An eye-opening experience at DFW

Hello, everyone! My name is Teresa J. Miller; I am 22 years old and currently attending Northern Marianas College. I have lived here on the island for the past 10 years, and have loved every minute of it! One of my dreams since high school was to work in an environment that deals with protecting our waters. When I heard about the coral reef management internships I jumped on the opportunity. I was fortunate enough to be hired by Division of Fish and Wildlife, and work with the enforcement sector.

While working with Fish and Wildlife, I have many fun and exciting projects ahead of me. One of my main projects is the outreach program. My main goal with this project is to get out in the public and inform them of where our Marine Protected Areas are in the CNMI, and the rules and regulations for those areas.

There are five Marine Protected Areas in the CNMI. There is Sasahaya on Rota, Marine Tinian Reserve, Forbidden Island Saipan, Bird Island Saipan, and Managaha Island Saipan. In all of these places there is no fishing allowed, no collecting of any species from land or water, no feeding the fish, no stepping on the coral and no bonfires. Anyone caught breaking these rules will be fined from $500 to $10,000. These Marine Protected Areas and regulations were put into place to protect our natural resources for our future generations. For this part of the project I go around the island and talk to people. I ask them if they know where our Marine Protected Areas are, if they know the regulations, and so on. For those who do not know, I give them the information, and pass out posters. Another part of this project is to go around to our sanctuaries and display posters that say “No fishing, No collecting, and No feeding.” This has probably been one of the funniest parts because I’ve been able to see parts of the island that I have never seen in the 10 years of living here! The public is also welcome to help out in part of this project. If you see anyone fishing in one of our Marine Protected Areas, please call Fish and Wildlife at 664-6030.

Another project that I have is to make new posters displaying our Marine Protected Areas. The poster will basically show our Marine Protected Areas, and the rules and regulations. Of course it will have an eye-catching look to it also! This is one project I am really looking forward to. Something that our peers can keep, but yet it still informs. I am also working on incorporating different languages into the posters so our tourists can also understand what our Marine Protected Areas are for.

I know I have a bright and full future ahead of me. I also have many plans for what I wish my future to be. I am currently attending Northern Marianas College and am working on obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Education. I plan to further my education by obtaining a master’s degree in Marine Biology with a specialty in whales and dolphins. As a child I have always loved the water and the animals in it. I figure with both those degrees I can come back to my home of Saipan and do great things. I can educate our young minds about our waters, and spread the same love I have of the water to our younger generations. I would also be able to do research on our waters, and hopefully find useful information to better our island.

While working at Fish and Wildlife I have learned so much already! Throughout my internship I have been working with the Enforcement Sector, and honestly, I am starting to look more into becoming a Conservation Officer. I think being a Conservation Officer would put all of my dreams into one place! I would be out on the water, and I would be educating the public on how to conserve the resources we have left. Working here this summer has really opened my eyes to the options that I have, and I can’t think of any other way I would wish to spend my summer.

Thank you to everyone who helped me. And most especially thank you to my mentor, Marianne Teregeyo, and the staff at Fish and Wildlife for teaching me all they know, and being so helpful. You guys are the greatest and do a great job!