Guam and camping?

Among the best memories I have of growing up were the camping trips I took with my parents. We went to Hapgood, part of the Green Mountain National Forest in Peru, Vermont. It was small campground, perhaps 20 sites as I remember it, a pond and wonderful trails. Camping was a major part of growing up, so it was with some surprise to read that attendance at national parks is in decline.

Reuters: Americans spend less time on nature activities: study. Excerpt: "The average person in America used to go to the national parks every year. It was the iconic American family vacation. Now, there are less people doing that," said Patricia Zaradic, a biologist with the Environmental Leadership Program, Delaware Valley, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Here’s an abstract of it at the National Academy of Sciences. After 50 years of steady increase, per capita visits to U.S. National Parks have declined since 1987.

Where do parents take their children today?

Guam has a seamless connection with the outdoors. I lived outdoors, especially when I lived in a house on the island’s south side. The beach, snorkeling, boonie stomping were very important. But I never camped on Guam. Is camping a real option? I couldn’t find any campgrounds via an Internet search but there must be some.

Guam's military buildup makes page one in DC

I wasn’t crazy about this Washington Post story, Guam Braces for Peaceful Military Incursion. It appeared on page one of the newspaper on Jan. 25 and framed the island this way:

Although the island is typhoon-plagued and earthquake-prone, cursed with bad traffic, unable to cope with its own garbage and overrun with invasive tree snakes that have eaten nearly all the birds …

Yes, there are typhoons. But Guam recovers faster from these storms then the Washington DC area does from a foot of snow. Bad traffic? Compared to what? Washington DC’s beltway? And invasive tree snakes? Granted, the Brown Tree Snake is no plus but it’s largely invisible. I live in downtown DC and on any night – and I am not exaggerating – I will see rats running across the sidewalks. There’s a real rat problem in DC.

It’s easy to be unflattering but I understood the need to point out Guam’s landfill problems. In doing so, it draws attention to the need for money to deal with it and so far the island isn’t getting the commitment it needs from the federal government. But the story didn't have to overlook the island's beauty to make that point.

The story outlines the problem the build-up poses and also makes note of the heroic contributions that Guam’s residents have made.

All in all, the Marine move is giving many Guamanians -- an extraordinarily patriotic people who fight and die in U.S. wars at rates much higher than on the mainland -- a serious case of the jitters.

But I wish the story had also explained that this great sacrifice by some of the Guam’s finest young men and women has not earned it voting rights. The island doesn’t have political voice and is treated as a possession in every sense of the world. As one person who commented on the Post’s story wrote:

The story failed to mention "Guam’s inability to vote for president or that our Congressional Delegate is a non-voting member of the House of Representatives and that Guam also has no representation in the U.S. Senate - lacking a true voice for any kind of transfer or action taken to the island."

However, I do think this second story by the Washington Post, Guam's Young, Steeped in History, Line Up to Enlist, struck me as a sensitive portrait of the island’s military traditions and explained why many young men and women enlist.

[I don’t know how long this links will be good; sometimes after 14 days the stories may become inaccessible]