Almost 5K lbs of trash collected

2011 INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP
Almost 5K lbs of trash collected

By Clarissa David
Reporter

A total of 4,940 lbs of trash were collected during this year's International Coastal Cleanup held Friday and Saturday throughout several beaches and coastal locations on island.

Guy Macaranas, Coastal Resources Management's 2011 Coastal Cleanup coordinator, said the trash collection for this year's cleanup is lower compared to last year's, which totaled over 6,000 lbs.

“This is good because it means that more and more people are picking up after themselves when they go to the beach and hold parties,” Macaranas told Saipan Tribune.

Macaranas disclosed that based on the data sheets they collected from the volunteers who participated in the cleanup, cigarette butts comprised the biggest number of trash at 1,601 pieces. Other items collected include plastic and glass bottles, beverage cans, plastic spoons and forks, and Styrofoam plates.

This year's cleanup had 29 volunteer groups: the Saipan Rotary Club, McDonald's, Tan Holdings, CTSI Logistics, Fiesta Resort, Hyatt, Saipan Grand, PDM Promoters, Winzler & Kelly, Lions Club, Pacific Islands Club, Northern Marianas College, Phi Theta Kappa, NMC Upward Bound Program, U.S. Coast Guard, Saipan Mayor's Office, Saipan International School, Marianas Visitors Authority with the NMI Diving Operators Association, Marianas Waterworks Corp., Hard Rock Café, Mt. Carmel High School Red Cross Honor Society Club, Marianas Baptist Academy, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist, Team Yalaka, POI Aviation, Department of Public Lands, Division of Environmental Quality, and the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.

Macaranas noted that fewer government agencies took part this year. “I believe this is due to austerity Fridays.”

While there are fewer volunteers this year, Macaranas said the event was still a success. “I was happy about the event. It's very successful because people still came out in spite of the rain.”

Macaranas noted that the islands of Tinian and Rota had their own coastal cleanups, in coordination with the CRM's field offices and mayor's offices.

Rota's cleanup was held Monday while Tinian will hold it on Thursday.

According to Macaranas, the annual cleanup, held simultaneously in different coastlines around the globe, also forms part of CRM's ongoing Clean Beaches Campaign, which aims to encourage and educate the community about caring for the islands' beaches and marine resources.

The campaign's slogan is “Love your beaches, keep them clean.”

Macaranas emphasized that more work needs to be done to educate the community and remind them that “they know better” in terms of caring for the environment.

“If we keep doing these cleanups and educational campaigns, we would have a better tomorrow,” he added.

DEQ Island Wide Cleanup - L&T, CIC, Saipan Tribune at TSL Plaza to Fishing Base

Date: April 16, 2011
Group: CIC, L&T, and Saipan Tribune
Number of Volunteers: 32
Weight of trash collected: 900 lbs (42 bags)
Location: beach at the back of TSL Plaza up to Fishing Base

What amazing strength and endurance! Strong work team --- thank you for your time and effort!!!

Group of Tan Holdings Companies Give Back to Our Community

Companies stationed at JP Center (Saipan Tribune, L&T, CIC & Tan Holdings Support Team) gathered again for the 6th Adopt-A-Pavilion activity and to hold the month of August's birthday bash.

A total of 33 volunteers showed up as early as 6:30 a.m. and collected about 35 bags or approximately 536 kilos of trash from the coastal area/shorelines at the back of TSL Plaza, McDonald's, and Office of the Personnel Management on Saturday, August 28. To date, the team has already collected an estimated 125 bags or 1,868 kilos of trash since it started the project in March of this year.

Cecil Ramores of Tan Holdings said "We are committed to giving back to our community and look forward to continuing our drive through our monthly clean ups and pavilion rehabilitation project."

CTSI also had their regular monthly clean-up the same day at the Susupe Beach Park. The 17 volunteers were able to gather 68 bags or 618 kilos of trash.




GREAT JOB, EVERYONE! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

REMINDER: Regular Monthly Meeting June 10th

Please be reminded that the monthly meeting is scheduled for this Thursday!

When: June 10th, Thursday
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Century Insurance Conference Room
JP Bldg, Beach Road

JP Center is the building where Saipan Tribune, Century Insurance (CIC), Century Travel are holding office. The CIC conference room is at the Ground floor. For directions, call at 234-0609 Ext 101 (Lina) or Ext 115 (Eli)

A VERY BIG THANK YOU to Tan Holdings for donating their conference room space for monthly meetings. PLEASE NOTE that all monthly meetings will be held at the CIC conference room until further notice.

Have a question or need more info - contact Laurie Peterka at 483-7499.

Everyone is welcome --- please feel free
to join us if you can.

REMINDER: Regular Monthly Meeting May 13th

Please be reminded that the monthly meeting is scheduled for this Thursday,

When: May 13th, Thursday
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Century Insurance Conference Room

JP Bldg, Beach Road

JP Center is the building where Saipan Tribune, Century Insurance (CIC), Century Travel are holding office. The CIC conference room is at the Ground floor. For directions, call at 234-0609 Ext 101 (Lina) or Ext 115 (Eli)

Corporate participation is available in many, many ways. For example, donating a meeting space for any of our committee meetings or our reular monthly meetings. Coalition members appreciate having quiet place to get together to work on projects.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU to Century Insurance for donating the conference for two Beautify CNMI! meetings this week!

Have a question or need more info - contact Laurie Peterka at 483-7499.

Everyone is welcome --- please feel free

to join us if you can.

Zoning launches junk car removal program

Reposted from the Saipan Tribune - an article and photo by Walter J. Sutherland 04/15/10

(From left, Zoning Board member Joe Limes, Triple Star Saipan manager Tony Reyes, Saipan Mayor Donald Flores, Zoning Board member Isidoro Cabrera, Basula Producto manager Eric Cruz, Zoning Board chair Herminia Fusco, and acting Zoning administrator Therese Ogumoro pose to mark the implementation of the junk car removal program.)

Starting yesterday, the public began seeing neon-colored violation stickers on junk cars throughout the community.

The Zoning Office is now implementing the island-wide junk vehicle removal program with the help of the Saipan Mayor's Office and two recycling companies-Basula Producto and Saipan Triple Star.

Once a sticker is placed on a car, the owner will have 28 days to remove it themselves and avoid a fine from the Zoning Office. If a junk vehicle obstructs the right of way on a road, then the owner will have 48 hours to remove it themselves.

“I am very grateful that this program is finally beginning because all of the junk vehicles present problems to the island's image. This program's implementation is long awaited for and we're going to ensure that these eyesores get removed as soon as possible in effort to instill back the beauty our island deserves,” said Zoning Office acting administrator Therese Ogumoro.

Ogumoro encourages all owners of these vehicles to comply with the notices to avoid stiff penalties and to visit or call the Zoning Office to obtain information for proper disposal.

“Owners should know that once a violation sticker is placed on their junk cars, time starts ticking and they should comply with the notice's time-frame. We'll give no exceptions.our island deserves to look beautiful and safe for our children, residents, and visitors as well,” said Ogumoro.

Zoning Board chair Herminia Fusco said, “We intend to carry out this program as efficiently as possible with the public's cooperation. That is the only way that we can free island from all of these heaps of scrap metal. With the help of the Saipan Mayor and the two recycling companies, we should begin seeing changes to our island's image not too long from now.”

Owners of junk car vehicles will be required to pay violation fines if they fail to remove their scrap vehicles. For more information, call the Zoning Office at 234-9661 or visit their location on the second floor of the Joeten Commercial Building in Dandan.

Great Newspaper Article

There was a great article by Anthony Pelligrino in today's Saipan Tribune. He interviewed a number of people for the story. Really good reporting

Thousands pick up trash to clean up Saipan
By Anthony Pellegrino
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Close to 4,000 young and adults picked up tons of trash along Saipan's major roads, beaches, parks, dive sites and other tourist spots yesterday as part of the islandwide cleanup highlighting the observance of Environmental Awareness Month.

“I hope this day will make a difference for the environment and our children,” said 62-year-old Terry Camacho of the Office of Personnel Management. “I hope that next time somebody throws trash anywhere, he would think twice and think about those who are cleaning up the environment.”

Camacho was among the OPM employees and their families who picked up trash at the Garapan Fishing Base starting at 2:30pm yesterday.

Just a few meters from her was 4-year-old Ila Seman, the youngest of the OPM employees' family members to take part in the activity.

“Please do not throw your trash anywhere,” Joannie Laniyo, 7, said as she tagged along with her mother, OPM employee Benita Seman, for the cleanup.

From 7am to 4:30pm, thousands of volunteers from the private sector and the local and federal government cleaned Saipan of litter-from cigarette butts, plastic bottles, soda and beer cans, plastic bags to soiled baby diapers.

Michael Lizama, 12, a seventh grader at Hopwood Junior High School, said most of what they picked up on campus and at the beach were cigarette butts and plastic bottles. His classmate, Alicia Lloren, 12, said she and her classmates are proud to be part of making their campus cleaner.

Hopwood Junior High School had the most number of cleanup participants at 1,113.

TJ Litulumar of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration joined eight other TSA employees in picking up trash at the beach side fronting the Quarter Master Road intersection all the way to the 13 Fishermen Monument and back.

“We're supposed to clean up only from 9am to 11am but it's now around 12,” said Litulumar, adding that this is part of TSA's community outreach programs.

Mariana Coats and Jeremy T. Sasamoto of the Department of Public Health said they didn't mind the heat and dust to be able to help clean up Saipan. DPH employees picked up trash from Navy Hill to Horiguchi Building and back, starting at 2:30pm.

“Many of what we picked up were beer cans and plastic bottles. I hope people will stop littering,” said Sasamoto.

Aya Matsumoto, vice president of Pacific Eagle Enterprises, said they started cleaning up the area around the 13 Fishermen's Monument on Beach Road at 9:30am.

“We also planted a flame tree. We'd like to show tourists that Saipan is clean and beautiful. We'd like tourists to come back to the island again,” she said.

The cleanup will continue today. Joleen Torres, from the Committee to Elect Juan “Pan” Guerrero and Joe Camacho, said they expect 45 volunteers to clean up Beach Road this morning.

Joe Kaipat of the Division of Environmental Quality and co-chair of the islandwide cleanup, said 55 volunteer groups including public and private schools, government agencies and private businesses took part in the cleanup of 48 sites around Saipan.

The islandwide cleanup is cosponsored by Beautify CNMI, the Division of Environmental Quality, Rotary Club of Saipan, Marianas Visitors Authority and the Marianas Tourism Education Council.

DFS is 'Keen on Green'

Duty Free Shoppers has a new environmental campaign called 'Keen on Green.' There was an article about the campaign in today's Saipan Tribune.

By Rianne Pangelinan-Brown
Reporter

The Duty Free Shoppers Galleria on Saipan is joining its DFS partners worldwide in becoming “Keen on Green” for as long as the place is in business.

DFS Saipan president Marian Aldan-Pierce said the company has the first-ever companywide forum in which all employees were encouraged to participate in the company's effort to ensure that they are living “green.”

Aldan-Pierce said the company has also formed a committee that meets via teleconference once a month to discuss progress on each division's “Keen on Green” initiatives.

Aldan-Pierce explained that each division submitted a matrix on what type of recycling program is being done locally and what their plans are for future projects.

“Ongoing programs may include simple and easy to do things like recycling paper by printing on both sides, recycling cans, newspapers, pallets, furniture, etc.; reducing energy consumption by turning off lights when leaving offices or building; encouraging employees to bring or use ceramic cups for drinks to reduce or eliminate usage of paper and styrofoam cups; participating in community cleanups; and lots more,” Aldan-Pierce said.

She said that DFS Saipan has a huge display of 100 ways to reduce one's carbon footprint and that each employee wrote his or her commitment on their own footprint.

In observance of yesterday's Earth Day, 30 employees of DFS Saipan picked up trash from Smiling Cove down to the seaport following the pathway on both sides of the road.

At the DFS corporate level, an Environment Strategic Task Force was formed to focus on reducing the use of energy at DFS worldwide.

I have some pictures from their cleanup yesterday morning. I'll post them...soon.

Beautify CNMI in the News

The Variety wrote a very good article today about yesterday's planting of Flame Trees. They picked up on the damage being done to our trees by unskilled bushcutters:

Bush-cutters are flame trees’ worst enemies
By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

MARIANA Islands Nature Alliance executive director, Angelo Villagomez says unskilled bush-cutters are the flame trees’ worst new enemies, compared to typhoons and the fungus Phellinus noxious.

Recent typhoons have toppled flame trees along Beach Road and other areas on Saipan while Phellinus noxious is responsible for killing several flame trees along Airport Road and four other places on island.

But Villagomez yesterday said flame trees are also getting killed “not by nature but mismanagement or bad care.”

Villagomez, together with Rep.Cinta Kaipat, Covenant-Saipan, were among the Beautify CNMI! volunteers who planted flame trees along Beach Road yesterday morning in celebration of the first anniversary of the coalition’s tree planting activities.

Among the 2,000 native trees that Beautify CNMI! has planted since last year are 27 flame trees.

At least 83 people who have adopted flame tree seedlings will join the coalition in planting 150 more flame trees, Villagomez said.

Flame trees killed by improper trimming have recently become a concern of the Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council, MINA and Beautify CNMI!
A tree trimmer training workshop was conducted recently.

During the tree planting yesterday morning, Villagomez showed how bush-cutters harm newly planted flame trees.

He pointed to an affected portion of a young flame tree that was hit by a bush-cutting equipment due to carelessness.

He said there is a need to educate the people performing bush-cutting jobs.
Newly planted flame tress must be protected from careless bush-cutters, he added.
Ken Kramer of the Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council said they want to replace the flame trees that were killed by the fungus, but not in the areas where the soil is still infected with the fungus.

Eleven infected flame trees along Airport Road will be cut down.

At least 10 percent of the 600 flame trees planted on Saipan in 1978 have already been killed by this fungus which can be dormant for many years.

Brad Doerr, MINA’s organic gardener who grows flame trees, said the affected soil has to be sterilized before planting new flame trees which take 10 years before they can bear flowers.

Those who also participated in yesterday’s flame tree planting were Capt. Carl Brachear, Isa-CNMI’s Aya Matsumoto, Walt Goodridge, Julian Aguon, Joyie Lam and John Griffin, a visitor from Pennsylvania.

We also made the front page of the Saipan Tribune:

The caption reads:

MARKING A MILESTONE: Ken Kramer of the Marianas Resources Conservation & Development Council plants the first Adopt-a-Flame Tree sapling during the kickoff the Beautify CNMI tree planting for 2007 on Beach Road Tuesday morning. The planting was done in celebration of the first year anniversary of Beautify CNMI's tree planting drive. The hardworking volunteers and members of Beautify CNMI, MRC&D, Rep. Cinta Kaipat's Office, Isa CNMI, and Mariana Islands Nature Alliance planted five trees yesterday, replacing trees damaged by typhoons, bushcutter, or disease over the years.

Walt Goodridge also mentioned us in his weekly column today:

I suggest, therefore, that the necessary response in the face of change, and what the New Saipan ActionTank is committed to doing is to

1. Envision the change

2. Spark the change

3. Lead the change

4. Document the change

The strategy above, and the questions which follow can be used by anyone who wishes to participate in the New Saipan.

Envision the Change

What is your vision of what a new Saipan can look like? What’s your ideal scene? What can be improved?

Spark the Change

What can you do to be a catalyst for change? How can you get the ball rolling? How can you encourage or inspire others to bring about the change you envision?

Lead the Change

The best way to change the world is to be the change you’d like to see, and lead by example. What can you do to show others how it should be done?

Document the Change

In this time of distraction, it’s not enough to simply respond to change, it is important that your response be documented and exposed. This is vitally important, because without adequate documentation and coverage, people are left at the mercy of fear-based, passivity-inducing, daily "news" that neither empowers nor appropriately informs. How can we expose our efforts and accomplishments to the greatest number of people?

Evidence of Change

The strategy above is not unique to the ActionTank. There are examples and evidence of people already using it:

BeautifyCNMI!, concerned about the appearance of this island, took matters in their own hands and envisioned, sparked, led and continue to document the change on their website (www.beautifycnmi.com).

A Treehugger's wife gives tips on saving Energy

It can be done!

On May 4, you ran an opinion column written by Ed Stephens, Jr. regarding "Energy Costs". In the column, Mr. Stephens writes that he "cannot fathom a Saipan house that uses less than 1,500 kWh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per month." It is a reality and can be done-our home is proof. On average we use approximately 250 kWh per month. Yes, only 250. We live in an "un-insulated concrete sweatbox" house, not a condo or an apartment. We live here full time. In the last six months, our highest bill was $82, and that includes the charge for unmetered water. How do we do it?

- Don’t run the air conditioners. Get a few fans and open up the windows.

- Wash full loads of laundry. Use cold water to wash your laundry.

- Run a few clothes lines instead of using the dryer.

- Turn your water heater to the lowest setting and when you go on vacation, turn it off. Why heat water when you aren’t going to be using it?

- Replace your standard light bulbs with CFL bulbs. We use them in all of our light fixtures.

- Shut lights off in the rooms that you aren’t in.

- Don’t leave outside lights on.

- Plug your entertainment system (TV, DVD, VCR, etc.) into a surge protector bar that has an off/on switch. When you want to use it, flip the switch to on, when you are done, flip the switch to off. All of these components have an internal clock that draws a small amount of electricity even when not in use. Do the same in the kitchen with the microwave and radio. We also use one for our computer.

- If you have ceiling fans, use them. If you don’t, consider installing them.

- When buying new appliances, choose Energy Star products if available. We put our Energy Star TV in our living room even though it is smaller because that is where we watch TV 90 percent of the time.

There are many more things that we do in our house to be energy efficient, but I won’t bore you. Just look at your everyday actions and ask yourself if you could be doing it in a more energy efficient way.

Sure, living without air conditioning here is a little uncomfortable sometimes. But if it means putting money into our investments and sweating a little versus staying indoors, being cool and rolling pennies to try to make ends meet, we choose to sweat. We like our money and want to keep it rather than hand it over by the fistful to CUC.

Yes, we are treehuggers.

Melissa Highfill
Papago, Saipan

Beautify CNMI in the News

We are featured in two articles in the Saipan Tribune today. First they wrote about our one year anniversary:

Saipan Tribune's 2006 Person of the Year Beautify CNMI! turns one year old this month and is hosting a dinner event this Friday to celebrate this milestone.

The fundraising event will be held at the Aqua Resort Club's Raraina Restaurant from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, according to Angelo Villagomez, Beautify CNMI! Restoration Committee chairman and Marianas Resource Conservation & Development Council public involvement coordinator.(snip)

“We wouldn’t have done as much as we have done if literally thousands of people hadn’t pitched in over the last year. In 12 months we have created the We Love Saipan Network, a network of over 50 local writers and bloggers publishing stories about life in the CNMI; organized 1020 on 10/20, where 3,000 plus CNMI residents came out to volunteer on a single day; MOVER won a National USDA Earth Team Award volunteering with Beautify CNMI, and you guys named us Person of the Year,” Villagomez said.

Then they wrote about the EPA Environmental Award we won this week:

Environment advocate Beautify CNMI! was named an environmental hero during the recently concluded Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 Environmental Awards.

Beautify CNMI! was awarded the honor during the agency's 9th Annual Environmental Awards Ceremony in San Francisco yesterday, joining 13 other environmental heroes in Region 9 that includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.

“These organizations have applied creativity, teamwork, and leadership in addressing many of the Pacific's most sensitive and complex environmental challenges,” said U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Wayne Nastri. “Thanks to their efforts, our air, water and land will be cleaner and safer for generations to come. The winners set an example for all of us to follow.”

Correction

Dear Saipan Tribune Editor:

Please allow me to correct a misquote in the Maharlika section of the Saipan Tribune printed on Saturday, April 07, 2007. Marites Castillo, President of Friends of the Marianas Islands (FMI), was quoted as saying, “all Saipan residents of Philippine descent, regardless of citizenship, are welcome to join FMI.”

That is not correct. ALL Saipan residents of ANY descent, nationality, or ethnicity are welcome to join. This colorblind approach to our membership is what sets FMI apart from many of the other community groups on our island. In addition to Filipinos, we already count Americans, Chamorros, Carolinians, and Japanese as members. Don’t believe me? Then I invite you to come out with us on one of our Saturday or Sunday morning volunteer events. For our schedule of events, please visit http://www.beautifycnmi.com.

The only requirements are that you have a love for these islands and a desire to help Beautify CNMI make these islands a better place to live and visit.

Angelo Villagomez
FMI Member

Save the Puppies

Beautify CNMI has been trying to come up with a plan to solve the dead dog and stray dog problem on Saipan since our inception. This turned out to be a larger task than we expected, so we decided that it would be in our best interests to create a committee dedicated to this issue.

It is our hope that after solving the dead dog and stray dog issue that this committee will turn its attention to invasive species, biodiversity, and other issues related to animals.

The creation of the Animal Welfare committee was announced in today's Saipan Tribune:

Saipan Tribune, Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Beautify CNMI! adds animal welfare panel
By Marconi Calindas
Reporter

Beautify CNMI! is adding a new facet to its environmental advocacy, this time by championing the responsible ownership of pets.

Rep. Cinta Kaipat, who is an officer of the group, told Saipan Tribune yesterday that they have created a new committee that would focus solely on animal welfare, with the tentative name of Animal Welfare Committee.

Despite disagreements among some members over the concept of incorporating animal welfare within the group, Kaipat said the majority accepted the idea of adding the committee.

The new panel joins the Restoration Committee, Recycling Committee, Public Information Committee, and Junk Cars Committee, among many others.

Kaipat said she is glad to have the expertise and voluntarism of PAWS officer Katie Busenkell to lead the newly formed committee. Under Busenkell's leadership, the committee will meet to outline its direction within the Beautify CNMI! concept.

“What I'd like to see is that the committee would work on responsible pet ownership and encourage the community to deal with animals more responsibly,” she said, expressing hope that roadkill on the islands' streets would be minimized.

Kaipat said the campaign group would be working closely with the Saipan Mayor's Office on this matter.

She said she has also spoken with the Tinian Mayor's Office, which already implemented its stray dog policies in November 2006. She discussed with Dr. Thomas Arkle Jr. a possible collaboration with the group due to the successful implementation of the program on Tinian.

Tinian's dog control regulations took effect after being published in the Commonwealth register in October 2006 and posting of the required public notices. A colorful tri-fold brochure is available at many island locations describing the basic features of the program.

The program is now being implemented in stages, according to the Tinian Mayor’s Office, with the first stage involving the licensing of privately owned dogs. All residents were required to register their dogs and purchase the required license tags at the Tinian Mayor’s Office.

Watersheds in the News

Saipan Tribune, Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Learning center for wetlands officially opens
By Marconi Calindas
Reporter

The Kagman Education Island Wetland learning center is now officially open to the public for education tours.

The federally funded learning center held its ribbon cutting ceremony at the site in Chacha Road, Kagman yesterday morning.

Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council vice-president Ike Cabrera, who presided over the ceremony, said the center was built to help schoolchildren with their research on wetlands.

Agriculture Division staff member Ben S. Borja said the learning center would be locked up for security reasons and would be opened only upon request. He said the site is also a sanctuary for migratory birds that seasonally fly from neighboring countries such as Taiwan.

USDA RCD coordinator Ken Kramer said the project was in collaboration with the Coastal Resources Management Office and the Department of Lands and Natural Resources. It was funded through the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Signs have been put up around the site that answer several questions such as: What is a Wetland?, What is a Wetland’s Function?, Endangered Species and Wetlands and Wetlands in the Landscape.

Kramer said the signs would help inform students and the public about the role that wetlands play in the environment.

“Wetlands are important for many reasons. They provide flood protection by slowing and holding stormwater runoff, allowing the water to slowly infiltrate into the ground, where it is naturally filtered by the silt and sand. This process cleanses the water and replenishes the aquifers from which many of us get our water,” Kramer said.

Sediment-laden runoff destroys marine habitat by smothering the corals, which deprives them of oxygen and sunlight. Wetlands trap sediment and other pollutants that would otherwise flow to the ocean, home of the green sea turtle and other marine life. Fish depend upon corals for food and shelter.

Wetlands also provide wildlife habitat for many types of animals that include insects, birds, reptiles, and fish.

“Come observe the wildlife at the Kagman Education Island wetland and see for yourself what the wetland signs have to say. Schedule your visit with DLNR by calling 256-7923,” Kramer said.

Saipan and Northern Islands Soil and Water Conservation District chair Isidoro T. Cabrera commended the realization of the learning center. “The Kagman Education Island serves as a reminder to all of us that effective resource conservation, is based on a strong combination of knowledge and cooperation,” he said.

Rep. Cinta Kaipat said she was “pleasantly surprised” to learn that the center was beautiful and would truly be useful for CNMI students.

At least 30 Kagman High School students participated in the event led by KHS student Chelsea Ruluked and faculty Allan Davis. The students unveiled the signs installed within the wetland center.

For more information on the Kagman Education Island Wetland contact, Ignacio V. Cabrera, vice president, MRC&DC at (670) 236-0894, Fax: (670) 236-0895; web sites: www.hafa-adai.org or www.hafa-adai.blogspot.com or e-mail Kramer at ken.kramer@pb.usda.gov. Interested schools and organizations can also contact Diane Gabaldon of the S&NISWCD 256-7923.

Marianas Variety, Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Conservation council wants more ‘education islands’ in NMI
By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

THE Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council is looking for more wetlands that can be converted into “education islands,” says its vice president, Ike Cabrera, during the inauguration of the Kagman wetland project yesterday.

Students from Kagman High School were the first ones to learn more about wetlands at the Kagman Education Island on Chacha Road.

“We want kids to do more studies about wetlands,” Cabrera said.

Council president Roland Quitugua said turning wetlands into educational venues helps spread awareness of the need to protect the environment.

The seven acre Kagman Education Island is the latest component added to the wetland which also provides flood control and irrigation to the surrounding farmlands.

Four educational signs have been installed in the area.

Coastal Resources Management Office’s Tim Lang said the signs are federally funded and cost $7,000.

The signs provide information about wetlands, how they works, their locations, and the endangered species that can be found in these areas.

Kagman is a farming area for Saipan, according to Scott Crocket, a district conservationist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services.

“So the wetland also plays an important role in irrigation,” he added.
Quitugua said the purpose of the education island project is to mitigate some environmental impacts.

“This is a living laboratory not only for the students but for the community as well,” he added.

According to Ken Kramer of the Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council, “what we do with land management affects the quality of our marine environment.”

He said wetlands filter water that runs to the beach and the ocean.

It's true

Saipan Tribune, Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The beauty of being unified

I am the president of MOVER and the Friends of the Mariana Islands but today I am writing as a concerned member of the CNMI community. The CNMI is going through a time of political and social convulsions not known here since the formation of the Commonwealth. While many causes of our convulsions have been generated by external forces (airline/tourist reductions, garment industry free trade agreements and a Democrat-controlled Congress) we are not powerless to determine our own futures.

Amid the doom and gloom we should remember that we have examples of the community and its people working together on projects for the good of out islands. They do this without either personal gain or political agendas being part of the projects! In particular, my personal experience with the Beautify CNMI! coalition has demonstrated how people representing all parts of the CNMI community can work together despite their differences in origin and social status. I have seen how business leaders, politicians, government officials, people of local descent, people from the U.S. and non-resident workers give their time and energy to literally work side-by-side on projects that clean up and beautify the CNMI. These project touch all people in the Commonwealth in subtle ways, for even to just drive by areas of Saipan that have been cleaned or beautified must touch people on at least a subconscious level.

The people of the Commonwealth have different opinions and hope for different outcomes on the divisive issues of immigration control, minimum wage changes and other economic and social struggles; even so we should not forget how at times literally thousands of PEOPLE who live here can come together, work
together and rejoice together as their collective efforts do in fact beautify the Island of Saipan and the lives of all those who live or visit our Islands.

Marites A. Castillo
MOVER president

Ask and you shall recieve

Saipan Tribune, Monday, January 29, 2007

Overzealous tree-trimmer

Nearly two dozen assorted cardinal honeyeaters, golden white-eyes, Micronesian starlings, kingfishers, rufous fantails, and sparrows lost a feeding ground, resting place, meeting site, one day this past weekend when, while I was out, an overzealous tree-trimmer cut off almost half of the branches on a flame tree growing in my yard. Admittedly, the branches that were cut stretched out over the neighbor’s empty lot, and it’s my understanding that it’s OK to cut branches leaning into your yard, even if the tree is not yours.

But most of the branches were way up high-higher, even, than my two-story house from which I took immense pleasure-up on the second floor-in watching the bright red cardinal honeyeaters come and eat, the golden white-eyes flit through the branches, a group of starlings hop about chirruping to each, an occasional kingfisher sitting haughtily on one of the branches, more rarely even the pretty little rufuous fan-tails coming by, and the ever-present sparrows. Some of them came every day, and I always stopped to admire them-the bright colors of the cardinal honeyeaters, the blue of the kingfisher, the spread of the rufous fantails peacock-like tails, the song of the larger starlings-I even learned to distinguish all their songs.

I know I can’t sue my neighbor for destroying habitat-after all, it was on his land, and I don’t think the birds are among the endangered species or for cutting branches off my tree-since they reached out over his land too. But I wish he’d been less zealous and that those tree-timming classes were more widely available.

In mourning,

Ruth Tighe
Tanapag

The Marianas Resource Conservation & Development Council will host a tree trimmer training this Wednesday and Thursday in Garapan. Please contact Ken Kramer, RC&D Coordinator, at 236-0893 for more information.

Thanks, Jayvee

From this week's Saipan Tribune editorial:

I love the way the Beautify CNMI! approached the problem of robberies in Marpi. Knowing that the criminals' modus operandi involved hiding within the surrounding shrubberies and trees, Beautify CNMI!, together with other government agencies, cleared the jungle of undergrowth, cut off the lower branches of trees, and pushed back the edge of the forest from the parking lots, putting a bigger space between the criminals and their potential victims. The criminals now have fewer places to hide and have a longer distance to run for cover. Simple yet effective. Since that time, there have been no reports of further robberies in the area.

Just to clarify, the thinning of the trees up at Suicide Cliff was coordinated by Beautify CNMI! partners Marianas Visitors Authority, Department of Natural Lands & Resources, and Department of Public Safety.

Give me a B! Give me a C!

Saipan Tribune, Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Environmental cheering and dance contest on
By Marconi Calindas
Reporter

The Saipan Grand Hotel will be hosting an Environmental Cheering and Dance Showdown that will highlight not just the talent of contestants but will also promote environmental awareness and beautification projects in the CNMI.

Events manager and “eventologist” Oscar Yema presented his newest undertaking to Beautify CNMI! during the group's general meeting last Thursday at the Division of Environmental Quality Conference Room.

Yema told the Beautify CNMI! members and officers that the contest is open to all primary and secondary schools in the CNMI, as well as to tertiary, non-government organizations, private schools, and out of school youth in the Commonwealth.

He said the contest aims to give students and others the opportunity to showcase their talent in composing cheers and choreographing dance routines that would express the message, “Everyone has a part to play in keeping CNMI clean and beautiful.”

The competition also hopes to make the participants learn to appreciate and care for the environment through fun and creative activities, he added.

It will also promote Beautify CNMI! and the Micronesian Challenge, which seeks to conserve 30 percent of near shore resources and 20 percent of forest resources among Pacific Islands.

Since the competition will also involve community members voting for their favorite contestants through texting, co-sponsor Pacific Telecom Inc. has promised to donate 1 cent of every text vote that the contestants will receive. This comes in the wake of the recent success of the text voting during the Saipan Singing Superstar competition that garnered over 3 million text votes.

Schools and other organizations have already been invited, said Yema. The registration for the contest was opened last Saturday. Elimination rounds will be held this coming Saturday while the grand finals will be on Feb. 3.

Beautify CNMI! gave Yema the nod to proceed with his planned activities and thanked the hotel for making the group its beneficiary.

Entry forms can be downloaded online through web address: www.saipan-grandhotel.com or at the Saipan Grand Hotel front desk. For further information, contact Yema at 234-6601 local 651 or through mobile phone at 483-6489.

Eat, drink, and Beautify the CNMI!

Saipan Tribune, Monday, January 15, 2006

ARC donates 10% of food sales to Beautify CNMI!

By Marconi Calindas
Reporter

The Aqua Resort Club is donating 10 percent of its dine-in sales to the environmental campaign group, Beautify CNMI!

ARC sales manager Yoshimi Kodama spoke in front of the members of Beautify CNMI! during its monthly general meeting last Thursday. Kodama said the premier hotel in the Achugao area is aiming help and assist the group through this promo.

Kodama said local residents that would be dining inside the hotel's Costa Terrace Restaurant would be able to indirectly donate to the cause of the environmental group. She said that each dining person from the CNMI for the hotel's buffet would provide 10 percent of the revenue for the group.

She said the promo is good for buffets on Wednesdays with the hotel's Mongolian BBQ from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Also on Fridays with their Seafood Night Buffet from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and Sundays with their Champagne Sunday Brunch from 11am to 2pm. The promo ends in April. Local discounts apply to the local dine-in guests, she added.

Kodama added that the hotel would be turning the donations over in April. She said the donations would be given to Beautify CNMI! through the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance group, also a partner of the Beautify CNMI!

The Beautify CNMI! group acknowledged the plans of the hotel during its general meeting last week. The members commended Kodama and the hotel in its pursuit of providing more environmental awareness in the CNMI, also for promoting the group.

“We at Aqua Resort Club, Saipan, are committed and will establish our status as one of the official sponsors of Beautify CNMI!,” said Kodama.

In October 2006, the hotel donated $200 to MINA, a partner of Beautify CNMI! that was one of the beneficiaries of the Ari Onishi Green Concert Dinner Show, also held in October.

Kodama earlier said that the Ari Onishi/Green Concert Dinner Show was an evening of enchanting piano music and a full course gourmet dinner that aimed at raising funds for environmental organizations and activities, including Beautify CNMI! Ari Onishi is a singer/songwriter from Japan and has performed with many celebrities in the past.

Day ON, not a day OFF

This is how Civil Rights relates to Beautify CNMI:

Saipan Tribune, Tuesday, January 16, 2007

"Yesterday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a “Day On” instead of a “Day Off” for some CNMI community members.

Businessman Willie Brundidge, a member of the African-American Cultural Preservation Committee, led a number of volunteers in a beach cleanup along the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan yesterday from 9am to 1pm.

Brundidge collaborated with Beautify CNMI! officers for the cleanup and a total of 20 volunteers helped.

Brundidge, owner of Mozell's Boys Ground Maintenance and Trash Clean Up, said he is commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a “day on,” and not a “day off.”

He told Saipan Tribune yesterday that he has been living in the CNMI the past 14 years and the community has helped him immensely. Yesterday's cleanup was just a small way for him to give something back to the community, he said.

“I'm an African-American business owner and I want to show some gratitude to the spirit of brotherhood that was extended to me. It's the type of thing that Martin had in his dream for us-it's something to exemplify the spirit of unity, brotherhood, making a difference and doing something positive in the interests of others' welfare,” he said."