Rotaract Club, NMC ENRO plant 20 trees at Pak Pak Beach

In a collaborative effort to promote environmental conservation, the Rotaract Club of Saipan and the Northern Marianas College Environmental Natural Resource Organization successfully planted 20 tree saplings at Pak Pak Beach during the last week of May 2024.

The tree-planting event was held not only in an effort to serve the community but also to mark a significant step toward enhancing local biodiversity and fostering community involvement.

The idea for this initiative sprouted in the middle of the Rotary Year in Fall 2023 and Rotaract Club president Richard Baleares shared the inception of the project.

“I was in an NMC [Northern Marianas College] conference alongside NMC ENRO president Naomi Billimon and her fellow officers, and I thought why not reach out to plant the seeds of a future collaboration?”

Baleares continued, “NMC ENRO had been involved in regular tree-planting activities on Saipan and most recently a larger one on Tinian, and I always see them active, which strengthened my desire to do something for the environment on top of the cleanups that our club or the greater Rotary Saipan family usually conducts.”

A crucial link between the two organizations was April Lisua, a member of both Rotaract and ENRO.

Baleares explained, “I think what really helped make this a reality was that we have someone in Rotaract who is also in ENRO, that person being April Lisua. She was our bridge of communication and eventually put Naomi and I in a virtual call.”

From that point, the collaboration took root. “Naomi gave a rundown of what needed to happen to make something like this a reality, and the rest is history,” Baleares added.

Billimon expressed the broader impact of the initiative, “With this tree-planting initiative we hope that participants were able to understand the importance of planting trees for biodiversity and also the importance of bringing together the community to work together for a greater cause.”

She emphasized the shared mission of both organizations, stating, “Although we are two different organizations, ENRO and Rotaract both aim to provide service and learning opportunities for the community. A big thank you to our collaborators and to the volunteers who participated in this project! Hopefully, we continue to do events like this which everyone will benefit greatly from.”

Mark Pangelinan, treasurer of NMC ENRO, highlighted the cultural significance of the event. “Our ancestors have always made innovative uses out of our native trees. They made rope from the bark and fiber of banålo and canoe glue from the sap of da’ok. So, on top of environmental enrichment, there is great spiritual and cultural enrichment to be found in planting native trees across our islands.”

Reflecting on the event’s success and future prospects, Baleares shared, “This is the first, and most certainly not the last tree planting Rotaract will do. I am currently eyeing something bigger in the future that can potentially involve multiple organizations, but at this time, I am glad of what we can accomplish and what future collaborations the future has in store for us.”

He extended their gratitude to key supporters, stating, “I am extremely grateful to everyone involved including the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, CNMI Forestry under the Department of Lands & Natural Resources, especially David Combs and Big P, and the Rotary Club of Saipan, most especially double past president Ivan Illmov.”

While Environmental Awareness Month has concluded, Baleares emphasized the ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship. “The work to continue to protect and nurture our environment continues year-round, and we hope to continue this environmentalism and partnership.”