Rota board member hot about blocked access to a waterline
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board discussed on Wednesday a letter from the Rota delegation regarding access to waterline for local agriculture.
During discussion, acting CUC executive director John Riegel said this unused water line was a “CUC asset.” Right now, it is not being used but Riegel noted there were long-term plans to put in a different line.
Rota board member Albert Taitano asked why it was closed, saying he was told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would not allow them to “go in there” because of fruit bats in the area.
Riegel confirmed this, prompting Taitano to ask for this in documentation.
Taitano also urged Riegel to set up a meeting with Fish and Wildlife.
“The question that I have is, for the longest time we have been using it on Rota and if the issue is the fruit bat or Fish and Wildlife—the fruit bat has been there for hundred of years, so I don’t see what’s the issue. The fruit bats were there even before U.S. Fish and Wildlife came into Rota. That’s why I want you to invite USFW so we can sit down and talk. If anybody knows about Rota, it’s us Rotanese, not USFW,” he said.
But of course easy access for poachers to hit the fruit bats. It is not a matter or accessing the water. Simple as that Albert Taitano. You know better than to question the authority of Fish & Wlidlife of preventing the access to the water. Fruit bats are extinct, it that so hard to understand? No it’s not. Get with the program Albert Taitano.
No, it is not extinct, but it is call endanger species and fruit bats are in abundance throughout the CNMI. Maybe the feds would need to monitor the Northern Islands, because based on hearsay, it is very common to dine on such delicacy. But again, what the United States Fish & Wildlife don’t see or hear is not in the violation of the law. Oh, the turtles are fair game throughout the Northern Islands and we continue to turn a blind eye.
WRONG.
Fruit bats are NOT in abundance. Far from it. They have been poached to the point of extinction and remain very much at risk. Their numbers continue to drop. Here on Saipan they have been virtually eliminated through poaching. As for the Northern Islands, It does not matter where the bats are. You kill them, it’s a Federal Crime.
Hearing rumors??? Call them in. Put these animals in jail.
Buenas Blade Runner,
Based on my observation and I frequent the jungles of the CNMI, fruit bats are way more than what you think. In the past, we would find stow away fruit bats on our vessels weeks after we arrived from the Northern Islands. We would run across colony at times in the jungle. If you drive up Capital Hill before night fall, you might be lucky to see a fruit bat flying way up in the tree line.
It is a crime to consume fruit bats and we don’t mess with them at all cost. Also, we don’t announced their present on a particular location, because we don’t want poachers to be aware of their present on such area.
The last time we made a trek to the Northern Islands, there were evidences of turtles being consumed on a large scale. I don’t know nothing, I see nothing if I would want to continue to exist on planet earth.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase
I hear ya on that, Jun… You’d find your cahones in a sling in exceptionally short order if you were to turn these guys in. I do realize that. So, if being a rat is not the answer, what is?
Well as long as CNMI law makers think they can take fruit bats, why should the rest of the cnmi. If you know it is against the law yet you continue to do it or you know of others that are breaking the law and you dont report it, than you are just as quility as those who break the law. But wait its the CNMI we expect everyone else to police us and if we dont get caught than good for us. But if we get caught we complain that authorities are to much in our business. LOL