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CNMI's Marine Monitoring Team Blog

2011-04-30T13:56:00.002+10:00

Though program updates and news have been sporadically posted on the CNMI's Coral Reef Initiative page (http://www.cnmicoralreef.net) Most notfications regarding activities such as reef flat surveys have been primarily distributed via email. In an effort to streamline the announcement process, the MMT has reformatted previous posts and continues to post information at their new blog at http://cnmimmt.blogspot.com/

An Interesting Idea For Earth Day: Blue Marbles

2011-04-01T02:59:00.002+10:00

The following was shared by Wallace J. Nichols via the CTURTLE listserve:

"As Earth Day approaches, I wanted to share a simple educational tool with you that I've found to be wonderfully useful and VERY fun.

http://BlueMarbles.org

About 2 years ago at a lecture in the New England Aquarium's IMAX theater I started sharing blue marbles with people whenever I gave public talks, as a way to make our ocean conservation message a little more "sticky" and as a way to encourage further conversation and sharing.

The basic idea is to give someone a blue marble as a token of gratitude for what they are doing for our planet. They pass their blue marble along to someone, and so on.

(I told you it was simple)

The stories and outcomes of this simple act have been quite amazing, including a blue marble riding in the Jamaican team's sled in the Alaskan Iditarod race and a blue marble headed to the bottom of the Mariana Trench with filmmaker James Cameron. The kids at the Rooftop School in San Francisco have sent their marbles all over the world in small origami boxes made of old maps. Thirteen year-old Ben shared blue marbles at his Bar Mitzvah, calling it an Ocean Mitzvah, starting a trend among his peers."

Free Coral Reef Watershed Webinar

2011-03-17T02:38:00.002+10:00

Teaching Ocean Connections: Watersheds to Reefs, Wednesday March 30 at 7:00pm Eastern - Free Registration http://eeweek.org/webinars/watersheds_reefs as part of the National Environmental Education Week

What is a Species of Special Concern?

2010-12-21T08:51:00.003+10:00

You've probably heard of Threatened or Endangered species, but there is another category- Species of Concern that aren't considered close enough to extinction for formal listing, but are in bad shape. In CNMI the Atuhong or Bumphead Parrotfish and Tangison or Humphead Wrasse are locally and federally considered Species of Concern. Although the Tangison is still seen around the islands, the Atuhong is becoming rarer and rarer and is currently being considered for Federal listing as either threatened or endangered. Learn more at the SOC website.

Journal of Micronesian Fishing

2010-12-08T09:22:00.004+10:00

The Journal of Micronesian Fishing is a publication covering all aspects of the art of fishing in the region. The fifth issue features articles provided by European Union funded community-based conservation projects from Chuuk, Yap and Pohnpei. An independent article discusses the cultural and traditional uses of sea turtles in the Central Caroline islands. The current (and past) issues can be browsed online or downloaded in pdf format at www.micronesianfishing.com

WPCRI Announces Scholarship at University of Guam

2010-12-01T15:21:00.005+10:00

The Western Pacific Coral Reef Institute (WPCRI) is a cooperative agreement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research and the University of Guam (UOG). We are pleased to announce the availability of scholarships to resident students wishing to study at UOG. As part of our capacity building effort, WPCRI will avail opportunities to combine sociocultural and traditional ecological knowledge with technical and scientific perspectives that will foster a stronger interest in natural resource management among local indigenous and other minority groups within the region. WPCRI anticipates issuing 7 scholarships based on a 16-credit semester to five (5) undergraduate and two (2) graduate students to cover the cost of tuition, fees, and books in the amount of up to $4,228 for undergraduate and $5,376 for graduate programs based on the availability of funds.

DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR SPRING 2011 IS DECEMBER 28, 2010. Please help spread the word.

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION at the UOG Financial Aid Website http://www.uog.edu/financialaid
For more information on WPCRI visit our website at http://www.uog.edu/wpcri

Sea Turtle Outreach Meeting

2010-11-22T11:32:00.001+10:00

If you are interested in helping to provide outreach at local classes and environmental events, there will be a coordinating meeting at PMRI (next to Naked Fish on Beach Road) this Wednesday Nov. 24 at 1 pm. The group will work on the primary outreach message for the year and also share currently available resources along with coordinating outreach activities.

Importance of water conservation featured at next First Friday Films

2010-10-29T08:39:00.002+10:00

Blue Gold: World Water Wars, a film about the conflicts arising from the world’s dwindling freshwater supply, premieres at the next “First Friday Films” at American Memorial Park Visitors Center on Nov. 5. At 6:30 p.m.

Blue Gold: World Water Wars, a film directed by Sam Bozzo, conceives how a seemingly plentiful natural resource, water, could actually spur war. The film examines how large corporations and private investors are buying territories where there are abundant supplies of water, and what everyday citizens can do to collect and conserve water. Blue gold makes a strong case for community awareness and action. It also highlights some success stories of water activists around the globe.

After the film, Derek Chambers, Division of Environmental, will discuss where our tap and drinking water come from on Saipan and highlight ways we can become better stewards of this precious resource. The Visitor’s Center lobby will also feature an exhibit about the declining supply of global freshwater and ways we can help conserve it.

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 90 minutes long. As always, “First Friday Films” is free and open to the public. Find more information at www.firstfridayfilmssaipan.blogspot.com. Subscribe to the blog for regular updates on upcoming events.

Sea Turtle Volunteer Program Meeting

2010-10-20T09:53:00.004+10:00

There will be a sea turtle conservation volunteer meeting this Friday at 11:40. The meeting is open to anyone interested in helping sea turtle conservation in CNMI. The meeting will be at the Pacific Marine Resources Institute office next to Naked Fish Bar&Grill on Beach Road. Sandwiches and drinks will be provided or bring your own lunch-- its an informal meeting.

Sea Turtle Books Available for Local Schools

2010-04-15T06:03:00.003+10:00

The Pacific Marine Resources Insitute is providing free copies of several sea turtle books to schools on Saipan, Tinian and Rota. The books are part of an effort to build educational capacity in support of the DLNR Sea Turtle Conservation Program and is funded through a contract with NOAA NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office. Please contact info@pacmares.com if you would like copies for your schools library. Contact the DLNR turtle program for in class presentations at 664-6026.

Watch, Learn, Discover!

2010-04-05T13:10:00.005+10:00

In celebration of Environmental Awareness Month, the following films are scheduled to play for free at American Memorial Park Theater:

THE END OF THE LINE
Dates: April 22
Time: 5:30 p.m. (85 minutes)
Place: American Memorial Park Theater
Sponsored by the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance – MINA (minapacific.org)

THE END OF THE LINE delves beyond the surface of the seas to reveal a troubling truth beneath: an ocean increasingly empty of fish, destroyed by decades of overexploitation. Exploring the tragic collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland in the 1990s, the imminent extinction of the prized bluefin tuna, and the devastation wreaked by illegal catches and surpassed fishing quotas, the film uncovers the dark ecological story behind our love affair with fish as food.

The Lorax (a family film based on the book by Dr. Seuss)

Dates: April 19 and April 22
Time: 3 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. (30 minutes)
About “The Lorax”
The Lorax, one of the earliest environmentalists in children's literature, attempts to save trees from destruction by the Once-ler. Watch the Lorax fight for his cause in this animated feature, which also includes "Pontoffel Pock and His Magic Piano," about a piano-playing sprite who travels through space and time in a blink.

HOME
Dates: April 20 and 21
Time: 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. (120 minutes)
Place: American Memorial Park Theater

About “HOME”
Award-winning photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand directs this breathtaking ode to planet Earth, an aerial voyage that captures the interdependence of the world's ecosystems -- and the bruises left behind by human indifference. From the agricultural revolution to our ever-increasing reliance on oil, narrator Glenn Close examines the changes that have wreaked havoc on our home, urging viewers to preserve the Earth's remaining natural treasures.

For info: Lisa Eller, DEQ, 664-8500.

2010-03-29T11:35:00.003+10:00

MMT gets a 'spot' on Google Ocean. Mariana Islands Biodiversity Survey (Guam), CNMI Sea Turtles (Tinian), and the CNMI MMT's Surveys (Rota) are now highlighted in the Google Ocean layer that is sponsored by the Deep Search Foundation (deepdeep.org). Each post is maked with a blue and white dot that pops up a bit of informatio about an ocean feature and links to related content. You can register to add your own content to the layer through the interface at www.thedeepness.org.

ihaggan.com - Mariana Islands Sea Turtles' Home on the Web

2010-03-24T09:02:00.003+10:00

Sea Turtles of the Mariana Islands website launched. 'ihaggan.com' will now feature information about DLNR's Sea Turtle Program. The site will provide educational resources, information about the STP research activities and information about how you can help protect CNMI's sea turtles.

2010-03-22T10:35:00.004+10:00

The United Nation's declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity- a celebration of the importance of the myriad species of plants and animals to the function of the earth's systems and their enrichment of our lives.

The United Nation's Convention on Biodiversity's site at:

http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome

Also check out the IUCN's Countdown 2010 website at:

http://www.countdown2010.net/year-biodiversity

The CNMI to Participate in its First Earth Hour

2010-03-10T10:46:00.005+10:00

On March 27th at 8:30pm the Division of Environmental quality is encouraging CNMI residents and businesses to turn their lights off for one hour in support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) sponsored Earth Hour event that seeks to raise awareness and promote global action on climate change.

In 2007 the city of Sydney, Australia decided to take a stand against global climate change by turning off their lights for one hour. This was the beginning of what has become the largest world wide event calling for action on climate change: Earth Hour.

Since its beginnings in Sydney, Earth Hour has grown exponentially in its scope and world wide participation. In 2009, 4,159 cities, towns, and municipalities from 88 different countries participated in the event. 100s of millions of people turned out their lights in an effort to raise awareness and promote action on climate change. In 2010 we will add the CNMI to that voice.

Being an island nation, the CNMI will be amongst the countries most affected by climate change. Due to our low elevation, rising sea levels put out buildings, homes, and infrastructure at risk. Increasing ocean temperatures threaten the health of the coral reefs that we depend on for food, tourism, and recreation. Higher probabilities of large storms and droughts stand to greatly affect our local agriculture.

Participating in Earth Hour will help to raise local awareness about the risks and causes of climate change as well as add to the global effort to convince leaders world wide that the time for action on climate change is now.

WWF and its local DEQ partners ask for community support to help spread the word about Earth Hour and to turn lights off between 8:30pm and 9:30pm on Saturday March 27th. More information can be found at earthhour.org or at our local CNMI website: earth-hour-northern-mariana-islands.blogspot.com

For more information about Earth Hour:
Aric Bickel, DEQ Saipan, 664-8513

Carnival of the Blue 34

2010-03-02T09:12:00.001+10:00

Carnival of the Blue 34 is now posted at Southern Fried Science.

Carnival of the blue is a rotating monthly compilation of the "best of" ocean blogging, bringing together ocean bloggers and readers and (hopefully) using new media to build a virtual community of ocean lovers. The Carnival lives on the blogs of community members and you can visit Carnival of the Blue headquarters for links to all the carnivals since ever since.

Teachers go to camp to explore connections between land and sea

2009-12-14T13:15:00.004+10:00

Educators from around the island explored ways to bring coral reef education into their classrooms at the 2009 Teacher Camp.

The teacher workshop based on the “Ridge to Reef” theme looked at the connections between land and sea, and explored ways in which teachers can share that knowledge with students. Land-based pollution is one of the greatest threats to coral reefs today.

Together with field experts, the teachers toured Kagman Wetland Education Island, Garapan Watershed and Tank Beach – part of the Forbidden Island Marine Sanctuary. The camp was held Saturday, Nov. 21.

Teachers took home activity folders, which will help them develop lesson plans. As a follow-up to the camp, upon completion of three “Ridge to Reef”-related lesson plans, teachers and their classes will embark on educational field trips funded by Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA).

The camp is a combined effort of MINA, Coastal Resources Management Office, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Division of Environmental Quality and the CNMI Coral Reef Initiative.

The following is a list of camp presenters and topics:
Brooke Nevitt, Coastal Resources Management, Ridge to Reef: Making the Connections
Lisa Eller, Division of Environmental Quality, Watersheds
Laura Williams, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Wetlands
Kathy Yuknavage, Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, Marine Debris

To learn more about upcoming Teacher Camps, contact Brooke Nevitt, CRM Education and Outreach Coordinator at 664-8300.

Participants assessing their experience at Teacher Camp.

Educators exploring Tank Beach in Forbidden Island Marine Sanctuary.

Teachers looking for sources of pollution in a watershed scavenger hunt in Garapan.

CNMI joins call for climate change action in global 350.org demonstration

2009-10-26T15:51:00.006+10:00

SAIPAN—On Saturday morning, Saipan residents joined people in 181 countries for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At more than 5,200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

Around the world —from capitol cities to the melting slopes of Mount Everest, even underwater on dying coral reefs—people held rallies aimed at focusing attention on the number 350 because scientists have insisted in recent years that 350 parts per million is the most carbon dioxide we can safely have in the atmosphere. The current CO2 concentration is 390 parts per million.

“That’s why glaciers and sea ice are melting, drought is spreading, and flooding is on the increase,” said Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and author twenty years ago of the first major book on climate change. “And it’s why we need a huge worldwide movement to give us the momentum to make real political change. Our leaders have heard from major corporations and big polluters for a long time—today, finally, they heard from citizens and scientists.”

Saipan Fatuul Canoe Club organized a 350 photo with paddlers at the Micronesian Cup Competition.

Community members gathered in front of Mt. Carmel Cathedral church to pose for a 350 photo in recognition of the issue of climate change.

The CNMI Marine Monitoring Team organized a 350 photo at one of several coral bleaching sites.

The Division of Environmental Quality and Coastal Resources Management Office organized a 350 photo during the Green Business Initiative Eco-bag giveaway at Payless Market – a monthly event to promote reducing the use of plastic bags.

coco blog

2009-10-15T10:42:00.002+10:00

Rota Fiesta 2009!

2009-10-15T09:03:00.005+10:00

Brooke (CRM), Olivia and I (DEQ) went to Rota this weekend to do outreach at the Rota Fiesta. The whole community gathers for this annual event - so it's the perfect place to meet and share. We had a blast teaching about coral reefs, marine protected areas, marine debris, nonpoint source pollution, watersheds and more. We also had some off time to enjoy the beautiful island.

Olivia handing goodies to kids for answering watershed and nonpoint source pollution questions.

Learning about watersheds with the enviroscape model and playing marine debris games.

Brooke playing the Pride Challenge with children. Question topics include MPAs and marine species.

Marine debris data from the Coastal Cleanup

2009-09-25T11:16:00.008+10:00

Volunteer groups who took part in the International Coastal Cleanup were asked to tally the types of marine debris they encountered. Although we've only gotten a handful of data sheets back from Tinian and Saipan, the data so far is pretty interesting - considering that most of these things stick around hundreds of years!

I'm listing the most common debris here:

Cigarette butts- 3,555
Caps and lids - 3,046
Plastic beverage bottles - 2,567
Beverage cans - 2,201
Cups, plates, etc. - 1,523
Pull tabs - 1,109
Glass beverage bottles - 758
Plastic bags - 576

Thanks to all the groups who took the time to collect this important information. It will all be submitted to the Ocean Conservancy for its annual worldwide report on marine debris.

Beautify CNMI announces slogan and bumper sticker contest

2009-09-21T16:45:00.001+10:00

Beautify CNMI is looking for a new slogan following the successful “What we do on the land can affect our marine environment” campaign started in 2006.

In order to find a new slogan, Beautify CNMI is looking to the community for help.

Artists are being asked to come up with a slogan and to design a bumper sticker that goes along with their slogan. The winner will receive $150 cash and fifty of their winning bumper stickers to give out to friends and family.

The contest is open to all residents of all ages of the Commonwealth. Guidelines for the slogan contest are:

• must be original
• must be relevant to the actions and mission of Beautify CNMI.
• The bumper sticker can be square or horizontally rectangular.
• Artists and participants can submit more than one design and more than one artist can work together on a single submission.
• Designs may be by free-hand sketch, drawing or computer generated, but must be in electronic format to be considered.
• Entries must be submitted by noon on October 24, 2009 and must include the artist's full name, mailing address, telephone number and email address if available.

A brief statement explaining the design and slogan may accompany entries.

All entries will become the property of Beautify CNMI and can be used freely by Beautify CNMI and must be received on or before Thursday, October 24, 2009 at noon. Entries are to be submitted via email to angelovillagomez@gmail.com.

Beautify CNMI reserves the right to modify the winning logo at any time but when possible, Beautify CNMI will work with the original artists to make these changes.

Beautify CNMI reserves the right to correct any information that appears in this contest in error and is not responsible for omissions.

For inquiries contact Angelo Villagomez at 670 285 6462

CNMI Coastal Cleanup a Success!

2009-09-21T11:05:00.005+10:00

A big thank you to everyone who volunteered for the International Coastal Cleanup!! In Saipan alone, we collected 7,900 pounds of garbage. Most importantly, the cleanup brought our communities together in stewardship of our environment. We hope for many more educational community events that bring together groups on Tinian, Saipan and Rota.

Photos from our Marine Debris Learning Station at 13 Fishermen:

Kids playing the marine debris timeline game.

School group tallying types of debris collected

Tan Holdings at TSL Plaza Beach to Carolinian Village:

Courtesy Ed Arriola at Tan Holdings

Paseo De Marianas at Makaka Beach:

PDM Promoters before the cleanup

After the cleanup...

24th Annual International Coastal Cleanup

2009-09-18T08:31:00.004+10:00

The first CNMI-wide Coastal Cleanup kicks off tomorrow! We've had an amazing response from the public and private sector. Just on Saipan, more than 600 individuals and 25 groups have signed up to reduce the amount of marine debris entering the ocean.

Three marine debris learning stations: Wing Beach, Jeffrey's Beach and 13 Fishermen will be set up to help educate the public as well as engage them in this cleanup. It's important that we not only respond to the marine debris problem but also work to prevent it.

As part of the Ocean Conservancy's program, we've asked participants to collect data on the types and amount of debris observed. The Conservancy compiles this information into a worldwide marine debris report: http://www.oceanconservancy.org

Learn more about marine debris: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/

CNMI Coastal Cleanup Day

2009-08-26T15:09:00.001+10:00

Beautify CNMI began its fourth year of service this year. Started with the simple idea of making the Commonwealth a better to live and visit, for going on four years now we've cleaned up beaches, roads, and tourist sites, planted trees, painted over graffiti, and promoted recycling and coral reef conservation.

In our first year we planned and executed an island wide cleanup called 1020 on 10/20, with the idea of having at least 1020 volunteers help us spruce up the island on October 20, 2006. Not only did we reach our goal of 1020, but we surpassed it by recruiting over 3000 volunteers.

Earlier this year in April we did it again and were even more successful. The weekend before Earth Day 2009, 27,070 lbs of trash were picked up by 4,140 volunteers from 61 volunteer groups at 54 adopted sites on Saipan.

Next month we hope to do it again with CNMI Coastal Cleanup Day.

Following the same model as the other two large cleanups, we are asking volunteer groups to adopt a beach for a day (and hopefully for a year!). We'll provide the tools and the trash pickup, you just provide the volunteers and a little bit of coordination.

From the Division of Environmental Quality:

Hundreds of volunteers throughout the CNMI are expected to clean their beaches next month as part of the world’s largest volunteer cleanup effort.

The 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup is Saturday, September 19 – from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Everyone is invited to participate. Saipan and Tinian are scheduled to participate on September 19, and Rota’s event is on Friday September 18.

On Saipan, a number of groups have already adopted beaches, including South Lao Lao and Cow Town, according to the Division of Environmental Quality. However, dozens of other beaches still need volunteers.

Several groups are working together to coordinate events on Saipan and Tinian, and the Coastal Resources Management Office is taking the lead on Rota.

The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest volunteer effort to help protect the ocean, according to the Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to protecting ocean environments and marine life.

Last year, nearly 400,000 volunteers hit their local beaches, lakes, and rivers with a common mission of improving the health of the ocean and waterways. On one day, they removed and tallied 6.8 million pounds of debris, from 6,485 sites in 100 countries and 42 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

DEQ will retrieve and properly dispose of the trash collected from the cleanup on Saipan.

Cleanup supplies – garbage bags and gloves which were purchased with funds from a generous Bridge Capital donation – will be available at DEQ the week before the cleanup.

Interested participants are encouraged to sign up for the event so that organizers may arrange for proper pick up and disposal of garbage.

To request a signup sheet for Saipan or Tinian, contact Lisa Huynh Eller, Olivia Tebuteb or Carlos Ketebengang, DEQ, at 664-8500 or email - lisaeller@deq.gov.mp. For information about Rota’s event, contact William T. Pendergrass, ICC Coordinator, or MJ Taisacan, CRMO Administrative Clerk, at 532-0466 or fax 532-1000.

Contact me for a sign up sheet and I will send you one. We will have a listing of all the cleanups up on the Beautify CNMI website soon.

In the meantime, photos from this year's Island Wide Cleanup can be found on the Beautify CNMI Facebook Fan Page here and here.

Name That Abyss!

2009-06-26T18:47:00.001+10:00

University of Hawaii professor and geologist Patricia Fryer and George Washington High School marine biology teacher and Marine Mania advisor Linda Tatreau are holding a contest to rename HMRG Deep, the second deepest place in the ocean.

According to the article in Pacific Daily News:

The contest is open to all Guam and Northern Mariana Island students ages 18 and under. The proposed name must reflect Guam's history, culture or language and the applicant must include a paragraph explaining the significance of the name.

All entries should include the applicants name, school and contact information. The deadline to submit entries is July 14 to lindian@ite.net.

The winner of the contest will have their chosen name on all bathymetric/geologic maps and will also get to ride on the UnderWater World float in the Liberation Day Parade, with a banner stating the winning name.

Friends of the Monument featured on EPA blog

2009-06-20T02:01:00.002+10:00

The Environmental Protection Agency blog has a blog post about the Friends of the Monument. Woot!

Saipan to host regional environmental conference

2009-06-18T13:04:00.001+10:00

Registration is now open for the 26th Pacific Islands Environment Conference, which will be held on Saipan on June 22 to June 25, 2009, and is expected to draw attendance from government officials and environmental leaders across the Pacific as well as the U.S. mainland.

This year's theme is “Climate of Change: Energizing a Sustainable Future for Pacific Islands.”

The conference is designed to provide a forum for leaders throughout the Pacific Basin to focus on important environmental issues through excellent speakers and interactive roundtable sessions.

On Monday, June 22, there will be pre-conference workshops and a CNMI Energy Summit. The formal PIEC conference agenda runs from June 23 to 25 and will feature both plenary and breakout sessions with a strong focus on clean energy and climate change. Field trips will be held the afternoon of Thursday, June 25.

The Pacific Islands Environment Conference is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the governments of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Register today at www.regonline.com/PIEC2009.

There is no registration fee for the conference, although the field trips and some lunches are subject to a fee. A block of rooms has been set aside at the Saipan World Resort for conference attendees, with rates starting at $100 per night (tax included). Airport transfers are available for a fee. Discounted rental car rates are being negotiated and additional details will be available soon. Those interested in participating in the conference are being urged to use the hotel reservation form on the registration Web site to reserve their room before the May 22 deadline.

For more information about the conference, contact Nuria Muñiz at (415) 972-3811 or muniz.nuria@epa.gov, or Michael Mann at (415) 972-3505 or mann.michael@epa.gov. For information on exhibit opportunities, contact Fran Castro at 670-664-8500 or francastro@deq.gov.mp.

For additional information and registration, visit www.regonline.com/PIEC2009.

Tan Holdings, Friends of the Monument recognized with Beautify CNMI awards

2009-06-13T13:14:00.000+10:00

Beautify CNMI announced today the winners of their annual Environmental Champion and Environmental Steward Awards. The awards are given out to recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses that have proven to be environmental leaders in the Commonwealth.

The Environmental Champion award recognizes a person or group that exemplifies the Beautify CNMI spirit. Those qualities include volunteerism, cooperation, innovation, creativity and the ability to infect others with the Beauty Virus. The Environmental Champion is a role model for others to follow. They bring environmental issues to the forefront of public consciousness. They make things happen and effect change.

This year Beautify CNMI will recognize Tan Holdings, Laurie Peterka, and Ken Kramer as the 2009 Environmental Champions.

Tan Holdings is being recognized as a model of corporate environmental responsibility. Under the leadership of President Jerry Tan, Tan Holdings employees and friends have been part of several environmental projects over the past year. All Tan Holdings offices on Saipan participate in a Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle program and the company participates in a reusable shopping bag campaign with Joeten. Employees, often with the participation of management, regularly participate in cleanups, including the recent island wide cleanup.

Laurie Peterka and Ken Kramer are being recognized for their roles in the creation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

Kramer was so inspired by the concept of the monument that he quit his job so that he would have more time to collect signatures. Kramer was the largest signature collector for a petition being circulated in support of the monument, collecting over 1000 signatures at the street market, in front of stores, at the Sabalu market, and door to door. Kramer also penned nearly two-dozen letters to the editor educating newspaper readers about the benefits of a monument.

Peterka is being recognized for the role she played as staff with the Pew Environment Group. According to one of her nominations for the award, “Laurie has been the backbone of the Friends of the Monument’'s efforts: always there, always supportive, keeping things moving, doing much of the organizing, writing, scheduling, as well as a lot of the scut work.”

The Environmental Steward award recognizes a person or group that leads the community in activities that help protect our environment in a variety of ways. This individual or group has demonstrated the need to take pride in our islands and to take care of the place we all call home. They serve as an example for others, especially the next generation, to follow.

This year Beautify CNMI will recognize Friends of the Monument as the 2009 Environmental Stewards.

Friends of the Monument was formed to help promote the idea of creating a national marine monument in the waters around the three northernmost islands of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Friends of the Monument engaged in activities to help educate the community --distributing leaflets, conducting meetings, and coordinating with teachers for classroom presentations. The organization gathered more than 6,000 signatures on petitions in support of the designation of a Monument. The Friends sent representatives to Washington, D.C. to meet with White House officials, and participated in television and radio public service announcements and advertising. Ultimately, they were instrumental in the process that resulted in former President George W. Bush designating the Marianas Trench Marine Monument, along with three larger national marine monuments.

The awards were handed out at the Beautify CNMI/PAWS Boonie Dog Show on Saturday, June 13 at the CPA Airport Field.

Beautify CNMI recognizes Steward and Champion Awards winner each year in Spring. Nominations are taken from the community at-large and the Beautify CNMI Committee Chairs select winners. Past winners include Aqua Resort Club, Friends of the Mariana Islands, Marites Castillo, Kathy Yuknavage, Captain Carl Brachear, Adam Sablan, Katie Busenkell, Rose Callier, Mike Tripp, Marianas Dive, Nava Khorram, Max Aguon, Paseo de Marianas Promoters, and Bree Reynolds.

Beautify CNMI! is a coalition of concerned citizens, private groups, and government entities united to enhance the CNMI's natural beauty and foster community pride in its residents and visitors. The coalition was a recipient of a 2007 EPA Environmental Award and received a Certificate of Commendation from the United States Congress in 2009. For more information visit them online at http://www.beautifycnmi.org.

Beautify CNMI Meeting Next Week

2009-05-29T09:32:00.000+10:00

The first Beautify CNMI monthly meeting in about a year is scheduled for next Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 3:30 PM. This will be a reorganization meeting. We're not going to change too much, just bring everyone back to the table to see how we can continue to work together.

I will start the meeting off with a short synopsis of our different programs over the last 3 years.

PAWS WARS Episode 3: The Revenge of the Boonie

2009-05-23T15:08:00.001+10:00

It is that time of year again – when Beautify CNMI! and PAWS team up to celebrate Saipan’s boonie dogs. This year, the dog show, PAWS WARS, Episode III, Revenge of the Boonie, will be held on June 13, 2009 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at CPA Airport Field. Categories include:

Star Wars Character
Booniest
Fattest
Most Disobedient
Most Talented; and
Best in Show.

Come down and bring your dog in their best storm trooper or Darth Vader mask. There will be great prizes and loads of fun for the entire family. Registration forms are available here. As we have done in the past, we hope to use the dog show as a method of educating people about the benefits of responsible pet ownership and promote the human-animal bond.

Island Wide Cleanup Award Winners

2009-05-07T14:52:00.001+10:00

Saipan, (CNMI) – Two elementary schools and a government agency that provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers are one hundred dollars richer today as Beautify CNMI! handed out prizes to groups participating in last month’s island-wide cleanup.

Garapan Elementary School received $100 for the photo they submitted of their entire student body right before cleaning up their campus and the surrounding neighborhood. They won the contest for the photo with the most volunteers.

“I told some of the staff that we won and they were really proud,” remarked Dale Roberts, Vice Principal of Garapan Elementary.

In the contest to take a photo of the biggest pile of collected garbage, San Vicente was declared the victors. ACT President Betty Miller was on hand to accept the $100 on behalf of the students.

“We had a lot of support from the parents on our cleanup day and they deserve a lot of the credit,” said Miller about winning the contest category.

Each of this year’s 61 participating groups also had their names put into a random drawing to win $100. William S. Reyes 5th grader Shizuka Takayama pulled the name of the Children’s Developmental Assistance Center during a press event at the Marianas Visitors Authority office on Wednesday.

“Everyone who participated in this year’s island-wide cleanup deserves a hearty thank you,” said Angelo Villagomez of Beautify CNMI. He added, “the Kramis family also deserves a big thank for their generous donation making these prizes possible.”

Award winners: Roberts and Miller with the $100 checks for their schools. Saipanda is also pictured.

The 2009 island-wide cleanup had the participation of 4,140 volunteers from 61 groups and over 13.5 tons of litter was removed from the streets and beaches of Saipan. The Rotary Club of Saipan, Division of Environmental Quality, Marianas Visitors Authority, and Marianas Tourism Education Council coordinated the event.

MINA Annual Meeting

2009-05-04T15:17:00.000+10:00

The 2009 MINA general membership meeting will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 5:00PM to 8:00PM at the 13 Fishermen's Pavilion on Beach Road in Garapan. We would like to invite all of our members as well as the general public to join us, and learn about the opportunities and challenges facing MINA in 2009, as well as our accomplishments in 2008.

The Final Tally

2009-04-20T15:23:00.001+10:00

We're done tallying up the final numbers for the Island Wide Cleanup. It is funny to think that several weeks worth of work are going to boil down to a sentence like, "27,070 lbs of trash were picked up by 4,140 volunteers from 61 volunteer groups at 54 adopted sites." I guess that's what this kind of stuff comes down to in the end.

So those are our official numbers. Here they are again:

Number of volunteers participating: 4,140
Weight of trash removed: 27,070 lbs (13.5 tons)
Volunteer groups participating: 61
Number of adopted sites: 54

There are too many people to thank for our success, but my Thank You letter is a start.

Carnival of the Blue 23

2009-04-11T07:58:00.001+10:00

Carnival of the Blue 23 is now posted at Deep Sea News. I contribute regularly to this blog carnival, having hosted twice.

A Blog Carnival is a particular kind of blog community. There are many kinds of blogs, and they contain articles on many kinds of topics. Blog Carnivals typically collect together links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic. A Blog Carnival is like a magazine. It has a title, a topic, editors, contributors, and an audience. Editions of the carnival typically come out on a regular basis (e.g. every monday, or on the first of the month). Each edition is a special blog article that consists of links to all the contributions that have been submitted, often with the editors opinions or remarks.

Carnival of the Blue is published on the first Monday of each month. Topics relate to the ocean and conservation, hence the 'blue.' Next month it is hosted on Sea Notes, the blog of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Beautify CNMI looking for award nominations

2009-04-09T13:02:00.001+10:00

The Committee Chairs of Beautify CNMI are seeking nominations for their annual Beautify CNMI Steward and Beautify CNMI Champion awards. The two awards will be given out at the end of April.

The awards are given out to recognize the individuals or groups who have been environmental leaders during the past 12 months.

There are two award categories, the Environmental Steward and the Environmental Champion.

The Environmental Steward award recognizes a person or group that leads the community in activities that help protect our environment in a variety of ways. This individual or group has demonstrated the need to take pride in our islands and to take care of the place we all call home. They serve as an example for others, especially the next generation, to follow.

According to Beautify CNMI volunteer Angelo Villagomez, “The Steward Award winners are the backbone of Beautify CNMI. These are the people that volunteer their time every single weekend to improve our environment and our islands.”

The Environmental Champion award recognizes a person or group that exemplifies the Beautify CNMI spirit. Those qualities include volunteerism, cooperation, innovation, creativity and the ability to infect others with the Beauty Virus. The Environmental Champion is a role model for others to follow. They bring environmental issues to the forefront of public consciousness. They make things happen and effect change.

“The Champion Award winners are the environmental leaders on Saipan,” explained Beautify CNMI founder Cinta M. Kaipat.

The 2007 Environmental Champion winners were PSS teacher Bree Reynolds, MINA board member Kathy Yuknavage, and local activist Captain Carl Brachear. The winners of the 2007 Environmental Steward award were elementary school student Adam Sablan and volunteer group Friends of the Mariana Islands.

The 2008 Environmental Champion winners were Nava Khorram, Marites Castillo of Friends of the Mariana Islands, Katie Busenkell of PAWS, Mike Tripp of Marianas Dive, and Aqua Resort Club. The winners of the 2008 Environmental Steward award were Friends of the Marianas Islands, Marianas Dive, Paseo de Marianas Promoters and Max Aguon and the Pantalon Boys.

To nominate an individual or group, submit a written nomination explaining why that person or group deserves recognition. You can make as many nominations as you like, but individuals and groups can only be nominated for one award category. Nominations must include the award category the nominee is being considered for, a well written argument detailing the reasons why this nominee should be considered, and contact information for the nominee and for the person making the nomination.

Send nominations to Angelo Villagomez at angelovillagomez@gmail.com or mail them to PMB 360 BOX 10001; Saipan, MP 96950 or call 285-6462 for more information.

$900 in prizes made available to schools

2009-04-08T08:47:00.001+10:00

The island wide cleanup that is being planned for next Friday was independently planned by three separate organizations. I wrote about organizing an island wide cleanup on The Saipan Blog for the Rotary Club back in January. In February I got an email from DEQ saying that they were planning an island wide cleanup as part of the Commonwealth Earth Day celebration. Then last month, Marianas Tourism Education Council (MTEC) contacted me to let me know that they were also planning an island wide cleanup in April. All three groups had been planning their separate cleanups for some time, it just took us a while to find each other.

When we found that we had similar goals, we immediately decided to work together (this is back in February) and started roping in other partners. Marianas Visitors Authority agreed to donate $1500 for supplies and Tan Holding, the largest employer on the island besides the government, pledged to have all their companies participate (three hotels, several restaurants, an insurance company, a newspaper, among others).

In the classic Beautify CNMI spirit, each group donates that which they are best at donating. I'm a great organizer. DEQ has government contacts and staff and trucks for hauling garbage. MVA has media people. Tan Holdings and the schools have volunteers. MTEC, MVA, and the Kramises in Washington have money. All our donations of time, talent, money, and manpower come together to make for a great event.

A big part of MTEC's involvement is giving support and financial assistance to the local schools. They donated $1000 towards the cleanup effort. They originally offered to split the $1000 equally between the schools and Beautify CNMI, but I asked them to change it to $900 for the students and only $100 for us. The way I figure it, I'm really good at scrounging up supplies and volunteers and if there is money available for students, better to support the students.

They issued a press release about their donation today.

MTEC Offers Top Schools Cleanup Incentives

Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) – Personal responsibility in having a clean tourism destination is being highlighted by Marianas Tourism Education Council (MTEC), as the group announces cash incentives for Northern Marianas schools that join the Earth Month Island-wide Cleanup on April l7, 2009.

In addition to $100 donated to event organizer Beautify CNMI!, MTEC is setting aside $900 for the Public School System to be divided among the top schools with the highest percentage of student turnout for the cleanup.

“Keeping our islands beautiful is an important part of supporting tourism, and we encourage all schools, especially those with MY WAVE (Welcome All Visitors Enthusiastically) clubs to have their students join the April 17 event,” said MTEC Chairman Ed Cho. “MTEC is pleased to support this year’s cleanup and help encourage a clean environment for visitors and residents, alike.”

Beautify CNMI partners Division of Environmental Quality, Rotary Club, and Marianas Visitors Authority are inviting all residents to plant a tree, paint over some graffiti or cleanup a road or a beach during the event. Cleanup over the weekend is also encouraged for people not available on April 17. Assistance with gloves, trash bags, and trash transfer are also available from Beautify CNMI!

Sign-up forms will be the basis of awarding the MTEC incentive. Forms are available from Rotary Club member and event co-organizer Angelo Villagomez at angelovillagomez@gmail.com.

A complete list of participants for the cleanup can be found at http://beautifycnmi.blogspot.com. As of today (April 7), six spots have been adopted by eight organizations, accounting for 136 volunteers.

The coordination of the cleanup is going very well. As of 8:31 AM on Wednesday, April 8, we have 11 sites adopted by 13 different groups representing 591 volunteers. We are about 1/10 of the way there with 9 days to go to continue building excitement. I'm optimistic that we'll reach our goal of 5000 volunteers!

Sign up for the Island Wide Cleanup

2009-04-03T17:27:00.001+10:00

I am working with the Division of Environmental Quality, Marianas Visitors Authority, Rotary Club of Saipan, and Marianas Tourism Education Council to coordinate an island wide cleanup for April 17, 2009.

The concept for the cleanup is simple: If several thousand people spend just a couple of hours doing something to improve the islands on the day of the cleanup, the following morning the islands will look pretty nice.

This will make our islands look pretty snazzy in time for Earth Day and for Tourism Month in May.

The coordinators are asking people, businesses, government agencies, schools, and homes to spend an hour or two doing a cleanup at anytime on Friday, April 17, 2009. If you want to adopt a beach that is great, but we are encouraging people to adopt the area near their place of business. Governor Fitial has agreed to allow ALL government agencies to participate during working hours. More information on that should be forthcoming from DEQ and the Governor's Office.

I hope you can participate. I've created a simple signup sheet that will help us track our activities. If you would like me to send you one, please email me at angelovillagomez at gmail dot com. After you fill it out, please either fax or email it back in.

Island Wide Cleanup sign ups begin

The first 50 people have signed up for the Island Wide Cleanup slated to take place on April 17, 2009. The Saipan Mayor’s Office and the Office of Personnel Management were the first organizations to turn in their sign up sheets.

The Office of Personnel Management has adopted the Garapan Fishing Base and has pledged to recruit 20 volunteers to help beautify the area. Likewise, the Saipan Mayor’s Office has adopted Beach Road from Afetnas to Koblerville and has pledged 30 staff for roadside trash collection.

“Our first two signups adopted the roads and areas near their offices. This is what we envisioned when we started planning this cleanup,” said co-organizer Joe Kaipat of Division of Environmental Quality. “We hope to get at least 5000 volunteers this year,” he added.

According to the organizers, the goal of this year’s island wide cleanup is to recruit at least 5000 volunteers to spend a few hours beautifying the islands, whether it is by picking up litter on a road or beach, painting over graffiti, planting a few trees, or participating in some other activity.

The cleanup organizers are encouraging participants to adopt a spot near their homes, offices, or schools, although some organizations will adopt beaches and/or tourist sites.

The organizers are encouraging the community to get involved as much as possible.

Event co-organizer Angelo Villagomez said, “It would be great if we could get a few families to adopt the roads near their homes. We want people to take ownership and responsibility for the upkeep of their areas of the island.”

The Marianas Visitors Authority is providing funds for garbage bags, rubber gloves, and some paint and the Division of Environmental Quality has pledged to assist with transferring solid waste collected to the transfer station in Lower Base. Supplies, if needed, will be available for pickup at the Division of Environmental Quality.

Division of Environmental Quality, Rotary Club of Saipan, Marianas Visitors Authority, and Marianas Tourism Education Council are the co-organizers of the island wide cleanup.

For more information on the how to participate in the cleanup, contact Joe Kaipat at 664-8500 or Angelo Villagomez at 285-6462 or via Email at angelovillagomez@gmail.com.

Link to this blog

2009-03-03T17:39:00.000+10:00

During the 11th Micronesians in Island Conservation Retreat I was tasked with taking over the learning network's blog found at http://mic-network.blogspot.com. I've fiddled with the template and the colors a little bit here and there over the last two weeks and I'm liking the new look.

My first change was to turn the background from a solid green to a picture of two fishermen in an outrigger canoe. What says connecting islands better than a canoe?

I also added a Sitemeter counter, some frequently asked questions, contact information, and changed things around a bit so that the site is easier to navigate (at least to me). In the past I've done a few widgets for organizations I've done work with (i.e. a logo that links to your website). I used that code to add logos that link to Friends of the Monument, Micronesia Conservation Trust, and Beautify CNMI. I'll add a few more logos as work progresses on the blog, including the html code so that you can link to those websites, too!

As for the color scheme, I offer the fact that I am color blind as an excuse.

I encourage you to add a link to the Micronesians in Island Conservation blog. In the upcoming months we should be adding some great conservation stories from the whole of Micronesia. You heard it here first.

MIcronesia Challenge on Facebook

2009-03-03T09:32:00.000+10:00

Are you a member of Facebook? Would you like to be the envy of all your friends? There is now a Facebook Fan Page and a Facebook Group for the Micronesia Challenge. Join today!

Both the Fan Page and the Group allow users to post comments on a discussion board, upload photos and video, suggest links, and leave comments. The Fan Page allows the administrator to write notes or, as I prefer to do, syndicate a blog feed. I am syndicating the Micronesians in Island Conservation blog until there is a Micronesia Challenge blog. The thing I like best about both is that the administrator has the ability to send messages to every member of both the Group and the Fan Page. This will come in handy, especially once the membership gets into the thousands.

Additionally, the Fan Page links to Fan Pages for the Micronesian governments that have signed onto the Micronesia Challenge: Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. It also links to a Fan Page for Beautify CNMI, an environmental coalition in the Marianas supportive of the Micronesia Challenge. I will link to other non-profits working on the Micronesia Challenge once someone sets up their Fan Pages. (Pehaps we can do this at the next MIC retreat or maybe the next steering committee meeting?)

So what are you waiting for? Log into Facebook and join the Facebook Fan Page and the Facebook Group for the Micronesia Challenge.

Micronesia Challenge Logo

2009-03-02T10:32:00.001+10:00

The logo was developed by Luke, an artist in Yap, and incorporates the creativity, compassion and, perhaps most importantly, the true culture of Micronesia. While the basic design is of a turtle with an "M" as the front fins and a "C" as the body, the logo also incorporates the overall aspects of air, sea and land and has come to mean different things to different people with some saying they see an island, some a bird in flight and still others seeing waves. "Micronesia" is in blue to match the "M" in the logo and "Challenge" is in green to match the "C." This logo is now the official logo of the Micronesia Challenge.

Beautify CNMI Email List

2009-02-20T10:23:00.001+10:00

I've spent the last two weeks getting Beautify CNMI back up to speed. I've started a Beautify CNMI Facebook fan page and I've updated the email list. We'll have activities all year in 2009. If you would like to be added to the email list, please email me at angelovillagomez at gmail dot com or call me at 285 6462 and I will add you.

Meet Primo

2008-11-07T10:20:00.002+10:00

CoCo: Good morning and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me.

Primo: My pleasure.

CoCo: So, you have been awarded the coveted title of Flagship Species for the CNMI Pride Campaign. How do you feel?

Primo: I’ve never felt better! I have been given an opportunity to help promote healthy reefs and I look forward to doing my best. Because my species depends on the reef for our survival, it is a topic near and dear to my heart.

CoCo: You mentioned your species, I have never heard of the Yellow Crowned Butterflyfish.

Primo: (sighs) Yes, most people in the CNMI and around the world have never heard of us. We are actually very rare. My species is endemic to the Marianas…that means this is our home…our ONLY home. The Yellow Crowned Butterflyfish is not found anywhere else in the world.

CoCo: No where else? Wow!

Primo: Yes, that makes us very special. But at the same time, it makes us very vulnerable. The survival of the Yellow Crowned Butterflyfish depends on the survival of the CNMI’s reefs.

CoCo: I see. Can you tell us a little about how you were chosen for this job?

Primo: It was tough competition. I was among many other marine creatures. We were then narrowed down to four: the spotted eagle ray, the bumphead parrotfish, the napoleon wrasse, and the yellow crowned butterflyfish.

CoCo: You were in the company of some pretty amazing animals.

Primo: It was an honor to stand among those three.

CoCo: How were you finally chosen?

Primo: The four of us were included in an island wide survey conducted by volunteer NMC students. Nearly 400 people were asked to choose which species they thought would be the best mascot for the CNMI’s reefs. All of our photos were included, and people selected their pick.

CoCo: I saw the photos. You looked fabulous.

Primo: Thank you, but I think that the bumphead parrotfish was by far the most photogenic.

CoCo: In the end, what were the results of the survey?

Primo: I came out ahead with 37% of the vote, followed by the bumphead who got 27%.

CoCo: Congratulations!

Primo: Thank you. But I want to remind people that the health of our reefs is important to all marine life…please take good care of it!

CoCo: I understand you have many exciting events coming up; where will you be in the next couple of months.

Primo: I’ll be hanging out at the Thursday night market, visiting the popular beach sites on the weekends. I will also be at the Build A Castle Save A Reef event on Nov 22 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel all day.

CoCo: that’s exciting. I hope your fans will get to have your autograph. Before you go on your way, do you have with any parting words?

Primo: Healthy Reefs, Healthy Fish!

The CNMI Pride Campaign is brought to you by Coastal Resources Management Office and the Coral Reef Initiative, a partnership of the CNMI’s environmental agencies, Coastal Resources Management, the Division of Environmental Quality, and the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information about Primo, the Pride Campaign, or for opportunities to help please contact Brooke Nevitt, Pride Campaign Manager and Education and Outreach Coordinator, Coastal Resources Management Office, 664-8320 or pridecnmi@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events

2008-11-06T08:48:00.004+10:00

Sat, Nov 22, 2008. 7am-1pm @ 4-H building
"Health & Wellness Fair" ~ over 20 exhibits from health, environment, safety and youth organizations (private and public)

Sat, December 6, 2008. 8am-4pm @ Hyatt Regency beachside
"Build A Castle ~ Save A Reef" ~ as part of the International Year of the Reef, this is Light in the Eve Foundation 5th year in hosting this event. Special Appearance by PRIMO!! games, prizes and autograph signing !

Dec 10 & 11, 2008
"Conservation Action Plan [CAP] Workshop" ~ Meghan Gombos from NOAA and Trina Leberer from TNC will be in Saipan on Dec 10 and 11 to assist us in utilizing the CAP info to create a final management plan (LAS) for LauLau and becoming familiar with the new CAP tool, Miradi*. [times and location will be announced later.]

CoCo meeting minutes for October 1, 2008

2008-10-03T15:40:00.001+10:00

Present:
Brooke Nevitt, Kathleen Herrmann, Olivia Tebuteb and Reina Camacho.

Right Route –
- Press releases were featured and flyers were distributed.
- Ads were also featured in the Variety and Tribune.
- Deadline to sign up is Oct 6.

Scavenger Hunt –
- no word from coordinators (Fran Castro and John Starmer) on progress or direction on the event. Those present determined a postponement.
- The proposals for prizes were also not approved.

Outreach @ Rota Fiesta on October 10, 11 and 12 –
- Gov agencies: DEQ’s NPS/Watershed, CRM’s pride, DFW’s brown tree snake program
- Need outreach goodies (posters, magnets, pencils, etc.)

Other updates:
4th grade outreach –
- Olivia is coordinating with the schools for this year. Programs that want to participate need to contact Olivia or Reina, 664-8500.
Library story hour –
- Ongoing at Children’s library, every Friday at 3-4pm.
- More readers/presenters needed.
Pride campaign –
- Primo will be at the Garapan street market every Thursday
- Primo will develop conservation clubs at each high school, starting with NMA as a pilot
Environment Page –
- Articles needed; coco features approximately 3 articles per day
- Thanks Bruce for sending in an article!

OTHERS:
~ State of the Reef presentation at the Kagman Community Center on Thur, Oct 23, 6pm

~ Wellness Fair on Sat, Nov 22, 4-H Club; exhibitors needed

NEXT MEETING:
Thursday, November 6, 2008, 9am @ DEQ conf rm 205

Stop Turtle Poaching in the Marianas

2008-09-12T16:15:00.000+10:00

I received this message from MINA today:

NOAA needs your help. NOAA is offering Rewards for Information on Sea Turtle Poaching!!!!

NOAA’s Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of persons poaching endangered sea turtles in the Territory of Guam and in the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands.

Turtle poaching is an ongoing problem in the Guam area. In recent months, NOAA special agents have investigated cases involving the sale and consumption of meat and eggs of protected sea turtles.

Turtle experts believe that turtle poaching is a significant contributing factor to the reduction of indigenous sea turtle populations around the Pacific islands.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects all six species of sea turtles in the United States. Endangered species include the indigenous Green Sea Turtle and the Hawksbill Sea Turtle, which are commonly found in and around Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. Under the ESA and its corresponding regulations, it is illegal to take, possess, sell, deliver, receive, import, export, carry, transport, or ship any endangered species. A violation of the Endangered Species Act can result in civil penalties of up to $25,000, and criminal fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment up to one year.

Anyone with information is asked to call one of the following numbers:

Special Agent Charles Raterman (Guam) 671-472-7200
Pacific Islands Division (Honolulu, HI) 808-541-2727
Office for Law Enforcement - National Hotline: 800-853-1964
Guam Customs & Quarantine Service - MITF: 671-475-6331
Guam Division of Aquatics and Wildlife – DAWR: 671-735-3991
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Guam 671-647-6064
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

go to:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080729_seaturtle.html

Minutes for August 6, 208

2008-09-05T08:19:00.000+10:00

CNMI Organization for Conservation Outreach [CoCo]

Meeting - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 @ DEQ conference room

MEETING MINUTES

Welcome & Introductions

The meeting was attended by: Kathleen Herrmann (DEQ), Lauren Sanchez (DPW - energy), Norbert (DPW Energy), Teny Topalian (PIRO), Brooke Nevitt (CRM), Daniel Villegas, (DEQ intern); Olivia Tebuteb (DEQ), Kathy Yuknavage (CRM) and reina camacho (DEQ).

Agency Updates

Teacher camp (coral reefs and general environmental resources) will be held on Sept 4 & 5 at CRM office; space is limited. Brooke will email flyer for CoCo members to distribute.

Scavenger Hunt – lead persons are Fran Castro and John Starmer

Only a handful submitted clues; still need more. Discussion on the underwater camera as prizes; Kathy will write up a justification for 1-2 cameras as prizes for a side watershed (ridge 2 reef) photo contest. available funds from CRMs account can be used toward the purchase of supplies and/or incentives for the scavenger hunt (volunteer shirts, totebags, waterbottles, etc.)

Tasks:

ALL - submit watershed clues, DUE AUGUST 13^th via email to Daniel (zoozdom@gmail.com)
ALL – recruit at least 5 staff from each agency to volunteer
Daniel – create visuals for use is print advertising
Brooke – develop radio script
Fran/Energy Office – look for funding for Ads

Take the Right Route (RR) – lead by Energy Office

Date is confirmed for October 10(Friday); giveaways for participants (1000 zories, lanyards, water bottles, light bulbs, etc.) and coordinators (goody bag of energy stuff) have been secured.

Tasks:

1. reina - finalize flier (need energy office input); and set up presentations at Chamber, Rotary, HANMI, MVA, etc
flyer distribution at post office, grocery stores (Costco, ace hardware, etc.); perhaps have conduct face-to-face presentations to recruit offices;

2. Energy - secure money for newspaper and radio advertisements

Other:

Next Meeting – Wed, September 3, 2008, 9:30am @ Energy Office in Capitol Hill.

Adjournment

CoCo meets on Mon, July 21

2008-07-11T11:31:00.001+10:00

CoCo's next meeting will be on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:30am (alternate time: 1:30pm) at the Coastal Resources Management Office (conference room, 2nd floor) .

Draft Agenda items:
IYOR – upcoming events

Sept/October 2008 - Scavenger Hunt
October 2008 - Right Route #2 (lead by DPW energy office)

Other:

Tuesday, Sept 16 – International Coastal Cleanup Day
Increase outreach activities for tinian and rota communities
Round robin – agency updates/upcoming events.

New Coral Reef Reports

2008-07-01T09:35:00.002+10:00

Over the past month DEQ and CRM published an overview of CNMI reefs as a newspaper insert, with reprints still available at the CRM and DEQ offices. Its also available online at www.cnmicoralreef.net. The CNMI MMT has also finalized the monitoring plan for 2008 which is available at http://www.cnmicoralreef.net/rp/pubs.htm.

Meeting Minutes for Thursday, March 6, 2008

2008-03-17T14:39:00.001+10:00

We held a coco meeting on Thur, March 6th @ DFW; the following were present:

Teny Topalian, Reina Camacho, kathleen Hermann and Olivia Tebuteb

CoCo welcomed Kathleen; she's the new coral reef fellow stationed at DEQ.

DEQ shared its upcoming events:
1) Cook A Rainbow ~ Cooking from our Reefs – Sat, March 29 @ Sabalu Market, 11am
2) Proclamation – tues, april 1 @ 10am (location TBD)
3) Environmental Expo – Tuesday, April 8 and Wed, April 9 @ Public Library 8am-12pm

Old business
1) Mission, Involvement, Partnership - TABLED (yet again...!)
2) NRM Program – comment period regarding the program scope from CoCo members has expired/completed; the advisory committee is ready to meet and discuss NRM Project Coordinator funding. IYOR – Right Route, draft directive was sent for comment; none were received. Reina will forward to Gov Office.
3) IYOR/Earth Day – Brooke sent her suggestions; no opposition from those present; go Brooke!
4) IYOR/Coral Parade (July 4) – TABLED.

New Biz – none.

Next meeting – Date: Thurs, April 3; time and locaiton will be determined via email

Meeting Minutes for January 10, 2008

2008-03-17T14:31:00.000+10:00

CoCo Meeting @ DEQ – Thursday, January 10, 2008

Welcome & Introductions
- reina called meeting to order at 9:10am
- Meeting was attended by Mike Tripp, Teny Topalian, Reina Camacho, Kathy Yuknavage, brooke nevitt, nate Hawley, ken Kramer, Angelo Villagomez

Agency Updates (round robin)
CAP – jan 16-19, 2008 @ PIC, by invitation only, limited to 20pax; must register with Fran Castro, 664-8570 or via email coralreefpoc@gmail.com
DFW – want to know how Invasive species fits w/Micro Challenge? We request a micro challenge mtg update?
Marianas dive – underwater cleanup on Sun, Jan 20th @ Grotto;
Suggestion to promote report violations; 888-4917 (DFW marine enforcement hotline) and increase crime stopper #.
CRM – completed stairs @ obyan beach; access ramp for people w/disabilities.; reviewing 100-500 of CRM regs; will distribute for review to other agencies upon completion of the draft.
RARE – stakeholder meeting, PIC, Jan 24, 9am-12noon. Various representation.
MINA – completed the first phase of the re-vegetation at obyan beach; Executive Director met with teachers of the environmental camp to review lesson plans; MINA will hold camp in 2008.

Old Business
1. IYOR update:

a.) Jan 18 Proclamation
- Manamko – open
- Fisherman – lino olopai & john castro
- Students –
- Reina to do - use mina ‘s email list to publicize; send add’l PSA to newspaper/tv;

b.) Feb 15 Right Route
- CRM & MINA will have a sign u sheet; participants will get pair of zori
- CRM via MINA will purchase 200 pairs of ‘walk it, don’t drive it’ zories to give away to Right Route participants
- CRM is pending approval on the advertisements for magazines & newspapers.
- MINA will publicize event via tv, radio, etc.

c.) April 22 Coral Parade
- no new info from MINA regarding the lead; spoke with Beach Road Magazine
- angelo suggested having a turtle event instead of the reef.
- Mike would like know more about event planning team/budget
- Build a coral reef event @ PDM

2. Review Mission, Involvement, Partnership, etc.
- Forum is an exceptional opportunity, but we are not effective if we do not get all the support or participation
- Invite: dive groups, fisherman (Chinese, Korean, etc.), schools,
- Let’s revisit in April after the above events.

New Business
Outreach Booth, Feb 16-17, Tinian Hot Pepper Festival

Next Meeting – Thurs, February 7, 9am, USDA Conference Room

Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 10:35am

Meeting Reminder

2008-01-08T14:36:00.000+10:00

There will be a CoCos meeting this Thursday, January 10 at 9:00 AM in the DEQ conference room in Gualo Rai.

Protect the Environment while Shopping!

2007-12-11T17:06:00.000+10:00

As part of DEQ’s Green Business Initiative, the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Carmen Safeway Enterprises team up to offer shopping incentives to encourage shoppers to use reusable bags.

This Saturday, December 15, starting at 10 am, reusable bags will be distributed to the first 100 shoppers who purchase $10 or more in groceries.

The reusable DEQ bag promotion is one way shoppers can protect the environment and promote sustainable living by reducing the amount of plastic bags while grocery shopping.

For each time a shopper uses a canvas or reusable bag for their purchases, the shopper will receive an entry form for a chance to win the weekly gift certificate prize, valued at $25.

Plastic bags can last for hundreds of years and many shoppers use 3 or more for their groceries. It’s a major environmental problem when plastic bags end up in our marine waters that eventually lead to the suffocation of marine life and sea birds. On land, plastic bag litter can block drains and trap birds. They also kill livestock. Plastic bags are also commonly found in all beaches on Saipan, Tinian and Rota. The bags end up in landfills and emit harmful greenhouse gases.

Join the movement to protect our islands’ natural resources. Reducing one’s contribution to plastic-bag pollution is as simple as using a cloth bag (canvas).

For your next trip to the grocery store, BYOB!

CoCo Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2007

2007-12-11T16:46:00.000+10:00

CNMI Organization for Conservation Outreach
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 9am @ DFW

MEETING MINUTES by Reina Camacho

Welcome:
Reina Camacho called the meeting to order at 9:05am.

Attendees were: Mike Tripp (Marianas Dive), Teny Topalian (NOAA/DFW), Nate Hawley (DFW), Lee Bowen (NMCCREES), Reina Camacho (DEQ), and Fran Castro (CRI program).

Agency Updates (round robin)

Marianas Dive – performed underwater cleanup at Sugar Dock on Nov 18; will present at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting today at 11am at Hyatt Regency; will hold monthly meeting tonight at Porky’s at 6:30pm; will hold social gathering aboard the Jade Lady III, $30 on December 15th;

Fish & Wildlife – BTS program working group reestablished to reduce risk of species introduction via transportation

Environmental Quality – EPA will be on island until Dece 14th to conduct program reviews

Coral Reef Initiative – Kathleen Hermann will be the next coral reef fellow and shall start the 1st week in February.

Old Business

IYOR - International Year of the Reef
a. January 18th proclamation – Teny provided draft proclamation for comments and only received feedback from DEQ; teny was asked to finalize it and reina to send to group for add’l feedback.
b. Right Route (ride your bike/carpool to work/school day) – fran has sample PSAs; date moved to February instead of April
c. Coral Parade – planning has not started
d. Bus Stop Murals – Fran inquired whether or not the murals where going to be part of the kick-off in January, but no one knew what the status is. Fran suggested that MINA take lead.

NRM program feedback/comments – comments were received by CRM, DEQ and DFW. Reina was asked to send the spreadsheet to other members.

New Business

CRI management grant 2008/2009 – Fran reported the CNMI submitted a $600,000 pre-proposal grant to NOAA to fund: Ecocamps on Saipan, Tinian and Rota; Support for marine enforcement and continuation of MPA outreach and conservation work; student internships; coral reef outreach/education activities; Talakhaya revegetation, etc. Final grant application is due in February.

10 Year Report – Fran announced that she is seeking information on any projects and accomplishments with regards to coral reefs to report at the next U.S. CRTF meeting in Washington, D.C at the end of February.

Miscellaneous
a. Hollywood Theater Ads – images displayed since July; request assistance from everyone to inform Reina if you see the "Protect Our Reefs" ad.

b. Trash pick up to support NGO cleanup activities – Fran suggested advance written notification to the Mayor’s office; Lee volunteered his truck and trailer.

c. Recycles contest - ongoing; MINA will begin solicitations; there was a request to increase publicity; reina said she already has monthly articles; schools have signed up and attend monthly meetings.
d. Totebag promotion – FYI, ongoing at Joeten supermarkets; will begin at Carmen Safeway within a week or two.

e. COCO improvements/facilitator – request to rotate notetaker just like meeting venue is rotated. Establishing a blog for CoCo was suggested and Fran volunteered to set it up.

f. Partnership/involvement - invite PSS, other groups such as fishermen, divers, etc.

Member Profile: MINA

2007-12-10T16:26:00.001+10:00

MINA is a community - based, nonprofit organization, formed by a group of people dedicated to the conservation of the natural resources of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

We believe that the CNMI has unique and beautiful natural resources, but this natural heritage is at risk of continued degradation. We feel that community involvement in conservation and management is the only way to achieve long-term preservation of our resources, and that non-government organizations can mobilize this involvement. Therefore, we have formed a community-based group dedicated to biodiversity conservation in the CNMI.

Visit the MINA website or call our office at (670) 235-MINA for more information.

Member Profile: Beautify CNMI!

2007-12-05T17:08:00.000+10:00

Beautify CNMI! is a coalition of concerned citizens, private groups, and government entities united to enhance the CNMI's natural beauty and foster community pride in its residents and visitors.

Founded in April 2006, the Beautify CNMI coalition is the recipient of an EPA 2007 Environmental Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Visit the Beautify CNMI blog or call the volunteer line at 285-MINA for more information.

CoCo's History

2007-12-05T11:37:00.000+10:00

CoCo is a group that was established in 2004 and is composed of representatives from the following local and federal government agencies and non-governmental organizations : Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Coastal Resources Management Office (CRMO), Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC), Department of Lands and Natural Resources (DLNR), Department of Public Works (DPW), Public School System (PSS), Northern Marianas College (NMC), NOAA, EPA, USDA, NRCS, DOI, DOE, USFWS, Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA), Beautify CNMI! and the Marianas Dive Group.

CoCo's mission is to preserve, protect, and enhance environmental integrity by encouraging responsible stewardship of the CNMI’s natural resources.

Our goal is to facilitate collaboration on environmental outreach projects. Eventually, we expect that CoCo will have many more members, including representatives from outside of the government, i.e., nonprofit organizations, community members and public leaders.

CoCo works cooperatively on projects involving all areas of the environment from the summit to the sea, including litter and recycling, land habitat issues, coral reef degradation, nonpoint source pollution, and water quality. Because CoCo is concerned with environmental issues on both land and sea, the group has chosen the coconut crab as its mascot because the adult coconut crab lives on land and lays its eggs in the sea. Also, the coconut crab is a widely recognized local icon. *CoCo the crab is currently on vacation and will be back in the near future.

CoCo's first task was assisting with the America Recycles Day event in November, 2004. Various agencies supported and enhanced the event with financial donations and assistance with planning and implementation. This year, CoCo in conjunction with the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA) will again assist in the coordination of CNMI Recycles Day, the Right Route project, and will also facilitate and coordinate activities for the 2008 International Year of the Reef.

CoCo meets monthly to discuss upcoming projects or other conservation issues. CoCo also has an email list serve to inform people about upcoming projects, opportunities, and other items of interest involving environmental outreach or education. To subscribe, send an email to coconet-subscribe@deq.gov.mp.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Reina Camacho at 664-8500 or email reinacamacho@deq.gov.mp