First Photos of International Coastal Cleanup

Since the Commonwealth lies 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, our day starts hours before your does. That means that the 600 or so volunteers participating in this year's International Coastal Cleanup on the islands of Saipan and Tinian were some of the first participants on the planet. Go us!

Saipan and Tinian had 19 adopted sites this year, our first year participating in this annual international event. We organized our cleanups the same way we organized last April's Island Wide Cleanup. Groups adopted a spot, recruited their own volunteers and set their own time, and the Beautify CNMI coalition supported them with free supplies and help hauling the garbage away.

As the Director of Community Service for the Rotary Club of Saipan I adopted and organized a cleanup of Tank Beach in Kagman. Tank Beach is a north facing beach and on Saipan that means that trash from the ocean washes up on it constantly; We mostly found rope, discarded fishing gear, small bits of plastic, and hundreds of water bottles. Unlike the beaches on the western shore of Saipan, we weren't finding plates, plastic forks, or dumped household garbage.

We spent about two hours scouring the beach for bits of plastic. When we were done we had amassed quite the pile of trash. I'm always amazed at how much trash you get from a seemingly clean beach when you pick it all up and put it in one place.

We'll know by Monday what the combined efforts of all 600 people are. Many hands make light work and with over 600 volunteers I expect that the amount of trash we picked off our beaches this morning to be in the thousands of pounds.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's event with special thanks going to Bridge Capital for funding our cleanup supplies and the Division of Environmental Quality for being the central organizers.

I have posted more photos on the Beautify CNMI Facebook Fan Page and other volunteers have posted photos on their profiles from cleanups at Jeffries Beach, Paupau Beach, and on Tinian.

International Coastal Cleanup Day

562 volunteers and climbing!!!
18 sites adopted
20 groups participating

International Coastal Cleanup Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2009. Several beaches on Saipan, Tinian and Rota have been adopted by government offices, businesses and community groups. Cleanups begin at 8:00 unless otherwise noted.

TINIAN:

Unai Dankalo
Tinian Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Phillip Mendiola-Long, 989-4711
Volunteers Expected: 30
8:00 AM

SAIPAN - NORTH END CLEANUPS:

Cow Town Beach
Professional Water Tech
Contact: Cecilio Silver Raikiulipiy, 288-0471
Volunteers Expected: 5
7:00 AM

Paupau Beach
Palms Resort Saipan
Contact: Ray C. Delacruz, 322-3311
Volunteers Expected: 15
7:30 AM

Paupau Beach
DFS Galleria
Contact: Marian Aldan-Pierce, 483-2505
Volunteers Expected: 20
8:00 AM

Paupau Beach
CNMI WIC Program
Contact: Bobbie Pangelinan, 664-4067
Volunteers Expected: 15
9:00 AM

Tanapag Beach
DEQ
Contact: Joe Kaipat, 664-8509
Volunteers Expected: 40
8:00 AM

Wing Beach
MINA
Contact: Sam Sablan, 233-7333
Volunteers Expected: 50
8:00 AM

SAIPAN - EASTERN SHORE CLEANUPS:

Tank Beach
Rotary Club of Saipan
Contact: Angelo Villagomez, 285-6462
Volunteers Expected: 20
8:00 AM

Marine Beach
Kagman High School Biology Club
Contact: Cristal Santos
Volunteers Expected: 30
8:00 AM

Old Man by the Sea
The Canucks
Contact: Jamie Beavis, 322-2337
Volunteers Expected: 15
9:00 AM

Jeffries Beach
CRMO
Contact: Brooke Nevitt, 664-8320
Volunteers Expected: 10
8:00 AM

South Laolao Beach
(meeting near the yellow pavilion near the road)
Friends of the Mariana Islands
Contact: Marites Castillo, 285-8980
Volunteers Expected: 20
8:00 AM

North Laolao Beach
(meeting at the divesite)
Saipan Laolao Bay Golf and Resort
Contact: Tony I. Dl Guerrero, 236-8888
Volunteers Expected: 20
8:00 AM

SAIPAN - LAGOON SIDE CLEANUPS:

Beach Road
(TSL Plaza to Carolinian Village)
Tan Holdings
Contact: Ed Arriola, Jr, 233-8080
Volunteers Expected: 100
9:00 AM

Garapan Fishing Base
Committee to Elect Juan Pan & Joe Camacho
Contact: Jolene Torres, 483-1728
Volunteers Expected: 20
8:00 AM

Beach Road - Makaka Beach
(Fiesta Resort to Hafa Adai Hotel)
Paseo de Marianas Promoters
Contact: Sonia Siwa, 234-6900
Volunteers Expected: 12
8:00 AM

Micro Beach
(Hyatt Regency Saipan to Smiling Cove)
Hyatt Regency Saipan and WDI Saipan, Inc
Contact: Lin Seman, 323-5867
Volunteers Expected: 70
7:00 AM

Kilili Beach
Mount Carmel School
Contact: Maria Balajadia, 285-9375
Volunteers Expected: 30
8:00 AM

Susupe Beach
CTSI Logistics
Contact: Argie Buensalido, 322-1690
Volunteers Expected: 20
8:00 AM



Cleanup supplies will be available at DEQ the week before the event and DEQ staff will transfer and dispose of all garbage.

For more information contact Angelo Villagomez at 670 285 6462 or Lisa Eller at DEQ at 670 664 8500.

Weekly Email Update: September 10

Hafa Adai,

A few events of note:

(1) Posted below is a list of beaches up for adoption for the International Coastal Cleanup Day next Saturday, September 19, 2009. Beaches that are crossed out have been adopted by a group. That does not mean that you can't help out with that beach! Many hands make light work. I've adopted Tank Beach along with the rest of the Rotary Club. I'd love to have you help us out. However, we are trying to cover as many beaches as possible so we are asking volunteers to help us adopt the other beaches, too.

As you can see from the number of crossed out names, we are set to have another very successful event. Garbage bags and gloves will be available at the DEQ office next week. There number is 664 8500. Ask for Joe or Lisa.

DEQ staff will properly dispose of all trash collected. Setting a place and time for them to come pick it up is part of the sign up sheet.

If you would like to RSVP on Facebook, here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117280403750

(2) The ISK8 Club is hosting a graffiti cleanup of their skatepark this Saturday September 12. from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. The contact on that is Laurie Peterka at 483 7499. Again, to RSVP on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128714528715

(3) The meeting minutes from last week's meeting are posted online:

http://beautifycnmi.blogspot.com/2009/09/draft-september-meeting-minutes.html


Thanks and have a great weekend,

Angelo



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lisa Huynh Eller
Date: Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 7:47 AM
Subject: available cleanup sites
To: Olivia Tebuteb , carlosk@deq.gov.mp, Fran Castro , "Joe M. Kaipat" , Angelo Villagomez


Hi everyone,



Please forward this list to anyone interested in signing up. The taken sites are crossed out. Everything else is open:



SAIPAN:

Wing Beach

Forbidden Island Beach

Bird Island Beach

Obyan Beach

Ladder Beach

Tank Beach

Marine Beach

Dandan Pocket Beaches

North Laolao Beach (Dive Site)

South Laolao Beach (Pavilion)

Old Man by the Sea Beach

Jeffries Beach

Agingan Point to PIC

Micro Beach (Hyatt to Smiling Cove)

Tanapag Beach

Makaka Beach (Fiesta Resort to Hafa Adai Hotel)

Coral Ocean Point

Sugar Dock heading South

Lally 4

Sugar Dock heading north to Grand Hotel

Kilili Beach

Quartermaster south to MVA

Quartermaster north to 13 Fishermen

13 Fishermen to Garapan Fishing Base

Garapan Fishing Base

Garapan Fishing Base to Hafa Adai Hotel

Paupau Beach

San Roque Beach

Cow Town Beach



TINIAN:

Long Beach



Thanks,



Lisa Huynh Eller

Federal Programs Outreach and Publications Coordinator

CNMI Division of Environmental Quality

Phone: (670) 664-8500

Fax: (670) 664-8540

lisaeller@deq.gov.mp






--
Angelo O'Connor Villagomez
Beautify CNMI

PMB 360 BOX 10001
Saipan, MP 96950

(670) 285-6462
http://www.beautifycnmi.org

Get your Donkey shirt today!
http://www.cafepress.com/saipandonkey

Committee to Elect Angelo O'Connor Villagomez
http://www.angelovillagomez.com

CNMI Coastal Cleanup Day

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.