Live-fire training destroys ecosystems and endangered species on islands

Evidence

In the Northern Marianas, meanwhile, the military recently announced new plans to create additional live-fire military ranges and training areas on the islands of Pagan and Tinian. Unlike Tinian, much of which was paved during World War II, Pagan is a gorgeous and pristine volcanic island with archaeological remains dating back two thousand years. It is home to numerous rare and endangered birds, snails, bats, lizards, crabs, and other species. Michael Hadfield, a biologist who headed a 2010 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey of Pagan, has urged the military not to use the island for target practice as it has done on Farallon de Medinilla and other islands. “There is ample evidence,” Hadfield says, “that when Marines take an island for live-fire training, they ultimately destroy it.” — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 423

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 423