Carnival of the Blue 23

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

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

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 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.

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 last week, 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).

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!

Former CNMI Residents donate prizes for island-wide cleanup

Two former residents of the CNMI have donated $300 in prizes to be given out to participants of the upcoming island-wide cleanup. Ron and Nancy Kramis of Bellingham, Washington decided to donate the prize money because they wanted to somehow participate in the event planned for April 17.

“We’ve been following Beautify CNMI since it was formed and when we lived in the CNMI we would volunteer. We are back in Washington now and we wanted to help out. Ron came up with this idea for us to participate,” commented Nancy Kramis who worked with PSS and DPH when she was living in the CNMI.

“Whoever wins the prizes can spend the money anyway they like, but when I came up with the idea I thought that the prizes could be used to purchase school supplies or more cleanup supplies. Maybe if some students win they could have a pizza party to celebrate their hard work,” added Ron Kramis.

Event organizers have decided to use the prize money to give out three $100 prizes. The first prize will be $100 cash given to one of the participating groups at random. Every volunteer group, business, or school that participates will have their names put into a hat and one of them will be the lucky winner of $100.

The other two prizes require the coordinators of the volunteering organization to submit a photograph. The volunteer group that picks up the most garbage, as evidenced by a photograph of trash collected on the day of the cleanup will win $100. Likewise, the volunteer group that recruits the most volunteers, as evidenced by a group photograph on the day of the cleanup will also win $100.

“We are blessed to have such generous benefactors. These prizes are a nice way to reward all the hard work that volunteer groups have been doing for Beautify CNMI over the years. Ron and Nancy Kramis deserve a heartfelt si yu’us ma’ase,” said event co-organizer Angelo Villagomez.

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.

Letters to the Editor
Monday, April 06, 2009

Please participate in this month's islandwide cleanup

Two and one half years ago, the Beautify CNMI campaign put together an event called “1020 on 10/20.” We challenged 1,020 people to spend a few hours on October 20 doing something to make these islands a better place to live and visit. Over 3,380 locals, contract workers, government workers, business owners, elected officials, and students heeded the call and spent the morning of Oct. 20 picking up litter off roads and beaches, painting over graffiti, and planting trees. Our collective efforts were impressive.

If my records are to be believed, that year the Coastal Resources Management Office teamed up with the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance to remove 380 lbs of trash from Tank Beach. The students at Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary removed 500 lbs of trash from the beach behind their school. The Division of Environmental Quality cleaned up the area north of the 13 Fishermen Memorial and planted several dozen coconut trees. They removed 280 lbs of trash. All told over 9,120 lbs of litter were removed from the 32 cleanup sites adopted in 2006.

A second islandwide cleanup is being planned for April 17, 2009, as part of the Commonwealth's celebration of Earth Month. The concept for this event is similar to what we did with “1020 on 10/20.” We are asking community members, business owners, and government agencies to spend up to two hours enhancing the areas around their homes, businesses, and offices.

Several organizations are helping us organize this cleanup. The Rotary Club of Saipan, Marianas Tourism Education Council, and Division of Environmental Quality are the lead coordinators. The Marianas Visitors Authority is donating $1,500 for the purchase of plastic bags, rubber gloves, and paint supplies. They will be available for pickup at DEQ later this week. DEQ has also pledged to use their trucks and staff to pick up and transfer all garbage to the Lower Base transfer station, which Department of Public Works will be keeping open late to accommodate us.

Additionally, Governor Fitial has agreed to allow all Executive Branch agencies to participate in this islandwide cleanup during working hours. More information on their participation should be forthcoming from the Governor's Office and the Division of Environmental Quality.

I humbly invite you to join us in this year's islandwide cleanup. You can adopt a spot, either your favorite beach, a tourist attraction, or the road in front of your home, business, or office, or you can join another group at their cleanup. A list of all of this year's adopted spots can be found at http://beautifycnmi.blogspot.com. Simply contact the coordinator for that location and tell them you want to join.

If you would like to adopt a spot this year, please call me at 285-6462 or Joe Kaipat at DEQ at 664-8500 or email me at angelovillagomez@gmail.com. I will send you the one-page sign up sheet and help you with your adopted spot's logistics.

These islands are our home and if we don't take care of it, nobody else is going to do it for us. The Beautify CNMI campaign has always belonged to the entire community. I will often say, “Everyone is a member of Beautify CNMI, even if they don't know it yet.” This campaign has always been one of the people and by the people. When we didn't have money for garbage bags, somebody has always donated them. When we needed volunteers, somebody has always given us their time. With this cleanup, we are asking for your help one more time.

This cleanup comes right around the time of the third anniversary of Beautify CNMI and I'm looking forward to this event launching us into a successful fourth year. Again, I humbly ask you to participate in this year's islandwide cleanup. Participate with your family, your co-workers, or your classmates, but please participate.

Angelo O’Connor Villagomez
Volunteer, Beautify CNMI

Sign up for the Island Wide Cleanup

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.

Former First Lady Thanks Friends of the Monument

Monumental moment: Friends of the Monument's Agnes McPhetres presented then-First Lady Laura Bush with Mariana Trench t-shirts on the day the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument was created by then-President George W. Bush.

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands – Former First Lady Laura Bush recently wrote to the Friends of the Monument thanking them for their role in supporting the creation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

The letter, embossed with the official White House seal reads, “We are pleased that you joined us at the White House for the signing of the proclamation to create the Pacific Marine National Monuments. Your gifts will always remind us of your support throughout the process that led this special occasion.”

Friends of the Monument’s Agnes M. McPhetres presented then-first lady Bush with two orange Mariana Trench Monument t-shirts after the monument declaration signing in Washington, DC on January 6, 2009.

The former first lady added, “Conservation and protection of our ocean resources is vitally important to our nation and the world. I am proud of the accomplishments of my husband’s Administration to protect America’s oceans. He joins me in sending best wishes to your organization for future success in advancing marine conservation.”

The letter from the former first lady included an autographed photo of her and former President George W. Bush.
Friends of the Monument’s Angelo O. Villagomez said of the letter, “I am really proud of our people. We are showing the world how local actions can have global consequences. Even the former President of the United States and his first lady know about our work here.”

The Friends of the Monument were the main proponents for a marine monument in the Marianas. When local elected leaders were not receptive to the idea of a marine monument, the Friends started a petition drive and collected over 6000 signatures from local residents. They also gained endorsements from the business community and prominent community leaders.

The islands’ political establishment ultimately supported the monument. According to a statement issued by Governor Benigno R Fitial on the day of the designation, “I welcome President Bush's historic announcement establishing the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument…Over the past few months, I have been actively engaged in discussions with the White House Council on Environmental Quality regarding the objectives and scope of the proposed monument. I have been joined in these discussions by President Pete Reyes of the Commonwealth Senate and Speaker Arnold Palacios of the Commonwealth House of Representatives.”

When asked about what he was going to do with the letter, Friends of the Monument’s Ignacio V. Cabrera said, “I’m going to hang it on my wall at home so that I can remember all we have accomplished.”

Silly grin: Friends of the Monument's Angelo Villagomez and the letter from Laura Bush.

Friends of the Monument officers Agnes M. McPhetres, Ignacio V. Cabrera, and Angelo O. Villagomez were on hand to witness the historic monument declaration this past January.

The Friends of the Monument formed in the Spring of 2008 to express the voice of the local community and consists of a cross-section of indigenous and resident people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands who are dedicated to the conservation, preservation and protection of marine flora, fauna and geological features of the oceans; and the creation and proper management of a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

More information on the Friends of the Monument and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument can be found at http://marianamonument.blogspot.com.