2005 Resolution: Protect the CNMI’s environment

The New Year is upon us, and it seems that more and more people are becoming aware, and are giving back to their environment. Many activities in 2004 are testimony to this. Whether it was beach cleanups, recycling competitions, reef checks, or even bird counts, more people are getting involved. The New Year brings with it hope for prosperity and peace, and of course, New Year’s resolutions. Every person living in the CNMI should include on his or her list of resolutions a commitment to be more proactive in protecting the air, land, and sea.

Many had the chance to enjoy the wonderful beaches that surround the CNMI over the holidays. At the beach, people enjoy the sand, water, fresh air, and beautiful scenery with their friends and loved ones while playing, relaxing, barbecuing, and eating. Often they forget to safeguard the very thing that they came to enjoy. It is easy to remember to bring the drinks, food, utensils, towels, and extra clothes, but it is also easy to leave remnants behind. It is a sad sight to see the aftermath of a good time at the beach when no one cared enough to plan and carry out the necessary cleanup. To help reduce this problem, the first Environmental Page article of 2005 will address marine litter and debris.

Trash in the water or washed up from the beach is not only unsightly and dangerous. Littering and dumping on CNMI’s beaches has an impact on public and environmental health, and has social and economic costs. You may have read about some of these problems in a past Environmental Page article by Tina Sablan.

Beach or ocean litter, otherwise known as marine debris, can injure or kill marine life. Ingestion of plastic waste or entanglement in carelessly discarded fishing lines and nets can kill. The Internet has many sites that show horrific pictures of turtles, seals, fish, etc., that fall victim to marine debris. A picture by Cynthia Vanderlip of a decomposed Lysan albatross carcass in the Kure Atoll is one of the best visual examples of this. Multicolored bottle caps and other plastic items can clearly be seen inside the bird’s decaying body. It probably mistook the plastics for food, ate them, blocked up its digestive system, and ended up dying of starvation. Even though the atoll is remote and virtually uninhabited, it shares in the global problem of marine debris carried by the currents.

Marine debris lasts a very long time. A careless moment lasts generations. How long you ask? Here’s a marine debris timeline from the Environmental Protection Agency website of some commonly littered objects along with the time it takes for them to biodegrade:

* Newspaper – 6 weeks
* Cardboard box – 2 weeks
* Paper towels – 2-4 weeks
* Apple core – 2 months
* Foam cup – 50 years
* Tin can – 50 years
* Plastic 6-pack ring – 400 years
* Aluminum can – 200 years
* Disposable diapers – 450 years
* Microfilament fishing line – 600 years
* Plastic bottle – 450 years
* Glass bottles or jars – undetermined

So what can YOU do to fight marine littering and debris?

* Carry trash bags. If you bring it, don’t leave it. When you leave the beach, pick up your trash and help others by collecting trash that has been left behind.
* Prevent plastic bags, cups, cans, or loose items from blowing away.
* Take reusable containers. Recycle paper, cans, plastics, and bottles.
* Report violations to:

Coastal Resources Management Office: 664-8300
Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ): 664-8500

* Participate in community cleanups. You can find out when and how you can volunteer by calling DEQ.

Let’s work together to reduce marine litter and debris, and add protecting the environment to our New Year resolutions. (John Dax Moreno)

John Dax Moreno is the CRMO’s Outreach and Education Coordinator.