Malama Aina Day at PMRF Empowers Students with Hands-on Conservation Learning

PACIFIC MISSLE RANGE FACILITY, Kekaha, Hawai`i – The Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) hosted Malama Aina Day, an annual environmental protection awareness event, bringing together 4th grade students from West Kaua`i on Friday, April 24, 2026. The event recognized PMRF’s shared responsibility to protect our island resources, while demonstrating the Navy’s commitment to environmental protection, conservation and historical preservation programs that directly support on-going mission readiness. A major highlight of the event was the interactive learning experiences provided by PMRF staff biologists and partnering agencies to the more than 190 students in attendance, transforming the Shenanigans parking lot and lawn into an outdoor classroom! This year’s theme was “Planet vs Plastics”. The hands-on presentations covered various topics such as plastic waste recycling, meteorology, wildlife protection, energy conservation and more. The activities were designed to support student’s science, energy and ecology curriculum. “Seeing the enthusiasm from the students today gives me great confidence in the future of our island's conservation efforts,” said Brooke McFarland, PMRF Natural Resources Manager. “Our work is often behind the scenes, so it was great to pull back the curtain and share this team effort between the Navy and our community partners.” Malama Aina Day at PMRF helps set the foundation for developing connections that support critical efforts for environmental protection and compliance throughout the year. “Environmental protection is an everyday mission for us,” said Capt. Robert Prince, Commanding Officer of PMRF. “It is more than meeting a requirement, it ensures sustainable training environments for our personnel, while providing ecological and historical value to the land we share. It's inspiring to see these students connect with the complex environmental work we do on base. Our goal is to show them that protecting our island’s natural resources is a vital, specialized mission that requires all of us working together." Environmental protection does not stop at the fence line. Whether it involves protecting local watersheds and farmlands, supporting environmental agencies with data collection, installing west Kauai’s largest solar farm or managing native wildlife programs, the health of the environment is a shared community effort. PMRF remains committed to being a leader in island conservation and a dedicated partner to its surrounding community. PMRF Natural Resources Department would like to thank the following agencies for their participation in Malama Aina Day 2026:

• Aloun Farms
• Applied Energy Services
• County of Kauai – Division of Solid Waste
• Department of Land and Natural Resources –Division of Aquatics Resources
• Kauai Forestry Bird Restoration Project
• Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
• Koa Lani
• Pacific Birds
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• PMRF, Barking Sands Fire Department
• PMRF Morale, Welfare & Recreation
• And the PMRF personnel who contributed to the success of this event.

For more information about PMRF, visit https://cnrh.navy.afpims.mil/Installations/PMRF-Barking-Sands/ or visit https://www.pmrfkauai.com/. PMRF is the world's largest instrumented multi-domain range, capable of supporting surface and sub-surface, air and space operations simultaneously and employs approximately 900 local residents and roughly 80 active-duty sailors and is the island's largest high-tech employer.