Robert's Plants

Robert Yon takes a break from a busy day to draw some water from a barrel and hand water some Ascension Spurge (E. origanoides), an endangered species of plant found only on the Ascension Island, predominantly on the property used by the 45th Operations Group, Detachment 2, Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF), in the South Atlantic Ocean. Mr. Yon a certified environmental technician works with 13 protocols of engineering and the environment. Some of those are hazardous waste and PCB protocols. The small plot of land he cultivates supports seed collection by a British conservation organization on the island. Although, all U.S. Air Force bases have environmental programs, this small remote island environment allows easy observation of the efforts supporting the endangered spurge plant and self-sufficient water, power and waste programs. "It is exciting to see this base operate in a "green" environment day-to-day. It is cost effective and at the same time, protects our environment without interfering with any of our various missions down here. Going "green" has actually helped us become more efficient providing power, and water to the air field and the base" said Major Jay Block, commander of Detachment 2. The mission of Detachment 2 is support of eastern range space launches by collecting and disseminating radar, telemetry and tracking data. Ascension island is 35 square miles in a remote island location midway between Brazil and Angola. The nearest country is Liberia - 1000 miles away. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lance Cheung)