{"id":293444,"date":"2019-02-08T06:00:22","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T20:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=293444"},"modified":"2019-02-08T06:00:22","modified_gmt":"2019-02-07T20:00:22","slug":"saipan-students-push-against-marine-debris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/saipan-students-push-against-marine-debris\/","title":{"rendered":"Saipan students push against marine debris"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Joan Bahillo and her students from Hopwood Middle School pose after tagging a storm drain. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance held an orientation workshop for the 5th Annual \u201cSchools for Environmental Conservation\u201d program with several of Saipan\u2019s public and private middle school students on Feb. 2, 2019.<\/p>\n

Funded through the Department of the Interior, SFEC was designed by MINA for the active engagement of students in educational and field activities while focusing on a specific environmental issue.<\/p>\n

Through the SFEC program, teachers and students develop a Conservation Action Plan wherein they design a project, develop strategies and measures, implement those strategies, then use those results to adapt and improve on future projects.<\/p>\n

Participating schools in this year\u2019s program are Mount Carmel School, Dandan Middle School, Hopwood Middle School, and Tanapag Middle School, totaling 10 teachers and 36 students.<\/p>\n

Coming on the heels of topics such as marine protected areas, climate change, watersheds, and coral reefs, this year\u2019s theme is \u201cLearning About and Actively Addressing Marine Debris in the CNMI.\u201d<\/p>\n

The subject of marine debris calls for more attention, as waste from other countries washes up on local beaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarine debris is not just a local problem. It is a global problem and it is an everyday problem,\u201d said Mallory Muna of the Division of Coastal Resources Management under the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, one of the presenters at the orientation workshop.<\/p>\n

Her colleague, Colleen Flores, reported that in last year\u2019s International Coastal Cleanup, the CNMI had \u201cover 700 local volunteers [who] removed over 5,500 lbs of trash from numerous locations across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.\u201d<\/p>\n

With this year\u2019s theme addressing marine debris, the students had a storm drain tagging activity for the afternoon portion of the workshop.<\/p>\n

The students applied stickers above the storm drains along Coral Tree Avenue, the road between Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan and Paseo de Marianas, with markers in English, Chinese, and Korean languages, which say \u201cDo Not Dump\u2026Drains to Ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a follow-up to the students\u2019 efforts, MINA\u2019s Tasi Watch Community Rangers are currently partnering up with BECQ to complete the installation of additional markers for the rest of the storm drains in Garapan.<\/p>\n

Mu\u00f1a encouraged all the workshop participants to do their part: \u201cWe hope to help increase public awareness that what enters the storm drains, enters the ocean. As individuals, we can all help by reducing single-use disposable containers, skipping the straw, using reusable bags, minimizing chemical use, planting trees, and or volunteering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jolly Ann Cruz, SFEC program manager, echoed that: \u201cWith MINA\u2019s mission of \u2018Empowering Communities for Conservation,\u2019 we continue to address the issue of marine debris prevention through outreach in the schools, at community events and through the Adopt-A-Bin program where businesses sponsor recycling bins at popular beach sites.\u201d<\/p>\n

MINA would like to thank the Department of Public Works for their collaboration on this project, whose crew ensured that the storm drains were cleaned out and safe for the students\u2019 hands-on activity. MINA also thanks Pacific Islands Club Saipan, Tasi Tours and Transportation, and the presenters at the workshop: Mallory Mu\u00f1a and Colleen Flores (DCRM), Michelle Kautz (MINA), David Benavente (DCRM), Sowm Kaipat (MINA), Julius Reyes (DCRM), Jihan Younis (DCRM), Rodney Camacho (DCRM), and Brooke Nevitt, former executive director of MINA and volunteer, who, together with Elizabeth Furey, was one of the originators of the SFEC program.<\/p>\n

Cruz concluded the workshop by sharing something that the Dalai Lama once said, \u201cIf you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about MINA\u2019s Schools for Environmental Conservation program, visit MINA\u2019s Facebook page, email MINA at minaoutreach@gmail.com, or call us at 233-7333 (REEF). (PR)<\/strong><\/p>\n