell artifacts. In this proposed Northwest Field construction area are 94 known historic sites which is separate from the 3 new historic sites discovered. Fourteen of the ninety-four historic sites have already been excavated and removed from the area. There is a concern that more new discoveries will be made as clearing continues for the 18-acre KDRR range. Additionally, the Multi-purpose Machine Gun (MPMG) Range area, which is the largest of the five ranges at LFTRC encompassing 59 acres is slated to be cleared next. SHPO is concerned that there are already too many new discoveries of historic properties to ignore their frequency and has contended that more surveying is necessary to ascertain if the area was an ancient village.
“Many promises have been made by leaders to protect and defend our culture and environment. Despite numerous objections and public comments shared by Guam SHPO, Guam National Wildlife Refuge, fishermen, government agencies, original landowners and concerned community members over several years, DOD has continued to move forward with the clearing and construction of the Live Fire Training Range Complex at Northwest Field putting at risk historic sites along with at least 187 acres of limestone forests, and year round public access to Ritidian. The time for action is now. As we have seen by the destruction of Magua, the clearing of 14 historic sites in the firing range area already, and the new discoveries of more historic sites, a week from now may be too late,” Terlaje states.
See documents sent to the Governor:
June 12, 2019 Letter to the Governor Leon Guerrero
Summary of Concerns – Live Fire Training Range Complex
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (June 13, 2019 – Hagåtña)
In an effort to assert Guam’s position in response to the destruction of historic sites and environmental contamination, Senator Therese Terlaje has introduced Bill No. 163-35 (COR) to allow the Attorney General of Guam to hire a lawyer on a contingency fee basis to assist the government of Guam in the protection of historical sites and the environment. In a contingency fee arrangement, a lawyer is paid a portion of the amount awarded to the government of Guam if the outcome is successful.
“We must pursue every avenue possible to ensure our cultural and historic sites are protected from destruction and that our environment is safeguarded. Our agencies often need legal assistance immediately or complex litigation, and this will give the Attorney General flexibility to explore all avenues of providing urgent legal response on behalf of the people of Guam,” stated Terlaje.
lick here for copy of Bill No. 163-35 (COR).