Engaged Citizen Awards

We hosted a beachside barbeque on Monday night to thank the Friends of the Monument for all the work they did to support the creation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. We handed out "2009 Engaged Citizen Awards" to all of the members. Below are some of the members accepting their awards.

Ike Cabrera was the first award winner of the evening. Ike has been on four trips to the states on behalf of the Friends of the Monument, earning him the "Most Onepass Miles Earned" Award.

Heinz Hofschneider was given a "Special Award for Legislative Courage" for his early support of the monument.

Alexie wrote the Boon or Bane article for Island Locator Magazine. The article explored the issues of the monument from both sides. Since the monument is now a reality, she was awarded the "Boon or Bane Award."

Bryan Jones kick started our school outreach program. He also sent a number of photos to Washington, DC of student volunteers working to build support for the monument. He was named the "MTMNM Photographer of the Year."

Mike Tripp brought a tear to everyone's eye as he gave his speech after winning the "Canadian Heartbreaker" Award.

Laurie Peterka was given an award as the "Oreo and Angelo Babysitter." I will not comment on that award further.

Ken Kramer quit his job to work on supporting the monument, so he was the winner of "Best Sacrifice of a Job." His wife Monique was given a "Most Patient Spouse" Award.

Ruth Tighe was given the "Mightiest Pen" Award for her many columns and letters to the editor during the course of the year. Nobody can zing 'em like Ruth Tighe.

Harry Blalock discussed the monument on his radio talk show almost every day in 2008. He was the recipient of the "Best Radio Face" Award. His wife Kelli received a Lifetime Achievement Award for "Most Patient Spouse."

Jane Mack received the "John Gourley Smackdown Award" for her many letters to the editor refuting his many letters to the editor. This was the most coveted award of the evening.

Wes Bogdan traveled to American Samoa on behalf of the Friends of the Monument earlier this year to testify on Wespac's involvement in drafting regulations for fishing inside the monument boundaries.

MarjaLee Taitano was one of our most consistent volunteers last year. She came to all our meetings and helped us collect signatures for our petition. She's originally from some country in Europe (never really figured out which one), so she was the recipient of the "Best Accent" Award.

Cinta was awarded with the "10/20 Turnout Award" because of the huge number of people she recruited to come to the White House public workshop on October 20, 2008.

Gus Kaipat was given the award for "Best Use of Music as a Lobbying Tactic." When the Federal officials came to Saipan in October 2008 to discuss the monument, the Friends of the Monument greeted them in the lobby of their hotel. While the Friends lined the driveway entrance to the lobby, Gus was strumming away at his ukulele and singing. It was a magical moment.

Agnes McPhetres was named "Toughest DC Lobbyist" for the trip she took to Washington, DC in August 2008 and for her "strength of character" during our meetings with James Connaughton and other Federal officials in October 2008.

NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai

I noticed this NOAA Research Cruise blog a few weeks ago and I've told a few people to look it up. This is from their main page:

On March 12, 2009, scientists from the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (CRED/PIFSC), along with visiting scientists from San Diego State University and the University of Guam, departed on a three week cruise to Wake Atoll aboard the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai. This will be the third biennial Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruise to isolated Wake, sponsored by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The strategic goal of this research is to improve scientific understanding of coral reef ecosystems throughout the Pacific, and serve as the basis for improved conservation and resource management.

The recent designation of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, of which Wake is a part, highlights the importance of this research.

[snip]

The cruise will terminate in Guam, where the Hi'ialakai and scientists from the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division will continue with two more RAMP cruises, first around Guam and the then on to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI).

The blog has a number of pictures and a few anecdotes about coral reef research. It is a good read, but I really wish they had posted every day. I can think of about 50 people living on Saipan alone that would eat up every single picture or word they post.

Hmm...maybe I could get on one of these cruises as their official blogger?

Tagaman

I was pumped for the Tagaman yesterday. My alarm was set for 4 AM so that I could get out of bed and be ready in time for the 6 AM start. 2 K swim, 60 K bike, and then a 15 K run. I was ready.

I got to the Pacific Islands Club with plenty of time to set up my bike in the transition area. Brad really helped me out. He gave me a helmet and glasses. He and Janet gave me bike snacks, too.

With my bike ready to go, I went to the check-in table and turned in my bag for the running transition area. It had my shoes, a dry shirt, and some Powerade in it. They also wrote two big 58s on each of my shoulders.

Then it was time to go to the starting line.

I did some stretching and went for a short jog and then I put on my red Tagaman swim cap and my brand new swim goggles. Then I jumped in the water to test it out. Not too cold. Not a lot of rocks.  Let's do this thing.

As it got close to 6 AM all the competitors started to congregate near the start line, about 60 of us. This being my first competitive swim ever, I told myself to treat this like a long run. Just fall into the pack and pace yourself.

Yeah, right.

When the whistle blew I crashed into the water along with everyone else. I wasn't pushing it, just kept up a steady rhythm.

That lasted all of two minutes.  Please keep all two minute man jokes to yourself.  Thank you.

50 meters into the race I was ready to stand up and walk back to the beach and call it quits. There was no way I was going to be able to swim 2000 meters. Impossible. Never gonna happen. I was going to kill myself.

I told myself to at least give it a try. I couldn't quit two minutes into the race...or could I? No, I couldn't. I stopped using a crawl and tried a breast stroke. I wasn't moving fast, but I was at least moving.

When I caught my breathe I saw that I was still with a few swimmers. Alright, let's do this. Just keep moving.

The Tagaman swim consists of two 1000 meter laps around two buoys in the Saipan lagoon. The course is in the shape of a triangle. I managed to finish the first lap in under 30 minutes.

I finished the second lap in 56 minutes. Holy crap.  That was the toughest part of the race, or so I thought.

I jogged over to the transition area and got ready for the bike.

As I pedaled out to start the 60 K bike I was practically delirious from the swim.  I thought the bike was going to be easy.  I never really considered biking difficult, probably because my biking has been limited to going down the street for some ice cream.

Oh My God.

The first hill right outside of PIC almost did me in. It's not that big, but after the swim it felt like I was riding up Mount Tapachou.

So I made it up and made my way into Koblerville and then past Coral Ocean Point and up towards the airport. By then I was settling into the bike that Dr. Dan Lamar let me borrow, but as I took on that second hill I swore at myself for not taking the bike out for a few practice runs earlier in the week. @#%&*!!!

Then it is mostly downhill back towards PIC and then a long flat ride from PIC, up to Garapan and then on to Marpi. I wasn't pedaling at an Olympic pace, but like the swim, at least I was moving.

To make a long story short, I'll spare you the Brad Ruszala-esque play-by-play of my bike ride, two hours into the bike (plus 56 minutes for the swim), as I was climbing the final hill between the Grotto and Bonzai cliff, I had a race ending equipment malfunction.

The sole of my left bicycle cleat came completely detached from my shoe. I tried to peddle without the cleat, but it wasn't working, especially going up hill. Then I tried to tie the sole back onto my shoe using a plastic bag. That didn't work either.

So that's when I started pushing. There were some race officials at the top of the hill and I thought they might have some duck tape. If I could just reach them...

Now before the shoe broke I was about 1/2 mile ahead of the last competitor. As I was pushing my bike up the hill she passed me. There was a race official following her in a truck.

He asked me if I was alright and I told him what had happened. He didn't have any duck tape. He asked me if I wanted to continue.  I pondered it for about 10 seconds and then threw in the towel.

DNF. Did Not Finish.

Damn.

Oh well, there's always next year.

Back at the finish line I told my story about 25 times, holding up the shoe every time. Team Manatee gave me two beers as a consolation prize, so the day wasn't a total loss.

I got my picture taken with the last biker, Yumi.  Her English was about as good as my Japanese, so our conversation was limited to, "Me Saipan first time."  To which I responded, "Wow, you're hot." 

Yumi was competing with two other Japanese girls.  I didn't get the whole story, but they're magazine or TV personalities or something.   And if you were wondering, Yes, the girl in the small orange dress wore the dress when she did the run.

So I didn't technically lose to Brad Ruszala since I didn't finish the race, but I plan on honoring the bet with a case of beer. I hope he'll share it with me.

Expedition to NW Rota

Bill Chadwick from Oregon State University is the scientist you see interviewed in the NBC story about the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. He just finished up a research cruise in the Marianas where they visited NW Rota, an undersea volcano off the coast of, you guessed it, Rota. NW Rota is also one of the 21 seamounts that are a part of the monument.

The expedition has a blog with some video of the underwater vents and a few pictures. Check it out.

Guilty on All Counts

I just heard from a reliable source that the Lieutenant Governor has been found guilty of bribery, theft, conspiracy to defraud, and wire fraud. The other co-defendants in the case, James Santos and Joaquina Santos, were also found guilty on all counts. Jury Deliberations started and ended today. I don't know when the sentencing will be.

******
According to the Pacific Daily News, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial issued the following statement:

“I have only two things to say regarding this matter. First, I want to express my sympathy to the family of the lieutenant governor. This is a terrible ordeal for any family to have to suffer, and I regret the great distress this unfortunate development has caused not only for the family, but for our entire local community as well.

“Second, as I have repeatedly said in the past, I respect the law and the judicial process. I respect our system of justice.”

Award Winners II

There was no Award Winners I, but in a previous post I did post a photo of some of the Rotary Club members who are Friends of the Monument.

In my travels around the island I am taking pictures of our supporters holding the EPA Environmental Award given to the Friends of the Monument.  I will post those photos on this blog.  The people that you will see holding the trophy had a lot to do with our success.

Now that the monument is a "done deal," I can look back on 2008 and say that there were dozens of people that were crucial at a crucial moment in keeping our campaign to create a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument alive and ultimately successful.

I haven't told all those stories on this blog, but I will try to recount some of them as I post pictures of the Friends of the Monument holding their hard earned green glass trophy.

Aya and Willie Matsumoto are the bridge between the Japanese community on Saipan and the Friends of the Monument. Aya writes a blog in Japanese and  many of her posts are translations of our blog posts and our press releases. Both Aya and Willie also wrote letters to President Bush in support of the Monument.

The Rotary Club of Saipan is not a political organization, nor did they endorse the monument. However, many of the members supported the monument and were active members of the Friends of the Monument.

Mike Tripp was one of the first people to help us in our campaign. He came to the first meetings and wrote several letters to the editor, as well as to the President. We missed him during the middle of campaign because he had some health issues to attend to, but he's back in action. In fact, most of the underwater footage used in the recent NBC story was shot by Mike.

Laurie Peterka was my fellow staff member during the campaign. I hired her early on and I couldn't have picked a better partner. We would argue over what food to have at meetings and I still refuse to admit that volleyball is a sport, but other than that we had a great working relationship and accomplished great things.

Vicky and Dennis both wrote letters to the President. They are both prominent, respected people on our island and simply having them be supportive in their day to day interactions with other people meant a lot.

NBC: Working to Preserve a World Under Water

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is it! It is finally up!

I love how Brian Williams starts the story off by calling us, "one of the most spectacular, but unseen places on Earth."

I also like how Ian Williams (no relation) signs off with, there is "so much more to these waters than the decaying remnants of war."

******
Be sure to check out the "Voices from Saipan" video from NBC, too

NBC: Oceans Offer Warning on Climate Change

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is the story that played on Earth Day. The reporter, Ian Williams, is the reporter that came to Saipan. I hope that our story plays today (Thursday).

Voices from Saipan

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is a 3:31 web-only video that accompanies the NBC Nightly News segment on the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

There is also a written story.

"We can reach the moon, but we can't reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench. What kind of life is down there? What kind of scientific discoveries are yet to be found?" says Angelo Villagomez, of the Friends of the Monument, which led a vigorous campaign for a protected area.

The Trieste, a 2-man min-sub operated by the US Navy, did reach the bottom in 1960. Since then, the only vessel to come close, was an unmanned Japanese research sub in 1995. Next month, though, they'll be another US attempt, this one unmanned, in a mini-sub called the Nereus from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Scientists are heralding a new era in marine exploration.
For his part, Villagomez sees the establishment of Mariana trench National Monument as the ocean equivalent of the setting up of Yellowstone, the first park on land, in 1872.

"I would hope that other nations will look at what the US has done. It's set a new paradigm in marine conservation," he told me.

The Friends of the Monument are based on Saipan, the capital of the North Marianas, best known for one of the fiercest and most decisive battles of the Pacific War, which cost the lives of 30,000 Japanese and three thousand American troops.

The wrecks of ships, aircraft, tanks and landing craft litter the coast here.
We caught up with Villagomez as he addressed student's at Saipan's Hopwood Junior High School, part of campaign that mobilized Saipan's tiny, 50,000-strong population behind the monument.

"How many of you wrote letters to President Bush?" he asked as a sea of hands were raised in the air. From radio chat shows, to a petition drive, they spread the word that Saipan could gain enormously by being at the heart of such a pioneering act of conservation. Initially, local officials were lukewarm, seeing the proposed federally managed monument as a threat to their powers.

The conservationists had wanted more - some of the underwater volcanoes along the volcanic arch are outside the protected are, as are some of the shark habitats in a neighborhood well within the range of Chinese fishing boats, eager to feed the appetite for Shark fins, one of the biggest threats faced by these endangered predators.

"But it is a start," says Villagomez. "Down the road, I see the protection increasing, I see the borders expanding." Challenges do lie ahead. It's still not clear how tough the new rules on fishing and exploration will be, and precisely how the monument will be managed and policed.

The Friends showed us Saipan's existing protected areas, which have succeeded in bringing back fish to the reef - and were we witnessed a remarkable underwater parade of protected giant Eagle Rays.

I need white people

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) is going to be on Saipan next week shooting a drama. They need some white people to stand in as extras. There is some pay, but I don't know how much. If you are available next Saturday, May 2, shoot me an email and I'll help set you up.

Earth Day Activities

The Division of Parks and Recreation hooked me up with three trees for my Earth Day tree planting with the Rotary Club of Saipan. Two of the trees were da'ok trees, Calophyllum inophyllum. Do you know the trees lining the road to the Grotto? Those are da'ok trees that we planted in 2006. There are also several large da'ok trees at Sugar King Park.

The third tree was a non-native species, the only specimen of its kind growing at Parks & Rec. It is a species of banyon, Ficus religiosa. As far as I know, there are only two trees of this species growing in the CNMI. There is one at the botanical garden in Papago and one growing on Tinian.

I went all out for the tree planting today. After digging the holes this morning I took the shovels back to my apartment where I cleaned them and painted them gold. I also bought three big bags of mulch to place around the trees, fertilizer, and bottled water (less salt than tap water).

The tree planting took place with the Rotary Club of Saipan and the ISK8 Society, a local club for skateboarders. I've said before that the best events are always the ones we do with kids. Even with the pressure to appear cool, they always seem the most receptive to our message.

NBC: Teach a Man to Farm Fish...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is part two of the NBC Nightly News "special series" on the ocean, Seachange: Our Oceans, Our Planet, & Our Future. This originally played on April 21.

NBC: Reeling in the Threat of Overfishing

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is a part one of the NBC Nightly News "special series" on the ocean, Seachange: Our Oceans, Our Planet, & Our Future. This originally played on April 20.  The story on the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument is part of this. If you can view this video, you'll be able to view our video when it is posted. Visit the MSNBC website for more.

Happy Earth Day

Rotary Club Friends of the Monument (from left to right): David M. Sablan, Agnes McPhetres, Pete Igitol, Harry Blalock, and Karl Reyes with the 2009 EPA Environmental Award. 

The EPA Environmental Award belongs to all those who helped support the creation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. I brought the trophy to Rotary Club yesterday to photograph our biggest supporters there.  I hope to get more photos like this with the many environmental champions who helped us last year.

******
Earth Day brings forth mixed emotions for me. It is a day to celebrate my chosen profession...and I'll leave the other side alone for now.

But like I said, today should be a day of celebration. I remember on Earth Day 2004 giving my first public speech at the kickoff rally for the League of Conservation Voters Environmental Victory Project in Florida and gathering signatures for a petition asking the new Rollins College president to support his predecessor's signing of the Talloires Declaration.

My speech ended up on the NBC local news that night. If I remember correctly, the Earth Day story that year was about then-President Bush's plan to create new wetlands. Our kickoff rally was the follow up story, playing immediately after the President. The tag was something like, "but a number of environmentalists in Central Florida are unhappy with the President's environmental record. For more we go to..."

Fast forward five years and I'm still doing pretty much the same thing. I started the morning off by calling my Representative in Congress to lobby for an environmental issue. Later today I'll be planting a tree with the Rotary Club of Saipan and some local kids.

Today I will also celebrate the success of the Beautify CNMI Island Wide Cleanup last week and the declaration of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument earlier this year. Those of you with cable TV can watch the Friends of the Monument on the NBC Nightly News tonight (read Mike Tripp's letter to the editor published today for more).

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day News

The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument is going to be featured on NBC Nightly News on Earth Day. Check your local listings for time and channel. Hopefully they'll have embed-able multimedia that I can put on this blog.

Stay tuned.

Good Luck, Jetsada

Guess who I saw in the Narita airport on my way back to Saipan? Good luck back in Bangkok, Jess.

The Final Countdown

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.

Island Wide Cleanup Photos

It was a real honor to be able to fly to San Francisco to accept the EPA Award on behalf of the Friends of the Monument, but I'm still disappointed that I wasn't able to participate in the Island Wide Cleanup. I really wish I could have driven down the road and seen first hand the thousands of people out on the streets.

I guess I'll have to settle for photos.

So far I have photos from the Kramer Family and Laolao Bay Golf Resort, Saipan International School and Friends of the Mariana Islands, Garapan Elementary School, Docomo, Pacific Eagle and Isa CNMI, Department of Public Lands, Northern Marianas College, San Vicente Elementary, Paseo de Marianas Promoters, Aquarius Beach Tower, Ladera International School of Saipan, MVA and NMDOA, Tottotville Community, and William S Reyes Elementary.

If you participated in the Island Wide Cleanup and have photos, please email them to me so that I can put them up on the Beautify CNMI blog.

Thank you

Friday was an amazing day. Thank you. Thousands of people came together for a single cause: a more beautiful Saipan. Young and old, citizen and non-citizen, local and non-local, government workers and business owners volunteered a few hours of their time to pick up the trash littering our beautiful island. Later this week the islands of Tinian and Rota will do the same. Again, Thank you.

Our results were staggering. The final numbers are still being tallied, but our preliminary count shows 4040 volunteers, 55 volunteer groups and 48 adopted sites on Saipan, and 12,960 lbs of trash removed from our streets, beaches, and parks.

The collaboration between groups to make this island wide cleanup a success was enormous. Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Rotary Club of Saipan handled most of the pre-cleanup coordination and sign-ups. Marianas Visitors Authority, Marianas Tourism Education Council, McDonald’s, and the Kramis Family provided funds for supplies and prizes. On the day of the cleanup DEQ, Bureau of Environmental Health, and Division of Parks and Recreation coordinated all of the trash pickup. Additionally there were 55 volunteer group coordinators, who ensured that their adopted site had rubber gloves, trash bags, and most importantly, volunteers.

In every way, from the total number of volunteers, to the number of participating groups, to the amount of litter removed, this year’s cleanup was bigger than anything the Beautify CNMI coalition has ever accomplished.

Furthermore, if the success of this cleanup has anything to teach us, it is that the government does not have the sole responsibility of solving our social problems, nor do they hold a monopoly on having the ability to fix them. We just showed that with a slight change in ethic and a small amount of effort on everyone’s part we can move mountains, in this case a 6.5 ton mountain of cans, bottles, and cigarette butts.

Unfortunately, Saipan’s streets and beaches will be covered in litter by the end of the week. Over the weekend hundreds of people went to the beach and left their trash, cigarette butts and cans are still being thrown out of cars, and homestead residents continue to dump their trash in the jungle.

Instead of being discouraged by this realization, I ask all of you to become reenergized. Change happens. The success of Beautify CNMI over the last three years and this latest cleanup are proof of that. Let us redouble our efforts to turn the Marianas into the cleanest, safest islands in the Pacific.

I encourage the volunteer groups that participated in this cleanup to adopt their spot for the next 12 months. Become the steward of that road, beach, or park for the next year.

I also encourage the eight government agencies charged with enforcing our litter laws to start making examples of some of the worst litter offenders. Hand out a few of those $500 tickets to businesses not properly storing their garbage or to residents dumping their trash illegally.

Finally, I encourage our donors to continue supporting our cleanup efforts. We cannot paint over graffiti if we do not have paint and we cannot pick up litter if we do not have garbage bags.

Volunteers, government policy, and business support are the three legs on which Beautify CNMI stands. The continued involvement of all three will improve the quality of life for the people that live here and make us a more desirable tourism destination.

Again, thank you to all who have supported the concept of Beautify CNMI over the last three years and to everyone who participated in this historic island wide cleanup. I look forward to many more years of collaboration and hard work as we move towards a more perfect Commonwealth.

Angelo Villagomez
Beautify CNMI

Thank you Coral Reef Alliance

I think I have a new favorite shirt. Thank you, Coral Reef Alliance!

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.

News from Joe Kaipat

I received the following message from Joe Kaipat:

Angelo:

It is 7 pm and things wrapped up at 6. We have so far registered a total of 12,960 lbs and do not have weight from BEH, Parks & Rec. and one more DEQ vehicle. I will get them on Monday and total it with tomorrows collection before it is final. It was a good and hot day. Saipan is clean. I will update you further on Monday. When do you return?

olomwaay

Joe M. Kaipat
Division of Environmental Quality
Manager, SDWP

Joe coordinated all the logistics for the island-wide cleanup, including the pickup of all trash from every group that requested help. He was a huge part in pulling off this successful day.

The 12,960 lbs of solid waste collected so far already exceeds the 9,120 lbs removed during 1020 on 10/20 in 2006. In every way, from the total number of volunteers, to the number of participating groups, to the amount of work done, this year's cleanup is bigger than anything we have ever accomplished.

I am amazed at what our island just pulled off.

Congratulations to everyone!

Boston Red Sox vs Oakland A's

As luck would have it, the Red Sox were in town the two days before the awards ceremony. I had wanted to go to both games, but only managed to make it to one.

Getting to the Oakland Coliseum is very convenient. The Bay Area Rapid Transit stops right in front of the stadium...and right in front of our hotel. It was only about $3 and a short 20 minute ride over.

Ticket prices are also very reasonable. The most expensive seat in the house was only $55. I would have purchased one of those, but they were all sold out. I had to settle for the $40 seats, which still weren't too bad.

It has been nearly four years since I've been to a Major League Baseball game (check out my post from 2005 and you'll recognize a former Saipan celebrity). The two or three games I went to at Fenway when I was a kid are some of the best memories I have from my childhood. It was great to sort of relive them at Tuesday's game.

Here are some photos:

Big Papi about to take a monster swing.

That's team captain Jason Varitek.

Anyone else think that Mike Lowell looks like Greg Moretti?

Jason "Who's Got the Roid Rage" Giambi amazingly enough didn't get a single STEEEEEEEE-ROOOOOOIIIIIIDS chant directed at him. I'm sure the fans at Fenway will make up for it the next time the A's travel to Boston.

Hideo Okajima took the mount at the end of the game. We still lost.

Amigos en San Francisco

Social media is a wonderful thing. I use it to connect with people who I haven't seen in years.

After seeing a Facebook status update that I would be in San Fran, Dustin told me to give him a call so we could go out for a beer or two. To be honest, we ended up going out for a few more than that. We watched Oakland beat the Red Sox in 12 innings (damn!) and then he took me to Chinatown (yeah?) for a few more beers.

Dustin and I worked together on the League of Conservation Voters Environmental Victory Project. It is always great to see other EVP alumni. My first job in the environmental field was with LCV and the people I worked with that year were great people.

I've also met lots of great people from my use of social media. A short list of people I've met through my blog include Bev, Melissa, Chris, Missy, and Deece. I met Rick MacPherson about two years ago on my blog (or was it his blog?) We've traded comments back and forth over the years and we both participate in Carnival of the Blue. Rick even helped us get letters to President Bush asking him to declare the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

I finally met Rick yesterday.  We chatted for about two hours in his office about how to rule the world using zooxanthella-powered ray guns and then we went out for beers with some of the staff from Coral Reef Alliance.  He's a great guy. Reminds me a lot of George Hasselback on Saipan, but funny (sorry, George). Seriously, you two might be long lost brothers.

Hmmm...one of these days I'll meet Mona in Seattle.

Bev is one of those people I met online. I met her in December of 2006 after I found that she had copied pictures from my blog onto her blog. Pretty soon she was volunteering for Beautify CNMI and coming to our blogger meetups. I know Greg from working with him on Saipan. He was a NOAA Marine Protected Area Specialist for almost three years. They both moved out to San Francisco just as the monument issue was heating up.

They took Ike and me to an El Salvadorian restaurant somewhere in town (don't ask me where). It was great seeing them. Greg even came to the awards ceremony today and was our cameraman.

Juan and Galvin on Youtube

I think Juan and Galvin are the first political candidates in CNMI history to put a political commercial on Youtube. Cinta Kaipat was the first elected official in the Marianas with a blog. Thought I'd just point that out. I think social media will have more and more relevance in CNMI elections as time goes on.

Island Wide on Facebook

I'm waiting for people to start sending in their photos from the Island Wide Cleanup. I so wish I was there. No photos have come in yet, but I've been watching people updating their Facebook profiles:

Thanks for participating, guys!

As luck would have it, as I was uploading the screenshots of the Facebook profiles, I received the first photos of the cleanup.

That's Alexander Kramer, son of Beautify CNMI co-founder Ken Kramer, with the trash he collected at their cleanup spot in Gualo Rai. Thanks, Alexander and Ken!

Wow. Then while I was uploading that picture of Alexander, I recieved this photo of the Laolao Bay Golf Resort team after their cleanup! Great work, Everybody!

I'm about to head to a reception for the EPA Awards right now. I'll post more photos, stories, and updates from the cleanup later this evening.

******
As the photos role in I'm posting them on the Beautify CNMI blog. Check them out!

EPA Environmental Award

Ike and I accepted the 2009 EPA Environmental Award on behalf of the Friends of the Monument this afternoon. In the photo with us are U.S. EPA acting Regional Administrator Laura Yoshii (right) and acting Deputy Regional Administrator (right).

Here is Laura Yoshii reading our nomination:



And me making an extremely nervous acceptance speech:

4040 on 4/17

It is approaching noon in the city of San Francisco. I woke up kind of late and had a bagel and coffee from Starbucks for breakfast. The EPA awards ceremony begins in about an hour, so I am about to get in the shower so I can start getting ready.

6000 miles away on the small island I call home, several thousand people are waking up to participate in what will be the largest island wide cleanup in Micronesian history. Over 57 volunteer groups will scour the island for litter, paint over graffiti, and plant trees. I say over 57 because I can think of a few groups who didn't turn in their sign up sheets...no need to name names.

Those 57 groups account for 4040 volunteers.

I am so proud of my island for what they are going to accomplish today. This is a big day. Thank you.

If you are awake, please tune into Harry Blalock's radio show at 7 AM local team to hear some of the organizers discuss the cleanup.

Naritasan Temple Hanami

In the Disney movie Mulan, Fa Zhou, Mulan's father says, "My, what beautiful blossoms we have this year. But look, this one's late. But I'll bet that when it blooms, it will be the most beautiful of all."

That basically sums up my hanami experience this year. I was too late. I only saw the most beautiful blossoms.

This was my first visit to Japan in the spring. The leaves on all the trees were just starting to emerge from their buds, making for a blend of greens we never get to see on Saipan.

Oh, if only I weren't color blind. I'm sure the greens are even more beautiful when you can actually see green.

The dandelions were starting to peek out, too. I'll save my Angelo dandelion in Japan story for another time.

The weather was terrible though. The skies were grey. Fortunately, it didn't start pouring until I reached the AEON. Lucky me.

Narita AEON

When I lived in Japan, Emily and I would visit our local AEON on a weekly basis. We would often go to the movies for ladies' night. Yes, ladies' night. It was your typical shopping mall with a food court, a Starbucks, Sports Authority, and clothing shops.

When I visited Narita earlier this year I saw an AEON from the train. I wanted to make a visit there on this layover.

Walking around in a Japanese shopping mall is fun. My Japanese friends probably won't understand this, but for me, Japan is insane, in a good way though. I won't really elaborate for fear of losing all my Japanese friends (both of them).

Alright, I'll elaborate a little. Italian Tomato Cafe Jr is a really lame name for an Italian Restaurant.  Alright, it sucks.  It makes me laugh. Even so, I highly recommend their strawberry cake. Good stuff.

Japanese arcades are insane, too. Tourists have been know to go into epileptic shock simply walking by one of these places. Young Japanese girls have been documented committing crimes to pay for their purikura addictions. I. am. not. kidding.

Back in the day when I lived in Takaoka, Emily and I used to eat at a Chinese restaurant inside the Aeon Shopping Mall there. They had this noodle dish that I always ordered. This Aeon had the same Chinese restaurant with the same noodle dish. I didn't catch the name of the restaurant, but it has dragons painted on the walls. The dish is called something like Spicy Black Sesame Szechuan Noodles. Good stuff! This photo doesn't do it justice.

Best Friends

I promise you there is a dog in this photo.

While I admit that I love to travel, lately I've justed wanted to stay at home and hang out with my dog and my girlfriend, not necessarily in that order.  I've been gone for only two days, but I already miss Saipan.

3718

Today is the last day to register for the Island Wide Cleanup. 3718 people have already pre-registered. Come on, get those registration forms in!

The Beautify CNMI blog has the breakdown of adopted spots and participating groups.

1529 volunteers and climbing

I sat on the right side of the plane on the flight from Saipan to Narita. About half an hour after takeoff, just as the sun was rising, I randomly opened up my window and to my surprise saw a small island. Was that Uracas?

No, it wasn't Uracas. The next island we passed was a lot bigger and had a long shape. There are no big islands north of Uracas. That first island was Alamagan. The big second island was Pagan.

A few minutes later we flew past Agrihan.

Then I saw Asuncion, nothing more than the cone of an active volcano, poking out of the waves. Asuncion is the southernmost island within the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

It was a thrill seeing the monument from the air. I could not help thinking that I was one of the first people to see it in person since it became a national monument, even if I was at 36,000 feet hurtling through the air at 650 miles per hour.

When I landed in Japan a few hours later I took the train into Narita City. I managed to visit Narita-san and the Aeon shopping mall before heading back to the airport for the 4 PM flight to San Francisco.

The first thing I did when I arrived at the hotel in San Francisco was to update the numbers for Friday's Island Wide Cleanup. We now have 35 sites adopted, 38 groups participating, and 1,529 volunteers signed up. We have more groups signed up for this cleanup than we did for 1020 on 10/20. If some of the bigger schools sign up, ahem, like Hopwood or Garapan, ahem, then we will easily surpass the 3380 volunteers from 2006. That makes me happy.

I wish I could be there to participate, but accepting this EPA Environmental Award in San Francisco caps off a very successful 2008. It is an affirmation of all the good work we did. So what I'm saying is please take pictures of the cleanups!

Thai New Year

Saturday night I decided to go to Wild Bill's for the annual Thai New Year celebration. I missed it the last three years, but the party is the stuff of legend.

When we walked through the front door we were greeted by these ladies...and a dusting of baby powder followed by a few gallons of water.

The Thais celebrate their new year by throwing water at one another. Back in the day, people would douse strangers with water to cool them off. With increased contact with Western cultures, this practice evolved into shooting water at strangers. God Bless America. And No. One. Else.

White people flock to Thailand for this celebration so they can dance like no one is looking.  In Saipan we flock to Wild Bill's, which on any given day has the highest concentration of Thai citizens in Micronesia.

Ordering a beer on Thai New Year can be difficult because every time you walk up to the bar the bartender shoots you in the face with a water gun and then dusts you with baby powder.

It's really not that bad once you get used to it, really.

The great thing about living in Saipan is that every once in a while you run into a celebrity. On Saturday I had a few drinks with Bruce "I'm a God with a Capital G in Japan" Berline

Just when you think the fun is over, here comes another Thai girl with a bottle of powder.  I will not use this opportunity to discuss my Crazy Thai Girl thesis.

And then there is somebody else willing to shoot you with a water gun.  Again.

Like your grandmother used to tell you, everything is fun and games until your bar has three inches of water on the carpets and thousands of dollars in damage.

I can't wait for next year.

******
My "dates" for the evening were my cousin Ana and my niece Liz, both of whom recently moved back to Saipan from the West Coast.

Some of you may know Liz. She wrote this letter in support of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

The Map

Docomo is donating a poster sized map of Saipan for us to use in our "War Room." Thank you, Docomo!

Island Wide Cleanup in Four Days

If the number of times my phone has rung this morning is any indication, we've only just started signing people up for the island wide cleanup. 20 more people signed up before breakfast and I've taken at least a dozen calls from groups wanting to sign up.

Islandwide cleanup volunteers now over a thousand
BY RAQUEL BAGNOL - VARIETY NEWS STAFF

MORE than a thousand individuals have volunteered to join the second islandwide cleanup slated for April 17, 2009, and their number is still increasing.

Event co-organizer Angelo Villagomez said during last week’s Rotary Club of Saipan meeting at the Hyatt

Regency that 22 groups had already confirmed participation and 19 sites had been adopted for cleanups.
The volunteers are from businesses, government agencies, schools and organizations.

“We are inviting everyone 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,” Villagomez said.

He is optimistic the organizers can reach their goal of recruiting 5,000 volunteers for the cleanup.
As of yesterday, 1,201 volunteers had signed up.

Adopted sites include Beach Road from Afetnas to Koblerville, Garapan Fishing Base Complex, Coral Tree Avenue and Paseo de Marianas, Susupe area around Shirley’s including the Mt. Carmel Church and School area, 13 Fishermen Memorial, Laulau Beach dive spot, Micro Beach, Isa Drive to Botanical Garden, Laly 4 Beach, Chalan Kanoa, Garapan main streets, Kagman III, Phase IV, Manga Street, Beach Road from Rainbow Photo to Hard Rock, Garapan McDonald’s to Carolinian Utt, Middle Road, Garapan, Obyan Beach, Navy Hill Lighthouse, and Grand Hotel to Sugar Dock.

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

Villagomez said 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.

For more information, contact Joe Kaipat at 664-8500, Angelo Villagomez at 285-6462 or e-mail him at angelovillagomez@gmail.com.

April Adventures

Next week should be a fun one.

Not only am I helping to plan the island's largest island-wide cleanup ever (1201 signups so far!), but I'm traveling to San Francisco to accept an EPA Environment Award on behalf of the Friends of the Monument, my second time winning this award in three years (check this link to see how skinny I was two years ago). I have a long layover in Japan, so Ike and I are going to take the train into Narita City for lunch.

I'll be helping to coordinate the island-wide cleanup via the World Wide Web and my MacBook Pro. I'll write press releases and email updates and send them in from California, while the Division of Environmental Quality handles all the logistics of the cleanup on Saipan. So far we've had a very successful partnership and I think we're going to pull off one amazing event. I'm hopeful that we'll reach 5000 participants once the government agencies and the schools submit their signup sheets.

Tuesday is going to be the longest day of my life. We leave Saipan first thing in the morning and then spend an entire day in Japan. Then we get on a plane and when we arrive, it is still Tuesday morning!

I think this will be my first trip to San Francisco since 1990, maybe 1992. We had a day long layover there one year when I was returning from the summer in Saipan. It was so long ago that I don't even remember who we visited. Maybe my godmother or Angie's sister? I forget.

There is a certain baseball team playing a game in Oakland on Tuesday night. I wonder...

I'm also going to try to meet up with Rick MacPherson from Coral Reef Alliance. He asked me about a presentation followed by beers. We'll see...

Carnival of the Blue XXIII

Carnival of the Blue 23 is now posted at Deep Sea News. The three bro-migos wrote this month's carnival in kryptonite, a.k.a. prose. No disrespect to my poetry writing friends, but just the thought of iambic pentameter gives me dry heaves. Yes, I'm a classy guy.

A Very "Fishy" Naming Contest

I only found out about this contest from Rick's blog this morning and it ends in five days...sorry for such short notice.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is having a contest to name their mascot and all students in grades 1 through 6 from all U.S. state–recognized public, private, and home schools are eligible to participate. Hey, Saipan has state-recognized schools! Are there any teachers out there that want to submit some entries?

Information on the contest can be found here and the entry form can be found here.

Rick suggests cheating and feeding some little kid a suggestion. I would never recommend that...uh, never.  It's not about winning, it's about how you play the...nevermind.  

So anyway, NOAA is looking for a name that conveys important messages like:

-“Keep the sea free of debris!”
-Reduce, reuse, and recycle!
-Marine debris is a global problem we can solve and by working together we can make a difference.

How about Stewie G, the Global Steward of the Ocean?

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.

Brad vs. Angelo

Brad and I have a bet. Whoever beats the other person in the upcoming Tagaman Triatholon gets a case of beer.

Think I can beat him?

$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 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!

2009 Island Wide Cleanup Participants

I am keeping a running tab of the participants for the 2009 Island-Wide Cleanup on the Beautify CNMI blog. So far 6 spots have been adopted by 8 volunteer groups, accounting for 136 volunteers. I expect this number to rise exponentially as the schools and government offices start to sign up (plus I've had pledges from DFS and Tan Holdings to participate).

We're getting a lot of support already. The event is being organized by the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Rotary Club of Saipan, Marianas Tourism Education Council (MTEC), and the Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA). MVA has donated $1500 for the purchase of cleanup supplies, MTEC has donated $1000 in prizes and supplies (details on this donation should be in the newspapers tomorrow), and DEQ is using staff time for coordination and the collection of trash on the day of the cleanup.  Additionally, Ron and Nancy Kramis living in Bellingham, Washington have donated $300 to be used as prize money and McDonald's is donating cleanup supplies.

So things are looking good for the cleanup in 10 days.

I told the media that I expected 5,000 people to participate. Even though we're 4,864 volunteers short right now, I think we'll get really close, if not surpass our goal.

If you would like to participate, send me an Email or a Facebook message and I'll help get you set up.

Marpi Heats Up

The next big environmental issue is about to heat up. This time it is a little bit closer to home and will have a big impact on a number of stakeholders in Saipan.  I'm talking about the homestead in Marpi.  A number of letters have already appeared in the newspapers by Jesse Torres and Ruth Tighe.  Ed Propst has written about it several times on his blog.  Tomorrow a letter by David Banes will appear in the Saipan Tribune.

Dear Editor,

I have lived on Saipan for 16 years and seen lots of issues come and go. This is my first protest letter however.

One of my favorite spots on Saipan is the Marpi area especially the area around Suicide Cliff. I was devastated the other day to see a large area bulldozed flat apparently for a homestead right where one of the great vista views looking south is and right where tourists going to Suicide Cliff must drive by. Not only will this development affect the scenic beauty of the area, but also the area has special spiritual and historical significance to our biggest tourism market: the Japanese . Think how the project will affect that as well.

Hey, I am all for homesteads. But why so close to a major tourist area? Right now our only economy is tourism, yet with our tourism declining , we will build a major development spoiling one of the prettiest , historical and spiritual areas of Saipan? Why there? Why not somewhere more developed? Why near a tourist spot?

For example, why not work something out with the landowners of the abandoned garment factor ies to put homesteads there? This would have several positive results: bring families back to places like San Anton io and help revitalize these areas and not cut down any more trees or otherwise affect the beauty or historical value of Saipan. Or if that is not feasible, put some homestead in a more developed, less touristy area. And if we are to build homesteads, why not do them properly , ie. make a proper Village out of them with a school, shopping area already planned out?

I believe the CNMI cannot afford to take any action that will negatively detract from the beauty , historical or spiritual significance of our islands which is what brings the tour ists here. Please, please reconsider.

Very truly yours,

David G. Banes

I think the ball is just starting to roll on this issue. It is much more complicated than the monument issue. I'm too busy to write about the different issues and people involved, but I'll get to it some time after Earth Day.

Right now the Island Wide Cleanup demands my attention.

Diving with NBC

Harry Blalock took this photo of me diving at Ice Cream dive site last Tuesday. Thanks, Harry!

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.

Please participate in this month’s island-wide cleanup

Two and one half years ago, the Beautify CNMI campaign put together an event called “1020 on 10/20.” We challenged 1020 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 October 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 9120 lbs. of litter were removed from the 32 cleanup sites adopted in 2006.

A second island-wide 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. Rotary Club of Saipan, Marianas Tourism Education Council, and Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are the lead coordinators. The Marianas Visitors Authority is donating $1500 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 island-wide 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 island-wide 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 island-wide cleanup. Participate with your family, your co-workers, or your classmates, but please participate.

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.

Fat Guy Update X

There are only 27 days left in the Fat Guy Contest.

I came down with bronchitis after my trip to Guam and I haven't been doing my 60 minute runs every day. I've played soccer three times per week, but I don't think playing soccer burns fat cells as effectively as just going out and running. I also haven't been lifting weights.

Even so, I am right at the 200 lbs. mark. When I weighed myself today, my weight was 200.6 lbs., making me exactly 12.0 lbs. lighter than I was when I started the Fat Guy Contest.

I feel great these days. When I play soccer I can make runs and have enough juice left to get back on defense. Not bad for someone my size. My clothes are also starting to not fit so well. It's not like I'm Jared Fogel from the Subway commercials holding up a pair of jeans big enough to fit five Filipina girls, but my shorts have gone from being a little tight to being a few sizes too big.

In the remaining four weeks my goal is to lose another 13 lbs., making my total weight loss for the three month period 25 lbs. I don't think that will be enough to win the contest, but it will be a complete turn around in my health. In two short months I've gone from not being able to run 3 miles to being able to run 6.5 miles in 60 minutes. By the end of the month I should be running 7-8 miles in 60 minutes.

I still haven't changed my diet and I still haven't stopped drinking beer. I am on the Fried Chicken and Bud Lite diet. I'd change, but I sure do like Fried Chicken and Bud Lite.

One week with NBC

The crew from NBC is finishing up their filming and will be heading home tonight. We've had a busy week, working 10-14 hours every single day.

They had quite the whirlwind tour.

On Monday Laurie, Ike and I took them on a tour of the Marpi area and Tapachou. We visited Bonzai Cliff, Suicide Cliff, Bird Island, and Grotto. They shot b-roll at each location, which they'll use as background video for their story. After the tour we had a nice lunch on the beach at Oleia Beach Bar & Grill followed by a long meeting with Dr. John Joyner at the Coastal Resources Management Office. That evening we had a BBQ/meeting with the Friends of the Monument at American Memorial Park. About 40 people showed up and we grilled hot dogs, chicken, and ribs as the sun set over the Philippine Sea. Jane posted pictures on the monument blog here.

On Tuesday we took the crew diving. We drove to the Grotto first thing in the morning, followed by three boat dives on the Aqua Jet boats. We dove Naftan, Ice Cream (where we saw about a dozen spotted Eagle Rays), and Shipwreck. Between the third and the fourth dive we stopped off at Managaha and shot some video.

On Wednesday we went to Hopwood Junior High School so that they could film me giving a presentation to one of Kimberly Vaillancourt's science classes. The kids in the class were some of the 1000 or so students I presented to last year during the campaign. This presentation was a follow up to last year's presentation and we discussed some of the social issues that arose as a result of the monument declaration and what the declaration will mean for them in the years to come. Working with students is the most enjoyable part of my work. In the afternoon the crew went out on one of the Division of Fish & Wildlife enforcement boats. They patrolled the lagoon with the enforcement officers, but didn't find any bad guys. After that we hiked about half way down to Forbidden Island for my interview. I sat in the grass on the ledge just above the steepest part of the trail as the cameras rolled. We also did a few "walk-by" interviews on the way down and on the way back up. As the sun was getting close to setting we raced down to Susupe to film the sun setting behind the World War II tanks in the lagoon.

On Thursday the crew traveled to Guam to meet with Bill Chadwick from Oregon State University who is leading an expedition to one of the seamounts within the Monument this week.

Today they filmed Mike Tripp, John Starmer, Harry Blalock, and me as we talked on the Harry Blalock Island Issues radio show. In a few minutes they are going to go out on the Pacific Subsea submarine with Bryan Jones and some of his students from Marianas High School. After that, I think they'll be done. They leave Saipan later tonight.

It has been a real pleasure taking the crew around the island and talking with them about the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument and life in the islands in general. I swelled with pride when we were at Bird Island and Forbidden Island and Ian Williams remarked, "this is just spectacular." Mike Tripp was noticeably happy when Ian told him it was one of his best days of diving ever. This coming from someone with 170 dives from throughout the Asian-Pacific rim.

I'm looking forward to seeing the three minute piece when it airs in two weeks...the week of Earth Day.

I asked if the story they are going to edit is the story they expected to find when they got here and Kyle said, "yes, pretty much."

The story is basically going to be in three parts, with some overlap and some themes running through the whole story. We talked a lot about the current marine protected areas and some of the successes and challenges associated with them. We also talked a lot of life in Saipan and what it is like living here. With that said, the story is going to focus on the community support that we built during our campaign last year, the unique "wonders" of this area and the reasons for protecting them, and then finally the challenges that will likely be faced in managing a marine protected area the size of Switzerland.

Barring any terrorists attacks, further global economic meltdowns, wars, or Britney Spears scandals, the story is scheduled to air the week of April 20. I will, of course, embed the video on this blog when it goes up on the Internet. I'll also let you know ahead of time exactly when and on what channel the story will air (on primetime!!!!)

NBC in Town

There is a camera crew on island from NBC Nightly News doing a story on the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. I've spent the last two days taking them around the island. Yesterday we did a tour of Marpi. They shot b-roll of Bonzai Cliff, Suicide Cliff, Bird Island, and the Grotto. We also had a long meeting with John Joyner and John Starmer at the Coastal Resources Management Office. Today we went diving. Man, did we go diving. We dove Grotto, Naftan, Ice Cream, Shipwreck, and stopped at Managaha for a short visit.

The Saipan Tribune had a short story about the film crew today.

NBC crew here to do feature on Friends of the Monument

By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
A team from national television network NBC is currently on Saipan to do a series of stories on the Friends of the Monument, which was the main proponent of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

Angelo Villagomez of the Friends of the Monument said the three-member NBC crew will do a feature on the events of 2008 on Saipan that led to the Jan. 6, 2009, declaration of then-President George W. Bush of 190,000 square miles of ocean as marine monuments, including the 95,000-square mile Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument is an area around the three northernmost islands in the CNMI-Uracas or Farallon de Pajaros, Maug and Asuncion.

Villagomez said the NBC team, which arrived early yesterday morning, will also be featuring the “wonders” of the Marianas, which will take them to some of the most popular dive spots in the CNMI.

“They will also be talking about how the Marine Monument will be enforced and managed, so they will be talking to the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal agencies. There will also be talks with a research ship that's doing studies on volcanoes off Rota,” said Villagomez.

He said NBC is just one of the many national and international media firms that have taken an interest in the Friends of the Monument and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier announced that the Friends of the Monument are the recipients of the 2009 EPA Environmental Award, which recognizes individuals and groups outside of the USEPA who are making significant contributions to improve the environment. The ceremony will take place on April 16.