Important reminder: Feeding of feral cats on Navy lands is prohibited By Mark Gibson NASP Natural Resources Manager Feral cats, like all stray or free ranging domestic animals, are on the hunt for food and shelter. They often are found in colonies in close proximity to residential areas or where they can obtain food from people who see them and want to care for them. In some areas, people manage feral cat colonies using trap/neuter/release programs in order to contain the colony, to prevent the colony from multiplying, and to save the cats from being
euthanized. But, on Navy lands, feeding of feral cats and trap/neuter/release programs are prohibited. This Chief of Naval Operations policy was established in 2002 and also applies to dogs. In part, the policy states: “Navy commands must ensure the humane capture and removal of free roaming cats and dogs. “Consistent with this requirement, trap/neuter/release programs will no longer be established on Navy land.” The policy goes on to state that feeding of feral animals is prohibited. Other points made by the policy state: • Installation residents must register and
Vol. 77, No. 49
microchip their cats and dogs with the supporting veterinary office. • Pets must wear registration or identification tags at all times. • A current vaccination record is required. In addition, the NAS Pensacola Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) states that residents of the NASP Complex shall be educated about the ecological and health benefits of keeping pet cats indoors and eliminating resident populations of feral cats. Some tips to ensure you are caring for your pets properly include:
• Be a responsible pet owner and have your pet microchipped, and spayed or neutered. • Keep your pets indoors and appropriately restrain and control your pets when outdoors. • Do not leave your pet when you move or transfer unless you have turned it over to a responsible friend or adoption program, and remember to change the microchip owner data. To register and microchip your on-base pet, contact the Pensacola Veterinary Services located on NASP Corry Station at 452-6882. For more information, including cat adoption, call Mark Gibson at 452-3131, ext. 3008.
VISIT GOSPORT ONLINE: www.gosportpensacola.com
December 6, 2013
Blues announce 2014 show schedule changes 2015 show schedule released From Blue Angels PAO
The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, announced changes recently to the 2014 show schedule and the release of the 2015 show schedule at the International Council of Air Shows convention. The Blue Angels are scheduled to fly in 68 performances at 35 locations in 2014 and 64 performances at 34 locations in 2015 throughout North America. The 2014 schedule changes announced: • A show in Palmdale, Calif., replacing the March Air Reserve Base, Calif., show (March 21-22). • The addition of the Fontana, Calif., flyover (March 23). • The cancellation of the Fort Smith, Ark., performance (April 5-6). • The cancellation of the MCAS Cherry Point, N.C. performance (May 17-18). • A show in Latrobe, Pa., replacing the Pittsburg, Pa., Pilots from the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, render a salute following a flyover at Naval performance (June 7-8).
See Blue Angels on page 2
Air Station Pensacola Nov. 9. The flyover marked the end of the team’s 2013 season and the beginning of the 2014 air show season. Photo by MC1 Terrence Siren
World War II remembrance, presentation of F6F Hellcat at National Naval Aviation Museum today, Dec. 6 ... The National Naval Aviation Museum will honor the World War II generation at 10 a.m. today, Dec. 6, in the Blue Angels Atrium. Featured speaker, retired Marine Lt. Gen. Duane Thiessen, will present the museum’s newly restored World War II F6F-3 Hellcat as part of the World War II remembrance event. For more information, visit NavalAviationMuseum.org or call the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation at 453-2389 or (800) 327-5002. For more on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, see page B1.
Navy College Office: Free admissions Tree-planting ceremony marks 19-year tradition at NASP testing available for service members Story, photo by Janet Thomas Gosport Staff Writer
A 10-foot-tall Southern magnolia is the newest tree planted in the past 19 years aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) as part of the Tree City USA program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation. NAS Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Keith Hoskins and Public Works Officer Cmdr. Jeff Deviney shared the official honors during the annual tree-planting ceremony Dec. 2. After a “Tree Awareness Week” proclamation was read by Hoskins, the magnolia was put into the ground near the northwest corner of command headquarters (Bldg. 1500) by a team of base officials, foresters, NASP Public Works Department (PWD) personnel and landscaping contractor Regal Select Services Inc. (RSSI) employees. The young tree is a “Little Gem,” a dwarf cultivar from the Southern magnolia family. At maturity, the spring flowering tree is expected to be about 25 feet tall. Tree Awareness Week, Dec. 2-6, is NASP’s annual celebration of the start of the tree-planting season. The Tree City USA promotes tree planting and awareness throughout the country. To qualify as a Tree City USA community, a town or city must meet four standards established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association
of State Foresters. These standards include having a tree board or department; a tree care ordinance; a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita; and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. For more information, contact the PWD Natural Resources Department at 452-3131, ext. 3009.
By Ens. Shereka Riley NETC PAO
The Navy College Office (NCO) offers paperbased American College Testing (ACT) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) college admissions testing at base education centers to active-duty service members free of charge. According to Mareba Mack, educational spe-
cialist at the Naval Air Station Pensacola Navy College Office, when a current score is required for service or education programs, all eligible military members, including the Coast Guard, are authorized to take one free college admissions exam administered at their local base education center. “A few of the service programs that require a current SAT or ACT score
are the Naval Academy and the Naval Academy Preparatory School Programs, Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program and the Seaman to Admiral-21 program,” said Mack. “Service members with hopes of pursuing a baccalaureate degree at a four-year institution are eligible for a free test whether or not they are
See NCO on page 2
“Homecoming” unveiled at NNAM ... A new bronze sculpture,
Forestry and Navy officials prepare to place a Southern magnolia tree into a new location near NASP’s Bldg. 1500.
“Homecoming,” was put on public display Nov. 29 at the National Naval Aviation Museum. The sculpture depicts a naval aviator reunited with his family following a long deployment. Homecoming was sculpted by museum director and artist, retired Navy Capt. Bob Rasmussen. His inspiration was taken from a photograph of Rasmussen’s son, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Eric Rasmussen, and his family during a homecoming celebration in 1999. The sculpture will be placed outside between the museum’s Blue Angel Atrium and Hangar Bay One. Photo by Donald Watson
Published by Ballinger Publishing, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of the Navy. Opinions contained herein are not official expressions of the Department of the Navy nor do the advertisements constitute Department of the Navy, NAS Pensacola or Ballinger Publishing’s endorsement of products or services advertised.