Now Open: National Urban and Community Forestry Grant

Challenge Cost-Share Grant Program

This year the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council has revised its grant categories and process to the Forest Service’s National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program. They anticipate $855,000 in funding. Pre-proposals and Full proposals selected from the pre-proposals will be required.

There are three Innovation Grant categories based on one of the Council’s identified priority areas.

•Trees and Climate Change,
•Trees and Public Health, and
•Trees and Economic Development

The 2011 U.S. Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant (CFDA 10.675, Opportunity No. USDA-FS-UCF-2011) instructions and application are posted on www.grants.gov. The instructions may also be downloaded here.

Applications are due by 11:59 PM, November 29, 2010 to http://www.grants.gov/. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to download and fill out application.

The Grants.gov Help Contact Center is Open Monday - Friday, to help you with issues regarding Grants.gov.

Hours 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time.
Email support@grants.gov or call 1-800-518-4726.
If interested applicants are not already registered in http://www.grants.gov/, they are encouraged to register now.
The process may take up to two weeks to collect the required information.

For more information or assistance, contact:

Nancy Stremple, Executive Staff
Phone: 202-205-7829
Email: nstremple@fs.fed.us

WANTED: Writers from the Northern Mariana Islands

Saipan, CNMI – A quartet of local writers from the Northern Mariana Islands is accepting submissions for an upcoming anthology of local writers they are tentatively calling Stories from Wild Bills Cafe: Life, Love and Spicy Tofu in the Northern Mariana Islands.

“A number of local writers have been throwing around an idea to create a compilation of local work for years now,” said Angelo O’Connor Villagomez. “A group of us have been meeting together over spicy tofu and chiliburgers at Wild Bills these last few months and we’ve finally decided to put it together.”

When asked how long the anthology would be and how many writers would be included, Villagomez said that the book would be “about 200 pages, which will probably fit about 15 -20 writers.”

The editors of Wild Bills Café are Jane Mack, Joe Race, Jaime Vergara, and Villagomez.

The inspiration for the name of the anthology comes from Wild Bills Café on Beach Road in Garapan.

“I talked to the owner Bill about the name, and he’s allowing us to use it,” explained Race, a local novelist and former police officer. “Our idea is to focus the attention on a physical place to ground all the stories.”

Race also said that the book would promote the Northern Mariana Islands and might even turn Wild Bills into a destination for tourists, readers, and writers.

“Saipan, Tinian and Rota are home to several dozen newspaper reporters, bloggers, novelists, poets and amateur writers,” said Mack, a novelist and lawyer. “There are also a number of writers from the Northern Mariana Islands living and working abroad, but who write about home. These are the people we want to include in this first edition of Wild Bills.”

Writers interested in submitting work for the anthology can contact the editors at WildBillStories@gmail.com. Submission guidelines are available upon request. Writers whose work is chosen for submission will receive two (2) copies of Stories from Wild Bills Café.

SAIPAN INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP UPDATE, AS OF 9-13-10

The community is coming out en masse to combat CNMI's marine debris! We have 33 registrations in and more coming every day.

Currently, the open beaches are: Bird Island, Forbidden Island, Jeffries Beach, Old Man By The Sea, San Roque and the Dandan pocket beaches. As so many of the beach areas are covered, the Coastal Cleanup Team is encouraging groups to adopt school compounds, neighborhoods, roadsides and known illegal dumping sites. All trash on land will end up in the sea - let's cover the entire island.

Registered Groups (as of September 13):
Rotary Club of Saipan - Fishing Base
Shirley's Coffee Shop - Sugar Dock heading South
Fiesta Resort and Spa - Makaka Beach
MINA - Paupau Beach
Saipan International School - Coral Ocean Point
Friends of the Mariana Islands - South Laolao Beach(Pavillion)
Saipan Mayor's Office - Wing Beach
CTSI Logistics - Susupe Park
Hyatt Regency Saipan - Micro Beach
Pacific Marine Resource Institute - Quartermaster to 13 Fishermen
Saipan Swim Club - Marine Beach
Brabu Pharmacy - Brabu Pharmacy on Middle Road, 13 Fishermen
Winzler and Kelly - Quartermaster South to MVA
D & Q Co. Ltd and Cosmos Distributing - Tanapag Beach (across church)
Office of Representative Antonio P. Sablan - north of PIC to San Antonio Elementary School Beach
Marianas Baptist Academy - Pakpak Beach
Saipan Seventh Day Adventist School - San Antonio Beach from SDA School, North and South
MVA/NMDOA - North Laolao Beach (dive site)
NMC Environment and Natural Resources Organization - Kilili Beach
Port Users and Operators Committee - Unai Sadog Tasi (Lower Base)
PDM Promoters - Hafa Adai to Garapan Fishing Base
Pacific Oriental, Inc. dba POI Aviation - Obyan Beach
Century Group of Companies & Saipan Tribune - back of TSL plaza to OPM
DLNR - Ladder Beach
PTK (Phi Theta Kappa) - 13 Fishermen to Garapan Fishing Base
PIC Saipan - Agingan Point to PIC
Saipan Grand Hotel - Sugar Dock heading North to Saipan Grand Hotel
Marianas Water Works Corporation - Cow Town Beach
SSFM International Inc. - Garapan
Kagman Elementary School - Tank Beach
SSHS JROTC Manta Ray Battalion - Lally 4
CNMI WIC Program - TBA
The Office of Representative Kilili - Kilili Beach

**All volunteer groups, please note that the Coastal Resources Management office will be open on 22-23 September for group leaders to pick up trash bags, gloves and marine debris data sheets.

See you all then!

Carnival of the Blue XL: The Saipan Blog

Carnival of the Blue XL: Top of the Food Chain is now posted at the Saipan Blog. 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.

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!

Sept 3 Update--International Coastal Cleanup

Hello, Beautifyers!

Here's the latest update as of September 3 --

REGISTERED GROUPS (as of September 3)

Fiesta Resort & Spa - Makaka Beach
MINA - Paupau Beach
Saipan International School - Coral Ocean Point
Friends of the Mariana Islands - South Laolao Beach (Pavillion)
Saipan Mayor's Office - Wing Beach
CTSI Logistics - Susupe Park
Hyatt Regency Saipan (Team F.O.R.C.E.) - Micro Beach
PMRI - Peter Houk - Quartermaster to 13 Fishermen
Saipan Swim Club - San Roque
Winzler and Kelly - Quartermaster South to MVA
D & Q Saipan Co, Ltd. And Cosmos Distributing - Tanapag Beach
Brabu Pharmacy - Brabu Pharmacy on Middle Road, 13 Fishermen
Office of Representative Antonio P. Sablan - North of PIC to San Antonio Elementary School
Marianas Baptist Academy (MBA) - Pakpak Beach
Saipan Seventh Day Adventist School - San Antonio Beach from SDA School, North and South
MVA/NMDOA - North Laolao Beach (dive site)
NMC Environment and Natural Resources Org. (ENRO) - Kilili Beach
Port Users and Operators Committee - Unai Sadog Tasi (Lower Base)

BEACHES STILL OPEN (as of September 3)

Forbidden Island Beach
Bird Island Beach
Obyan Beach
Ladder Beach
Tank Beach
Marine Beach
Dandan Pocket Beaches
Old Man by the Sea Beach
Jeffries Beach
Agingan Point to PIC
Micro Beach (Hyatt to Smiling Cove)
Lally 4
Sugar Dock heading north to Grand Hotel
13 Fishermen to Garapan Fishing Base
Garapan Fishing Base to Hafa Adai Hotel
Cow Town Beach
Mt. Tapotchao

*We also encourage groups to adopt school grounds, road sides, known illegal dumping areas and neighborhoods. All of the CNMI is within the coastal zone; trash on land will soon end up on the beach or in the sea!*

Volunteers Step Up for 2010 International Coastal Cleanup!

CRM and DEQ are calling motivated groups to volunteer for the International Coastal Cleanup on 24-25 September, 2010.

Registered Groups and cleanup locations:

Big thanks out to the groups already registered, we're looking forward to the event!

Rotary Club of Saipan - Fishing Base
Shirley's Coffee Shop - Sugar Dock heading South
Fiesta Resort and Spa - Makaka Beach
MINA - Paupau Beach
Saipan International School - Coral Ocean Point
Friends of the Mariana Islands - South Laolao Beach
Saipan Mayor's Office - Wing Beach
CTSI Logistics - Susupe Park Beach
Hyatt Regency Saipan - Micro Beach
Pacific Marine Resources Institute - Quartermaster Road to 13 Fishermen
Saipan Swim Club - San Roque Beach


Beaches Still to be Adopted:

This is a lot of beaches folks - spread the word about the International Coastal Cleanup and let's have one group at each one! All people in government, we'd love to see a better showing of government agencies. Private organizations and clubs, this is great way to spend a couple hours giving back to the community that you're working in.

Forbidden Island Beach
Bird Island Beach
Obyan Beach
Ladder Beach
Tank Beach
Marine Beach
Dandan Pocket Beaches
North Laolao Beach (Dive Site)
Old Man by the Sea Beach
Jeffries Beach
Agingan Point to PIC
Micro Beach (Hyatt to Smiling Cove)
Coral Ocean Point
Lally 4
Sugar Dock heading north to Grand Hotel
Kilili Beach
Quartermaster south to MVA
13 Fishermen to Garapan Fishing Base
Garapan Fishing Base to Hafa Adai Hotel
Cow Town Beach

Last year volunteers diverted hundreds of bags of trash from Saipan's coastal areas. Let's make an even larger impact in 2010!

To sign-up for the event, please fill out the sign-up sheet and email it to rachel.zuercher@crm.gov.mp or fax it to 664-8315. For more information, contact Rachel Zuercher at 664-8305.

For more information about the cleanup or to request a registration form, please call 664-8305 or email rachel.zuercher@crm.gov.mp. Thanks!