VOL. 53 NO. 39 OCTOBER 2, 2014
SERVING NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA, DAM NECK ANNEX, AND NALF FENTRESS
VOLUNTEERS PLANT GRASSES TO RESTORE DUNES AT DAM NECK BEACH
JET
INSIDE
SQUADRONS HOLD CHANGE OF COMMANDS
STORY/PHOTO BY MC2 (SW) ALYSIA HERNANDEZ NAS Oceana Public Affairs
—Pages 3 & 6 Volunteers spent their Friday morning planting dune grasses at Dam Neck’s beach for the semi-annual dune restoration project Sept. 12. Dam Neck’s natural resources manager, in partnership with representatives from the National Aquarium and the Virginia Aquarium, organized the two-day dune restoration project where volunteers, including more than 100 Sailors, planted thousands of dune grasses on a portion of Dam Neck’s beach. “We get anywhere from 100 to 200 volunteers over a two-day period and they come in and they plant anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 plants,and some years we also do fencing,” explained NAS Oceana and Dam Neck Natural Resources Manager Michael Wright. Wright said they choose the part of the beach that needs the restoration most by conducting surveys. While surveying the dunes, they check for erosion that could cause a breach, which could result in the ocean overpowering the dune and flooding out facilities. The most recent dune restoration project involves planting several types of grasses native to the area,Wright explained. “They’re planting several species of grasses; they’re planting one ornamental plant that looks a lot like a grass,except for when it flowers; they’re planting golden rod and they’re planting several shrub species that are native,” Wright said.“Everything we plant is native to the area … we give it that diversity to keep it as natural as we can.” Though it wasn’t the ideal warm, sunny — See Dune Restoration page 9
As part of the dune conservation effort, volunteers, including more than 100 Sailors, plant thousands of native dune grass plants at the Dam Neck beach Sept. 12. The dune restoration project is an event that is held every year, once in spring and again in fall.
Enlisted Leadership Training Review asks Sailors:What do you need? BY SUSAN D. HENSON Center for Personal and Professional Development Public Affairs Sailors with opinions or ideas about how to best develop enlisted leaders are being asked to provide input on two Navy courses that are currently under review, said the review project’s leader Sept. 4. The Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) is the Curriculum Control Authority for the Petty Officer Second and Petty Officer First Class Selectee Leadership courses. CPPD administers the courses’ content, which is then taught to Sailors by their commands. As part of its course review process, CPPD is conducting a large-scale, fleetwide research project
to assess the current courses’ value and effectiveness, according to Don Squibb, outcome and assessment manager for CPPD’s Requirements Directorate. The project is called Enlisted Leadership Requirements Review (ELRR). “We’re collecting data for the ELRR project from across geographic regions, paygrades, ratings and communities to evaluate the current state of enlisted leadership training for first and second class petty officers and ask Sailors what training they need,” said Squibb, who is the project lead. “We’re casting a wide net because we need to define the ‘what is’ from the fleet’s perspective before we can recommend the — See Review page 8
JOB FAIR BRINGS TOGETHER APPLICANTS, EMPLOYERS —Page 5
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS PROGRAM In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, NAS Oceana will present “Love Shouldn’t Hurt,” Oct. 8, 9 10:30 a.m., at the NAS Oceana Chapel. The guest speaker will be Rae Pearson Benn, Mrs. Virginia Beach 2011. She is the author of “Still Standing,” and a survivor of domestic violence. For more information, call the Oceana FFSC at 433-2912.