tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032155896656607452023-11-17T04:58:31.208+10:00MCSaveMicronesia Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234539861017620085noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-19277642158911506012014-03-19T15:31:00.000+10:002014-03-19T15:32:42.916+10:00Humåtak Watershed Project, March 16-17, 2014<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Humåtak Watershed Adventure Connects Community to Their Natural Resources</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Over the weekend, more than 60 students from Simon Sanchez High School and the University of Guam embarked on a Humåtak Watershed Adventure. Participants learned about natural resources, environmental threats<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> </span>and community resilience. The adventure started in the upper watershed showcasing sources of erosion and concluded in Fouha Bay, allowing participants to ob<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">s</span>erve the many connections of Guam’s watershed ecosystems.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">“Accelerated erosion is the main environmental threat in most of our southern villages, wiping out native forests and smothering coral reefs to death. Arson fires, many caused by deer poachers, and invasive wild pigs are the main causes of erosion,” Humåtak Project Coordinator Austin Shelton explained to participants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">The purpose of Humåtak Watershed Adventures is to connect the community to their natural resources, which are foundations of island culture. Humåtak Watershed Adventures are part of the environmental education outreach efforts of the Humåtak Project, a community initiative dedicated to reviving Guam’s watersheds, coral reefs and fisheries. Since Humåtak Project restoration initiatives began in 2011, volunteers have contributed over 1,600 service hours planting trees and installing sediment filters<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> </span>in an effort to revive native forests and coral reefs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Busing for the adventure was provided by the Guam Environmental Protection Agency. Umatac Mayor Johnny A. Quinata provided road safety support. Guest speakers came from the University of Guam (UOG) and the Guam Coastal Management Program. The Kewalo Marine Laboratory of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research and the Western Pacific Coral Reef Institute at UOG are among the funding partners of the Humåtak Project.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Austin Shelton</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wednesday, March 19, 2014<br />Location: </span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Humåtak</span></span><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">,</span><span style="font-size: 14px;"> Guam</span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-79007266241502012232014-01-01T10:11:00.002+10:002014-01-01T10:15:37.375+10:00Coral Bleaching Guam 2013<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With the onset of human-induced climate change, marine scientists are taking a closer look at how marine organisms respond to warming temperatures, sea-level rise, and more acidic oceans. One way in which corals respond to climate change and warming temperatures is through coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is what happens when a coral animal becomes stressed and expels its symbiotic zooxanthellae (a special kind of algae that lives inside the coral). These zooxanthellae are what give coral a lot of its color, so when corals expel their algae they appear white (hence the name coral bleaching). Bleached corals may regain their zooxanthellae and become healthy and colorful again, but if unusually warm water temperatures persist and the corals are without their important algae partners for too long, they can die. With temperatures getting warmer and warmer, at a faster rate than normal, it is likely that the world’s coral reefs will see much more frequent and increasingly severe coral bleaching events. Since corals are an important part of coral reef ecosystems, the death of corals and loss of the structure they provide can have a negative impact on the whole ecosystem. The structures that coral form not only provide homes to many fish, but corals are also a food source to some fish and invertebrates. For Guam, corals are important because of the shelter they provide to a lot of fish that we enjoy consuming, they are one of the main reasons why Guam gets over one million tourists every year, and they also help protect the island from large waves. For these reasons local coral reef managers are interested in better understanding how Guam’s corals and the coral reef ecosystem as a whole are affected by coral bleaching, and whether or not we can expect our reefs to adapt to the changing conditions. </span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In August of this year, Guam’s coral reef managers and scientists found that Guam was experiencing bleaching island wide, and that several different species at various depths were affected. Several of Guam’s coral reef management partners (Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program, NOAA, Guam EPA, the National Park Service, the University of Guam, and Guam DAWR) conducted approximately 17 separate qualitative assessments around Guam to get an idea of the scale and severity of the bleaching. As it became apparent that this was a widespread, potentially severe event, these partners decided to take action and begin a formal quantitative assessment of approximately 50 sites around Guam. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So far, data has been collected regarding species affected, the severity of bleaching, and the size class of the corals which are bleaching. This information has been collected at 48 sites island-wide, mainly in the shallow water just beyond where the waves break. These data will not only help us understand which corals may be more or less resistant to coral bleaching, but it will also help us understand how bleaching may affect corals in the future and ways to prepare for these events. A special targeted effort by the Guam Long-term Monitoring Program is also underway to assess bleaching effects on Guam’s shallow-water staghorn </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Acropora </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">patches. Data has already been collected at several sites around Guam and these areas will be revisited over the coming months to assess this coral’s response to bleaching. As these staghorn patches provide critical habitat to key fisheries species and have been shown to be decreasing in total cover over the past 30 years, these surveys will help illuminate the susceptibility and resilience of these important coral patches to bleaching and other climate effects. On top of the survey efforts, public talks have been given to approximately 250 students and 50 adults to educate them about coral bleaching, what is looks like, and how the public can help by sending in pictures and reports of what they are seeing. With these efforts, Guam will have a better handle on bleaching effects and perhaps what to expect in coming years with the anticipated growing effects of climate change. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">7:10 <span style="font-size: x-small;">am</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wednesday, January 1, 2014<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEdcvebCXWDybvyMW8UfUyQBGKbfSoBCDSOL-rTv3ZvdmXvz09l_iUpmPkubASkd_SlIXRez4wT_bIIjVPZahyphenhyphenFIUJ8b-P-c-1uzVniH-ugf0Di20gm1AwhxHZRxt33R9fFB1j8_37lQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-01+at+10.09.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEdcvebCXWDybvyMW8UfUyQBGKbfSoBCDSOL-rTv3ZvdmXvz09l_iUpmPkubASkd_SlIXRez4wT_bIIjVPZahyphenhyphenFIUJ8b-P-c-1uzVniH-ugf0Di20gm1AwhxHZRxt33R9fFB1j8_37lQ/s400/Screen+shot+2014-01-01+at+10.09.02+AM.png" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fa453eb-4b27-40ce-8db6-056f842e4dbf" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UOG Marine Laboratory student performing a benthic photoquadrat survey. Photo taken by Dave Burdick.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fa453eb-4b28-2c56-1a69-89a7f00289d6" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A massive </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Porites </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sp. coral which is bleached. Some areas have already begun to die as evidenced by the algae covered areas. Photo taken by Dave Burdick.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHztwaQzPH7sgf9AHpyZPTppHnyd3x-X_kzqGsOTCJH3SrXr-HovnL63pO-QNXe8OPAeb-yfTZmb0TurnkuqaJU75UE032i9mUkXcWDsZQHQuh6XK_PVvGuyL9yt94Kd-VsUjDnavXQsY/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-01+at+10.09.21+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHztwaQzPH7sgf9AHpyZPTppHnyd3x-X_kzqGsOTCJH3SrXr-HovnL63pO-QNXe8OPAeb-yfTZmb0TurnkuqaJU75UE032i9mUkXcWDsZQHQuh6XK_PVvGuyL9yt94Kd-VsUjDnavXQsY/s400/Screen+shot+2014-01-01+at+10.09.21+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fa453eb-4b28-aec2-7186-67acb4df76fb" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Landscape view of coral bleaching at Pago Bay. Photo taken by Laurie Raymundo.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg7K2LSM4Hpn4qZAGohoL7_wmre_G2vIrYY4fnMla8WO76jVKxLpztpNbPZ91JRdOgylXyncUf_uvzssIvL68wH9waTDCTAJ7m_vNJjb-emPIlujqtSJY3psdyOAlki1lz5oY70974kU/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-01+at+10.09.30+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg7K2LSM4Hpn4qZAGohoL7_wmre_G2vIrYY4fnMla8WO76jVKxLpztpNbPZ91JRdOgylXyncUf_uvzssIvL68wH9waTDCTAJ7m_vNJjb-emPIlujqtSJY3psdyOAlki1lz5oY70974kU/s400/Screen+shot+2014-01-01+at+10.09.30+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fa453eb-4b29-12c2-f7bf-5b062093999e" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bleached colonies at Ritidian National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Guam. Photo taken by Roxanna Miller.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fa453eb-4b29-a8d3-bb84-c0275a76be53" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Staghorn </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Acropora </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sp. bleaching survey quadrat. Photo taken by Roxanna Miller.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-90977545041532730322013-09-09T21:03:00.002+10:002013-09-09T21:16:32.554+10:00The 2013 Guam SECORE ProjectAn exciting new project is beginning on Guam! The SECORE foundation was recently on Guam conducting a 10-day coral reproduction workshop with participants from all over the world. SECORE (which stands for SExual COral REprodution) was started in 2002 by Dr. Dirk Petersen in the Netherlands. Since 2002, SECORE has been established in the U.S. and become one of the leading coral conservation initiatives to involve research scientists, aquarium professionals, and local stakeholders from around the world. SECORE specializes in the use of sexual coral recruits for reef restoration and conducts workshops and projects at several research centers and aquariums around the world, and has now completed their first workshop in Guam. As SECORE expands its collaborator pool, so expands the opportunities for coral reef conservation and restoration, and now Guam is part of these conservation efforts. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Photo taken by Dave Burdick</span></span>.</td></tr>
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The relationship between Guam and SECORE began when Mike McCue, curator to Under Water World (UWW) aquarium, first heard about SECORE at an aquarium conference. Seeing the value in getting coral scientists and aquarium professionals to work together towards coral conservation, Mike was able to connect with Dr. Dirk Petersen. Their friendship grew and after years of discussion, Mike was able to convince Dr. Petersen that Guam would be the perfect location for coral conservation work, resulting in the recent workshop on Guam. To make the workshop as effective as possible, Mike brought in the UOG Marine Laboratory (UOGML) director, Dr. Laurie Raymundo, and coral biologist and long-term coral reef monitoring coordinator, Mr. Dave Burdick (Bureau of Statistics and Plans – Guam Coastal Management Program), to contribute their local coral expertise and support for this project. <br />
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On July 25th, Australia, the UK, South Africa, the Philippines, and the U.S. These participants came just in time for coral spawning and they heard lectures, built aquaria, and collected coral larvae over the 10-day workshop period (July 25 – August 4). Participants observed coral spawning of Acropora humilis, Acropora surculosa, Goniastrea retiformis, Acropora abrotanoides, and Galaxea fascicularis in the ocean. <br />
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At the UOG Marine Laboratory, participants were able to witness spawning and collect coral gametes from Acropora humilis and Acropora surculosa (broadcast spawners) and collect coral larvae from Leptastrea purpurea (a brooder). The gametes that were collected from the spawners were allowed to fertilize and settle onto appropriate substrates in the laboratory. Over the coming months, the corals will grow in the lab until they have reached an appropriate size which will give them the best odds of survival when transplanted into the ocean. Along with the corals at the UOGML, there will also be coral growing in tanks at UWW once renovations have been completed (scheduled to be done in the next 6 months). These facilities at UWW will allow the public to see first-hand how the corals are growing and will also keep them updated on the project.<br />
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Some of the other goals of the SECORE project on Guam are:<br />
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1) The creation of a small coral nursery in the ocean. The nursery will provide a place for baby corals to grow in ambient conditions and will also provide insight into the differences between ambient and laboratory conditions and their affect on coral growth and health.<br />
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2) To expand its efforts to more species of Acropora corals, specifically those of the staghorn variety. On Guam large patches of these corals have undergone significant decline over the years. With the help of the SECORE project, Guam may be able to help these staghorn patches regenerate, restoring patches of reef and ecosystem function. <br />
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The Guam SECORE project is a multiyear coral conservation program focusing on developing new techniques for large-scale coral reef restoration. As the project continues, look for more/new information on the SECORE website (www.secore.org). You can also contact the local partners in charge of this project: Dr. Laurie Raymundo at the UOG Marine Laboratory, Mr. Mike McCue at UWW, and Mr. Dave Burdick with the Bureau of Statistics and Plans—Guam Coastal Management Program.<br />
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To view photo album, visit the One Micronesia Facebook page by clicking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.680731188621744.1073741827.399198963441636&type=3&uploaded=6" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">7:41 <span style="font-size: small;">p</span>m</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Friday, August 28, 2013<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-19453345309563896012013-05-24T13:49:00.004+10:002013-05-24T13:59:25.841+10:00The Humåtak ProjectBack in November 2012 the Micronesia Challenge posted a short article about the Humåtak Project. This project is a community effort working to revive Guam’s watersheds, coral reefs, and fisheries using watershed restoration activities. The project began in 2002 after local fisherman noticed a decline in fish catch, which they attributed to excessive sedimentation on the reef. The goals of the project are to: 1) build awareness of environmental issues through educational and community outreach, 2) treat sources of sedimentation by implementing erosion control practices, and 3) improve the science of mitigating for impacts to coral reefs and other aquatic resources by monitoring changes in sedimentation rates and coral reef health. <br />
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Over the past couple years this project has become quite visible with the help of Austin Shelton, the project coordinator, and the community of Humåtak. With presentations at the 2012 and 2013 Guam Island Sustainability Conference and educational hikes focused on the watershed restoration projects currently underway within the La Sa Fu’a Watershed, the project is gaining momentum and support. Since this project addresses resource issues in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, Austin has teamed up with a variety of local and federal natural resource agencies, educational institutions, community groups, and local environmental educational organizations to help the project reach its goals. Through tree plantings, sediment sock installations, public outreach, community meetings, and follow-up tree fertilization, watershed restoration has begun. <br />
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So, what’s next? The project will now begin monitoring coral reef health in Fouha Bay to assess the progress of the watershed restoration efforts. This is where the Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Team (GCMP) comes in! Biologists with the Bureau of Statistics and Plans – Guam Coastal Management Program, the University of Guam Marine Lab, and the NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office have been monitoring coral reefs at different sites around Guam since 2010 (for more information on the monitoring program see the post from March 2012). With their knowledge of Guam’s coral reef ecosystems and monitoring experience, they will help the Humåtak Project reach their third goal – assessing if the watershed restoration efforts are improving the health of the reef ecosystem. To help figure this out, three different types of indicators of reef ecosystem health will be assessed and monitored: water quality, coral habitat, and associated biological communities (e.g., reef fishes, crown of thorns sea stars, sea cucumbers, trochus, and other ecologically and economically important reef organisms). Austin has begun monitoring water quality by placing sediment traps and multiparameter datasondes throughout the bay. These datasondes collect data about turbidity (cloudiness of the water), temperature, and salinity, and when combined with the sediment trap data, will tell us how much sediment is coming into the bay and how it is affecting the quality of the water in the bay.<br />
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The monitoring program team will be monitoring ecosystem health through regular assessments of coral habitat and associated biological communities. The specific parameters to be monitored are benthic cover, coral colony size, coral health, fish diversity and biomass, and the abundance of commercially and ecologically important macroinvertebrates. Once all the data has been collected it will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Humåtak Project. Our hope is to see a revived watershed with a healthy coral reef ecosystem which supports the communities within the La Sa Fu’a watershed. <br />
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As this project is still underway, you can keep updated with its progress by checking out the Humåtak Project website at <a href="http://humatakproject.org/">http://humatakproject.org/</a>, check their Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/humatakproject">www.facebook.com/humatakproject</a>, or by emailing the project coordinator at <a href="mailto:austin.j.shelton@gmail.com">austin.j.shelton@gmail.com</a>.<br />
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Also, if you are looking for a way to get involved in this great project, consider joining the Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program in their surveys of Fouha Bay. Check them out here: <a href="http://guamreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/">http://guamreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller<br />1:5<span style="font-size: small;">0</span> <span style="font-size: small;">p</span>m</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Friday, May 24, 2013<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-57247726146957583332013-02-28T17:58:00.000+10:002013-05-06T18:10:38.912+10:00NOAA Coral Fellow Report<span style="font-size: small;">Hafa adai from the nation’s capital!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">As the Guam NOAA Coral Fellow for 2013-3014, I recently had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for some training. Not only did this travel give me the opportunity to see how the city has changed since the last time I was there (1994), I was also able to meet the six other Coral Fellows, the Coral Fellowship Program Manager, and learn some valuable project evaluation and leadership tools. [It also forced me to dig in the back of my closet and borrow cold-weather clothes!] While there, I, along with all the other fellows, participated in Coral Fellowship orientation and training, we developed our work plans for the year, were introduced to the All Islands Committee (AIC) and Steering Committee of the USCRTF, and attended the USCRTF Business Meeting. It was a busy, and cold, four days, but it was extremely rewarding in many ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">As the Coral Fellows are spread out around the world (Guam, CNMI, American Samoa, Hawaii, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the USVI), this was our first opportunity to meet each other and the program managers. We had the opportunity to discuss our projects and plans for the year, getting feedback from each other on some successful ways to approach those projects, and, since many of the jurisdictions are insular, we were able to discuss some of the challenges and triumphs each island experiences. Not only did we receive valuable training to help us move forward in our projects, but we were able to form a community of support for each other, providing useful information and advice on each other’s projects. To find out more about this year’s fellows and their projects, check out the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program’s website (<a href="http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/fellowship/">http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/fellowship/</a>).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">NOAA Coral Fellows at the USCRTF Meeting (from left to right): Jenn Travis (USVI), Derek<br />Toloumu (American Samoa), Karen Bohnsack (Florida), Anne Rosinski (Hawaii), Jeiger Medina (Puerto<br />Rico), Roxanna Miller (Guam), Britta Baechler (CNMI)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> After our training, we attended the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting. Every year the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) holds two meetings—one in Washington D.C. at the beginning of the year, and the second meeting in one of the seven jurisdictions later in the year. These meetings bring together members from at least 12 Federal agencies; 7 US States, Territories, and Commonwealths; and 3 Freely Associated States. They gather to discuss their efforts to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. Established by Executive Order 13089 in 1998, the USCRTF is responsible for overseeing implementation of the Executive Order, and developing and implementing coordinated efforts to map and monitor U.S. coral reefs; research the causes of, and solutions to, coral reef decline; reduce and mitigate coral reef degradation from pollution, overfishing, and other causes; and implement strategies to promote conservation and sustainable use of coral reefs internationally (for more information go to: <a href="http://www.coralreef.gov/" target="_blank">http://www.coralreef.gov/</a>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Some of the topics discussed at this year’s meeting were the final review of the National Ocean Policy, the proposed listing of 66 coral species under the Endangered Species Act, and an update on the USCRTF Watershed Partnership Initiative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">It was wonderful to meet so many brilliant people who are excited about what they are doing with all their different projects. On Guam, we are just as excited about our monitoring program and can’t wait to get back in the water. Stay tuned for updates from what will be an amazing year, I’m sure!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller<br />8:24 <span style="font-size: small;">p</span>m</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Friday, February 28, 2013<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-23412845934808816942012-12-31T10:49:00.002+10:002012-12-31T10:57:36.445+10:00Adios 2012!This year has sure flown by! And in that time we’ve been able to get a lot of work done with the monitoring program. Between acquiring all the equipment needed for fieldwork (SCUBA tanks, boat charter, new dive gear, and underwater camera equipment) and the survey training/calibration exercises, it was a couple of months before the fieldwork could start in July.<br />
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But once all the office work was done, we were more than ready to get in the water! In addition to setting up a new monitoring site in Piti Bay, we were able to collect a second year of benthic data from all of Tumon’s stations and also from all permanent stations at East Agana Bay. Since we now have two years of data from Tumon and East Agana Bay, we can make comparisons between these years to determine the latest status and trends of the health of these reef areas. And with the addition of data from subsequent years, we will have an even better understanding of the processes acting on and affecting Guam’s reefs.<br />
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One process that negatively affects Guam’s reefs is pollution. There was never a clearer picture of this than a recent video posted by the curator of Guam’s UnderWater World, Mike McCue (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft7zpYy2qyY" target="_blank">video can be found here)</a>. McCue found an area of reef off shore from the Agat Cemetery riddled with garbage—mostly aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Whether it’s an issue of the garbage being dumped or the currents bringing it to this area, the reality is that this garbage is making its way into the ocean – a place where it should not be. Through this video, McCue raised awareness of the issue and a cleanup was organized in which I was able to participate! Approximately 25 bags of trash and recyclables were pulled off the reef, including a mattress.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Volunteers <span style="font-size: xx-small;">pitch in<span style="font-size: xx-small;">! Photo</span></span></span> Dave Burdick</span></span></td></tr>
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Not only is garbage in the water an eyesore, it is also bad for the environment. When the garbage enters the water it can contaminate the water with any substances that are in it. For example, in a can of bug spray, if that gets into the water the bug poison can leach out into the water, possibly poisoning the animals that live there. Also, when something heavy falls into the water, on its way to the bottom it can fall onto and break corals along the way. This not only damages the corals but can open them up to infection where they break. The garbage also moves around with wave action and currents, which can also break and damage coral. Still, other animals in the ocean may see the garbage and think its food.<br />
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Here are a few easy ways you can help keep garbage out of the ocean.<br />
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1. Whenever you have a piece of garbage, make sure you put it in a trash can and make sure to cover it so it does not blow out.<br />
2. Don’t leave your garbage at the beach, but take it home to get thrown away.<br />
3. When your garbage is full, take it to the landfill; never leave your garbage along the road or in the forest.<br />
4. If you have aluminum cans or plastic bottles, take them to be recycled instead of throwing<br />
them in the garbage because keeping recyclables out of the landfill can help the landfill last<br />
longer.<br />
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Next time you have piece of garbage, think about the ocean and what you want it to look like. Help keep garbage out of the ocean and keeps Guam’s ocean healthy!<br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller<br />10:50 am</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Monday, December 31, 2012<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-51904623395229451662012-11-05T10:28:00.003+10:002012-11-05T10:29:04.492+10:00Monitoring, and Weather, and Presentations...OH MY!Well, seeing as how it has been five months since you’ve heard anything about the monitoring program, I thought it would be a good idea to give you an update.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piti Monitoring Site</td></tr>
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The long-term monitoring began at the end of July this year, and it was an exciting start since it began with the establishment of monitoring stations in Piti Bay, a new monitoring site. The monitoring team surveyed 20 stations, 10 of which were established as permanent monitoring stations and will be surveyed in subsequent years. There were many remarkable critters found in Piti Bay, the most exciting of which was a spotted eagle ray which swam right through one of our monitoring stations while we were surveying! There were also a variety of nudibranchs, more than a couple octopuses, and a few LARGE moray eels which had a knack for being seen only when I would be way too close for comfort! Needless to say, Piti kept the monitoring team busy for the months of July and August.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see the shark?</td></tr>
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Once Piti was finished, we moved on to Tumon Bay. In Tumon we started off with a day of exploratory dives on the forereef slope. During the dives we made general observations on the benthic habitat and fish communities and we were able to travel over 2.5km at depths of up to 50 feet to see a good portion of the reef area. These dives helped the monitoring coordinator choose the areas for the next set of random stations in Tumon. During these dives we saw a gray reef shark, a handful of turtles, and heard the dolphins as they were passing by! It was quite a wonderful day with the sun shining and the chance to see much of the sea life that call Tumon Bay home.<br />
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Since that day of exploratory dives in Tumon, the monitoring team has only been able to get back to Tumon Bay a handful of times. The weather has been less than favorable for coral reef monitoring with many high surf advisories, small craft advisories, and thunderstorm warnings. The weather kept us out of the water, but that offered us some office time to catch up on other projects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOucMnvpENginhxSZPWov7rEQjc-8QOZMlJpycWeJSUXiW5RsPEnL8IlWYyJ81-aN5fuRkzacvYh_cShLI3k8BUANdtRUXac02pAl913Xz9GU5uCXHAe7UIKf9uNyvhje-zmjaNoNSFRc/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-11-05+at+10.27.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOucMnvpENginhxSZPWov7rEQjc-8QOZMlJpycWeJSUXiW5RsPEnL8IlWYyJ81-aN5fuRkzacvYh_cShLI3k8BUANdtRUXac02pAl913Xz9GU5uCXHAe7UIKf9uNyvhje-zmjaNoNSFRc/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-11-05+at+10.27.42+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K-5 Gifted Kids at Finegayan Elementary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With that extra time out of the water, I was able to devote some time to developing and giving presentations. A teacher friend of mine invited me to give a presentation to her gifted and talented students at her elementary school. In October I went up to Finegayan Elementary School and taught her group of K-5 gifted and talented students about corals, what they are, and why they’re important.<br />
<br />
I explained how corals are actually animals, not plants or rocks, and how coral colonies are made up of thousands of tiny little individual animals (coral polyps) all growing together. They even learned a new word: zooxanthellae (the name for the algae that live inside coral tissue). I invited Marybelle Quinata, coordinator of the Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program, to join me and we both were able to talk to the kids about how we do our surveys. We even got them to practice the surveys inside the classroom, helping them collect data along the way. It was an immensely rewarding experience as we got to see the kids learning and having fun at the same time. Thank you to Ms. Lorelei Nelson for<br />
inviting us to her classroom!<br />
<br />
Now that the weather has decided to die-down for a bit the monitoring team is getting back out to Tumon and collecting much-needed data. It will be interesting to compare this year’s data with the data collected two years ago. How are the corals and fish doing? Stay tuned to find out!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller<br />11:27 pm</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Monday, November 6, 2012<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-89209275957753352612012-10-01T11:15:00.001+10:002012-10-01T11:18:33.560+10:00Pohnpei's MC Communications Team Makes Strides<span style="color: #f21616;">::</span><span style="color: #333333;"> <span style="color: #767f7a;"><b><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms',helvetica,sans-serif;">POHNPEI</span></b></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="color: #4a93cc; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Pohnpei's MC Team reaches out!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="color: #3d4643;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;">Story by Mary-Linda Salvador, Conservation Society of Pohnpei</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d4643;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;">from <a href="http://www.icontact-archive.com/_G6mgYNYIKvARAAPom9nte_SGW1I_5uf?w=2" target="_blank">Volume 11 of Official Micronesia Challenge Newsletter</a> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;">On
September 20, 2012, Kolonia Town celebrated the anniversary of their
constitution. The Micronesia Challenge communications team eagarly
started the day before with preparations for the Micronesia
Challenge information booth, getting posters together and setting up
displays on cardboard boxes with printed fact sheets and questionnaires.
Early the following morning, we came together at the event to set up
the tent and put into place all the posters that were prepared the day
before.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<img data-cke-saved-src="https://staticapp.icpsc.com/icp/loadimage.php/mogile/697170/c7e693fc1864cee6a159835710130358/image/jpeg" data-icontact-width-flexible="783" src="https://staticapp.icpsc.com/icp/loadimage.php/mogile/697170/c7e693fc1864cee6a159835710130358/image/jpeg" style="display: inline; height: 236px; width: 361px;" width="361" /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;">
What a day it was! The MC communications team gave away pamphlets,
posters and booklets, even free calling cards thanks to our partners
from the office of International Office for Migration (IOM). We also
gave away free sample plants ready to be planted into the ground. This
was possible thanks to our friends from the Division of Forestry, and
they brought sakau (kava), lime trees, papaya trees, and even cinnamon
trees. People flocked around to pick out which trees they wanted to
plant. They enjoyed our posters and pamphlets, as they saw how much
information they could learn, and we gave away nearly all of the posters
and pamphlets. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;">As
the day's activitities went on, the team didn’t even notice the time as
they were extremely busy with the swarms of children hovering by the
tables trying to get their hands on notebooks and pencils which were
donated by our partners from the Micronesian Image Institue (MII), the
Micronesian Conservation Trust (MCT), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<img data-cke-saved-src="https://staticapp.icpsc.com/icp/loadimage.php/mogile/697170/d93f7c30f8fcb15682fcb6c9dc72f89b/image/jpeg" data-icontact-width-flexible="794" src="https://staticapp.icpsc.com/icp/loadimage.php/mogile/697170/d93f7c30f8fcb15682fcb6c9dc72f89b/image/jpeg" style="display: inline; height: 236px; width: 361px;" width="361" /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;">
As the children lined up, the team had prepared some simple pictures of
fish and plants and asked the kids to name them and if they did not
know the names, the team was more than glad to share the answer followed
by a short, fun explanation about the fish or plant. The older kids had
to identify environmental issues from pictures prepared by the group.
For the adults, the team prepared a small questionnaire for them to
answer and then we allowed them to choose from the selection of posters
and booklets and pamphlets to take with them. As the day came to an end,
the team had realized that they were extremely exhausted and that we
hadn’t even had lunch - that is how busy the team was during the
celebration of Kolonia’s Constitution day!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif;">
Finally, as the evening came and the team was packing everything up,
more kids and adults sopped by to learn about the Micronesia Challenge.
Without a doubt, we were a hit! After that, we happily called it a day!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-13102851649926327432012-08-13T09:08:00.003+10:002012-08-13T09:10:47.565+10:00The International Coral Reef Symposium 2012Hafa adai from down under!<br />
<br />
From the land that boasts some of the world’s most unique and dangerous animals also comes the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef! That’s right, I’m talking about Australia! And what better place than Australia to hold a coral reef conference! The International Coral Reef Symposium just finished its 12th conference and I was lucky enough to attend. The conference welcomed over 2,100 scientists from all over the world, including scientists, managers, and conservationists from across Micronesia. During the week, over 1,300 oral presentations were given and 236 posters were presented. Micronesia itself was represented by 16 presenters of both oral and poster presentations, with another 12 supporting delegates.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ7BhnzPTNYCpW8rcwQzMSEgYsZ45DV0kC7d5uWf9u22Ce7L-vV90ogmIIddoQGCFF0HuldFRE0VXyPrZQlVNo_2yZ80SVcz_WR5mDew-n5X-QzGhnn9SrsF953j9gKjJBec8JTj1v1Q/s1600/icrs1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ7BhnzPTNYCpW8rcwQzMSEgYsZ45DV0kC7d5uWf9u22Ce7L-vV90ogmIIddoQGCFF0HuldFRE0VXyPrZQlVNo_2yZ80SVcz_WR5mDew-n5X-QzGhnn9SrsF953j9gKjJBec8JTj1v1Q/s320/icrs1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Dr. Jane Lubechenco, NOAA</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some of the highlights from the week were the plenary speakers. On opening day, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, gave a presentation regarding the transformation of science and research into policy, and also on progress the U.S. has made in managing and conserving its coral reef areas. She also stressed the importance of scientists to become, at the very least, “bilingual” – speaking the language of science and also speaking the language of laypeople. She called for scientists to communicate in ways that are understandable and credible in order to share their findings broadly and to develop useful and usable decision support tools for coral reef conservation. Other speakers who gave plenary presentations which were particularly interesting to me were Dr. Peter Kareiva, Dr. Geoffrey Jones, Dr. Helene Marsh, and Dr. Jeremy Jackson. All the plenary speaker presentations are available for viewing online at the 2012 ICRS website (<a href="http://www.icrs2012.com/Default.htm">http://www.icrs2012.com/Default.htm</a>) and I encourage you to check them out!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59Smbgim7bPgRv1V4Lo1BDDeAYEAMFiDaBndgwMBD3vFr93qCyskMw7FfQ_RyXBX3kuNzZOvFs3LhqQdr9jqmEGMH1wMzIESc3SMJtuHERw102lFNjbq3gG83i9xvMES6lLz8S3rZwB4/s1600/icrs2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59Smbgim7bPgRv1V4Lo1BDDeAYEAMFiDaBndgwMBD3vFr93qCyskMw7FfQ_RyXBX3kuNzZOvFs3LhqQdr9jqmEGMH1wMzIESc3SMJtuHERw102lFNjbq3gG83i9xvMES6lLz8S3rZwB4/s320/icrs2.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">One of the many presentations.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There were also a variety of presentations from the delegates, including those from Micronesia. The University of Guam Marine Lab provided a variety of posters and presentations on topics ranging from the role of sewage pollution on the health of Guam corals (Dr. Laurie Raymundo), to the restoration of a watershed through community involvement (Ann Marie Gawel). Some of the other presentations and posters from Micronesia involved assessing the variety of coral reef ecosystems across Micronesia (Dr. Peter Houk), coral bleaching in Palau during the 2010 thermal stress event (Jacques Idechong), and the effectiveness of small MPAs in Palau (Adelle Isechal). You can read the abstracts for all presentations on the website mentioned above, and look out for the proceedings to read the scientific papers!<br />
<br />
All in all, it was a pretty spectacular event, with a lot of new ideas and thought-provoking discussions regarding coral reef research. I also got to reconnect with old colleagues and make new connections. I look forward to the next event in 2016 which will be held in Hawaii.<br />
<br />
Now that the conference is over, it’s back to monitoring. Look out for photos, stories, and important updates to the monitoring program in the coming months!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller<br />12:17 pm</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Monday, August 13, 2012<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-80786177047821227052012-05-16T07:30:00.000+10:002012-05-16T07:31:23.209+10:00Bird Watching in Kosrae<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tVWQruNG2PBdQ02yPeSDPOdFqeSU2R3dg8vD37VGofMV621Tjnxpui3TPP-zMfI1LKXE5-lG7eLHs5QNP8JIPlymHmdS1l1jq0WzAPkszE9yzSW1Ukykzf8EYYc4s-6IdSCudH54Ye8/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.26.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tVWQruNG2PBdQ02yPeSDPOdFqeSU2R3dg8vD37VGofMV621Tjnxpui3TPP-zMfI1LKXE5-lG7eLHs5QNP8JIPlymHmdS1l1jq0WzAPkszE9yzSW1Ukykzf8EYYc4s-6IdSCudH54Ye8/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.26.36+PM.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">On March, 05, 2012, a team from University of Missouri
arrived on Kosrae to survey forests birds and coastal birds as well. Two months
earlier the same research was conducted in Pohnpei and Ant Atoll. Kosrae
Conservation and Safety Organization (KCSO), Terrestrial Program, was assigned
to assist and coordinate guides to escort the team to transacts surveyed on the
island by US Fish and Wildlife conducted in 1983-84 on Kosrae. Regarding the
survey protocol, each site starts at sunrise (6:15) until 11:00 am, which is
the best time to watch the birds. It also requires sunny weather or at least
light rain in the morning. The actual survey is 8 minutes aural/visual survey,
recording species, time, distance, detection type and number of birds. Each
transect point-count station are separated by 200 meters.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEXqbXeCPAwQRrU2iSaQ_g7PFpu10POK7a4orDAI9alWjjP0l8mc0SQPymug7osQOxthkVC8aIvWLz_Nf6vva-LabZaiItAAmJUWWMU6YTEhdEM0oqcr3z6rEBoSwtRD9l3A-Z5mppg0/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.26.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEXqbXeCPAwQRrU2iSaQ_g7PFpu10POK7a4orDAI9alWjjP0l8mc0SQPymug7osQOxthkVC8aIvWLz_Nf6vva-LabZaiItAAmJUWWMU6YTEhdEM0oqcr3z6rEBoSwtRD9l3A-Z5mppg0/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.26.57+PM.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">The data collected during the survey will be analyzed
and used to update the status of birds in Kosrae compared to surveys done in
the past and will also be shared among natural resource agencies for public awareness and most
importantly as baseline information to modify resource management regulations in Kosrae. With
a lot of cuts, bruises, rashes, blisters and wet weather, the project finally
accomplish its mission with 21 transects and a total of 630 stations. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">On behalf of the team, KCSO is very happy to extend
its utmost appreciation to the team and to each and everyone who assisted the
implementation of the project. Special acknowledgement to the following trail
guides who put a lot of effort to the accomplishment of the project: Salik
Wakuk, Larry Alokoa, Stoney Alokoa, Hamilson Phillip, Weston Palik, Kuken
Taulung,Kanbu Taulung and YELA organizaiton Mr. William William; Mr.Rickson
Jonathan and Robert Tulensru. With all your collaborative efforts the mission
is successfully accomplished as planned. Additionally, we believe that
throughout the survey, we’ve all learned the importance of the birds and how
tragic they can be in the future if we do not comply to the regulations set in
place to protect them.</span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Andy George<br />8:10 am</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tuesday, May 16, 2011<br />Location: Kosrae</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-39849437816690015672012-05-06T15:09:00.000+10:002012-05-07T11:28:23.796+10:00First Attempt to Establish Upland Protected Area for Kosrae<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
December 19, 2011, Kosrae Conservation and Safety Organization (KCSO) and Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funds
(CEPF) signed an agreement to
implement a project entitled, “Protecting Kosrae’s Upland Forest”. The project
aimed to deliver the following components; conduct a general survey and
inventory of plants on Kosrae; raise awareness in schools and the communities
on upland forest; promote the Olum watershed area for protection and
recognition under the Kosrae State Protected Area Law; and mapping and reporting of invasive weeds to assist control
efforts on the island of Kosrae.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUmz6RaEiU3x_VUMXzefo_1lSEGrHlP_julDLrT2h5G0zQSy7X2wgDbgi1TGboUb0pjEPkN85eeE_vUkPRf-15dS46a6B9TgqngCxKTnNFheYUEExcujkqke7vqIeSIKVXLhp5ZfMWEU/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.00.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUmz6RaEiU3x_VUMXzefo_1lSEGrHlP_julDLrT2h5G0zQSy7X2wgDbgi1TGboUb0pjEPkN85eeE_vUkPRf-15dS46a6B9TgqngCxKTnNFheYUEExcujkqke7vqIeSIKVXLhp5ZfMWEU/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.00.14+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">KCSO staffs met with Malem Municipal Leadership on “Protecting Kosrae’s Upland Forest” project. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">Left to right
(Mayor Klava Klavasru, Terrestrial Program Manager, Jacob-Luke Sanney, </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">Marine
Program Manager, Marston Luckymis and Executive Director Andy George)</span><style>
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</style>On January 16, 2012, I, and Program Managers met with the Mayor,
municipal leaders, church leaders, community leaders, senior citizens, youth,
local farmers and landowners to discuss ongoing efforts to protect Olum
Watershed and to initiate discussion on the proposed Pikensukar Marine
Protected area. At the meeting, I introduced and discussed regional and local needs
to set up protected areas and to garner community support before project implementation
takes place in Malem. The Mayor and members of the community indicated full
support of the projects. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-jmsydH96H9vyQxlccohBHX93ALi9374x5eIzsZin53fl6O7olg0rezak1yXMeq_8KFzkVNJCBnI7RCZs3dIMzLjJDWqZ2vkBtl-4zLFBr5cU0pLxFCDie6X1rCgnfgk5NWhMqUsUP0/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.00.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-jmsydH96H9vyQxlccohBHX93ALi9374x5eIzsZin53fl6O7olg0rezak1yXMeq_8KFzkVNJCBnI7RCZs3dIMzLjJDWqZ2vkBtl-4zLFBr5cU0pLxFCDie6X1rCgnfgk5NWhMqUsUP0/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.00.50+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kosrae Elementary School.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Following the 1<sup>st</sup>
meeting, KCSO staffs conducted another visit on the 26<sup>th</sup> of January,
2012, with more stakeholders participated. The purpose of the meeting was to
discuss what, how, and why we should seriously consider protecting the natural
condition of Upland Forest along with the marine areas of Kosrae. Through
collaborative efforts and support among environmental agencies/partners, KCSO project
team will be launching a conceptual modeling workshop with the community of
Malem in May, 2012. </div>
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</style><span style="font-size: 11pt;">From January 25<sup>th</sup> to February 7<sup>th</sup>,
KCSO Terrestrial and Education Program completed the 1<sup>st</sup> round of
Awareness in Kosrae Elementary School targeting 7<sup>th</sup> grade students.
The team presented a general overview on the significance of Upland Forest and
human impacts such as deforestation that contributes to a threaten community. A
survey was also handed out during each visit that will be used at the end of
the school year to measure changes in awareness level. </span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #444444; float: right; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGfsouWe6UnZ1aS3MNoFZjpuhE0OodO1I1hRwuyorSLDRb9BlThdx1waj4kosBFnT_lVHS5vyCtoRjQxLt0C4SEStpKwqXQp7TGVB8dJFqhc5LJBXQemY-9-Ey4k5TUSL7RoiRr0QtLw/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.00.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGfsouWe6UnZ1aS3MNoFZjpuhE0OodO1I1hRwuyorSLDRb9BlThdx1waj4kosBFnT_lVHS5vyCtoRjQxLt0C4SEStpKwqXQp7TGVB8dJFqhc5LJBXQemY-9-Ey4k5TUSL7RoiRr0QtLw/s320/Screen+shot+2012-05-04+at+3.00.59+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: 8pt;">Potential invasive.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">For the past three months, KCSO Terrestrial Program
conducted a series of field trips
all over the island collecting new
plant species and mapping invasive
weeds in the upland forests. We found a patch of Micania<i> micrantha </i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">at 100m
altitude in Saolung Tafunsak. This noxious weed can be seen all over the
community which is where imports and commercial activities take place. In Utwe,
the southernmost village, we sighted two patches of <i>Clerodendrum quadriculare.
</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This shrub is listed on the eradication protocol for KIRMA, which they
did a good job taking down over 80%. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We also found another potential invasive
shrub identified as </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Pseuderanthenum carruthesii var. atropurpureum,</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">on the coastal strands in Walung village. These invasive weeds was
suggested by invasive species coordinators at both KIRMA (Kosrae Island
Resource Management Authority) and DREA (Department Resource & Economic
Affair) for further observation
regarding its invasive status and setting up of means of controlling the
outbreak of the species in the future. KCSO will assist its local partners,
KIRMA & DREA to identify and map the occurrences of invasive weed species
and seek foreign assistance to do a feasible study on these noxious weeds.</span></div>
<div style="color: #274e13;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #274e13;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #274e13;">
<span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Posted by</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 85%;">Andy George, KCSO Executive Director<br />3:10 pm</span></div>
<div style="color: #274e13;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Sunday, May 6, 2011<br />Location: Kosrae</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-22721729356744623482012-05-02T19:50:00.001+10:002012-08-13T09:10:12.228+10:00Monitoring Season: REDUX!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ3eTLlqYRaBKcLgOoIlUDnJSXOH6ahvf2C0TqdfdDXMSI9-et3U-YAOLuuFusf8Ey5J5cbO2PjJnnsw3qB2RVPPsXedgN7rxwNuvDxsC7opCaNL4zMfupkWj3kRG99BBjTm88QwaLmg/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-02+at+7.44.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ3eTLlqYRaBKcLgOoIlUDnJSXOH6ahvf2C0TqdfdDXMSI9-et3U-YAOLuuFusf8Ey5J5cbO2PjJnnsw3qB2RVPPsXedgN7rxwNuvDxsC7opCaNL4zMfupkWj3kRG99BBjTm88QwaLmg/s320/Screen+shot+2012-05-02+at+7.44.20+PM.png" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Monitored areas</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxoGAPjXQ8JvOtkL6zPE7Y2UHqKhIQ_2wi3tsxBcegtDznOmcaMde40cevui9VT4lJQ8MqEEgQ_65IcBxGNqZ1pH5DnLOaiDpsEvOViLWXCg1vKCUTFdOlINrBDui43elLVYW_PfxwtM/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-02+at+7.43.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxoGAPjXQ8JvOtkL6zPE7Y2UHqKhIQ_2wi3tsxBcegtDznOmcaMde40cevui9VT4lJQ8MqEEgQ_65IcBxGNqZ1pH5DnLOaiDpsEvOViLWXCg1vKCUTFdOlINrBDui43elLVYW_PfxwtM/s200/Screen+shot+2012-05-02+at+7.43.54+PM.png" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Data logger</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">“So, what’s been happening with the long-term coral reef monitoring program lately?”<br /><br />I’m glad you asked! Dave Burdick already gave you the low-down on the monitoring program, so now it’s time to give you a little more specific information on what we’re up to for this year. As the monitoring season quickly approaches, we find ourselves finishing up our analysis of data collected during the 2010 and 2011 monitoring seasons and assessing which types of additional reef health data we may be able to collect this year. As a variety of reef health indicators (mentioned in Dave’s <a href="http://mcsaveourmicronesia.blogspot.com/2011/05/its-that-time-of-year-again-with.html" style="color: #274e13;" target="_blank">blog post</a>) have already been established within the program, it is time to add-on!<br /><br />With the procurement of two multi-parameter data loggers, several types of water quality data will be collected starting with this year’s monitoring activities. Turbidity (the cloudiness of a fluid caused by individual particles), dissolved oxygen (the amount of oxygen dissolved in a medium, i.e. seawater), pH (the measure of acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution), conductivity (a way to indirectly measure salinity), and temperature will be collected at multiple locations across all monitoring sites, but with the installation of data loggers at two, possibly three, sites, data will be collected continuously for several months in these areas. The collection of water quality data, along with the continued collection of benthic habitat and fish community data, will allow us to better understand how these environmental<br />factors affect reef health on Guam.<br /><br />Another type of data which we plan on collecting starting this year is rugosity. Rugosity is a measurement of the variations in height of a surface and is used to determine benthic complexity in coral reef monitoring. Certain corals are often associated with areas of high rugosity or complexity. These areas with high complexity have also been found to be associated with higher fish abundance and diversity. Once we collect this rugosity data, we can analyze how our reef structure is related to our fish communities and when changes occur in one, how it may affect the other.<br /><br />In addition to adding on to the types of data we are collecting, we are also adding on to the number of sites surveyed. To date, we have surveyed two reef areas on the western side (Tumon Bay and East Agana) and one in Apra Harbor (Western Shoals). We are planning on adding at least one more site on the western side, Piti Bay, as well as two sites along the southern coast. Tumon and Piti are Marine Protected Areas and monitoring these areas over time should give us a better idea of how they are functioning as MPAs (i.e. increased fish stocks and the return of top predators).<br /><br />With all the new additions it’s bound to be an exciting monitoring season. Stay tuned to see what we find in the coming months!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller<br />2:49 pm</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wednesday, May 2, 2012<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-66919462161123584952012-04-04T14:28:00.000+10:002012-04-12T16:54:53.539+10:00When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?<span id="internal-source-marker_0.46582420322048235" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Doctor, lawyer……………marine biologist?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnOHb-SrEUaHcfd2MuE6-ytTIMaL1zgDWyrDiIousI4oNWXQx3_A3HqFWV-nVDwDVF4J_TNZKHT-cJUI5BA6THS6v81dGdI4Lc7nZyU9Yfcnqv5CWOIDaIJXkzvY-j8srv_MGA6n-8pI/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-04-04+at+2.29.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnOHb-SrEUaHcfd2MuE6-ytTIMaL1zgDWyrDiIousI4oNWXQx3_A3HqFWV-nVDwDVF4J_TNZKHT-cJUI5BA6THS6v81dGdI4Lc7nZyU9Yfcnqv5CWOIDaIJXkzvY-j8srv_MGA6n-8pI/s320/Screen+shot+2012-04-04+at+2.29.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THEN, IN WISCONSIN.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
A lot of people will say president, teacher, astronaut, football
player, or actor. Some might even say lawyer or doctor. But how many
say marine biologist? Well, I’m not sure of the percentage, but I would
venture to guess not a whole lot. And out of those that say marine
biologist as a kid, how many actually choose that as a career? As one
of those kids that said marine biologist, and actually chose that as a
career, I can’t tell you how excited I was to become a part of the Guam
long-term coral reef monitoring program! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
a kid growing up in Wisconsin, I never really understood exactly what a
marine biologist did because, well, I didn’t live near an ocean. When I
finally experienced coral reefs up close and personal, I was enamored
and my career path was set in stone! Choosing marine biology as an
undergraduate, I was immersed in classes ranging in topic from marine
mammals to chemical oceanography. But when I started learning about
coral-algal symbiosis I decided that corals were my bread and butter.
As my senior year was winding down, I decided to participate in an
internship at Mote Marine Laboratory. This took me to Sarasota, FL to
study coral disease. Little did I know this would lead me to move
across the world to Guam!</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
arrived in Guam for graduate school and soon began working on a variety
of coral projects, but my main gig was evaluating coral disease and
benthic communities around Guam. After graduating with my Master’s, I
wasn’t ready to leave Guam, and thankfully, Guam still had a place for
me. In February 2012, I began my stint as a “Regional Support
Specialist” – a.k.a. a monitoring assistant for the Guam long-term coral
reef monitoring program! </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVIi-zO5p4ivWSVp5VwUFdNrclcRqJs4MM-cccBhPAdu49lqxxYvfbw2MSV0ryPLsJhdkk7k3HqJApEJ40YcxCr6z5uxVAWkLrUclq39-d-Tdm-J1Q2uVJDkfzzYAth888JtcZOl0Ylo/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-04-04+at+2.29.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVIi-zO5p4ivWSVp5VwUFdNrclcRqJs4MM-cccBhPAdu49lqxxYvfbw2MSV0ryPLsJhdkk7k3HqJApEJ40YcxCr6z5uxVAWkLrUclq39-d-Tdm-J1Q2uVJDkfzzYAth888JtcZOl0Ylo/s320/Screen+shot+2012-04-04+at+2.29.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOW, IN GUAM.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With
all the experience I have from studying the reefs of Guam, this
position is the perfect opportunity to continue coral work and give back
to the island. While the program is still young, there is already a
plethora of information which has been acquired. This information will
help local scientists and resource managers better understand Guam’s
reef health. Collecting data about a number of important
characteristics related to reef ecosystem health will allow resource
managers to evaluate the effectiveness of specific management strategies
and serve as an early warning system for identifying changes in reef
health. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
role in this program is to help in the monitoring of reef health,
analyze data that has been collected, and to relay this information to
the public. So if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! In
the coming months, look for more information about the monitoring
program and what we’re up to! Also, if you missed it, check out Dave
Burdick’s blog from a couple of weeks ago where he talks about the monitoring
program. Stay tuned!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roxanna Miller<br />2:32 pm</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wednesday, April 4, 2011<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-77933021090848170922012-03-27T15:33:00.000+10:002012-03-27T08:47:31.347+10:00GUAM: 'tis the season for monitoring!It’s that time of the year again!<br />
<br />
With the oncoming retreat of the trade winds and the arrival of calmer sea conditions, I am happy to announce that my favorite time of year is upon us….the coral reef monitoring field season! As the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQggZvcJPkNSWni-ct5jImGQq1LtXLL2mz_uHc8eIrBDiUMinL34WBPsiwkoteXSy5M7-lCdHjN8FbIFp7BJXSPeZyxSPMzzprHEmyLGxDd5kJtBHS1V9Pov9kwqboReJhUTqBP4y7fQ/s1600/Screen%252Bshot%252B2011-05-27%252Bat%252B3.40.59%252BPM.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612677305896023378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQggZvcJPkNSWni-ct5jImGQq1LtXLL2mz_uHc8eIrBDiUMinL34WBPsiwkoteXSy5M7-lCdHjN8FbIFp7BJXSPeZyxSPMzzprHEmyLGxDd5kJtBHS1V9Pov9kwqboReJhUTqBP4y7fQ/s320/Screen%252Bshot%252B2011-05-27%252Bat%252B3.40.59%252BPM.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a>coordinator of Guam’s long-term coral reef monitoring program, getting back out into the field is the highlight of my job.<br />
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The monitoring field season is the time when the mountains of work required to develop grant proposals, write up progress reports, navigate the tortuous Government of Guam procurement process, address personnel issues, and other, well, not-so-fun responsibilities finally pays off. When water conditions become favorable and our proverbial ducks are lined in a row, a small team of biologists (including myself) grab the equipment that took us months to acquire, don our scuba gear and plunge into the warm waters around <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDe0CYv-hNToVi-_z-cLMqkdm-kZ8Wz6fvPrWExLGGODvjDeBzvo3HJpqF08EqneKDM_eidS8ueLGTgzT0rj5ecD2WtvjzDcyHAM4rcHsDAuSszLH1m8Ckpqqk8RlU9Oh-NOcIulHLsg/s1600/Screen%252Bshot%252B2011-05-27%252Bat%252B3.42.46%252BPM.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612677438796142418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDe0CYv-hNToVi-_z-cLMqkdm-kZ8Wz6fvPrWExLGGODvjDeBzvo3HJpqF08EqneKDM_eidS8ueLGTgzT0rj5ecD2WtvjzDcyHAM4rcHsDAuSszLH1m8Ckpqqk8RlU9Oh-NOcIulHLsg/s320/Screen%252Bshot%252B2011-05-27%252Bat%252B3.42.46%252BPM.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 252px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>Guam. While our outings are certainly enjoyable, there is much work to be done, as we carefully count fish, meticulously measure coral colonies, and conscientiously collect other data that help us track changes in the health of Guam’s coral reefs and to help understand what might be causing these changes. Among many other important purposes, this type of ecological monitoring is critical as a way of measuring Guam’s progress towards its goals under the Micronesia Challenge.<br />
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Guam’s monitoring program is only a few years old, and it was only as recent as 2010 that we were able to begin collecting data at a limited number of sites. While we have been fortunate to have a fantastic marine lab operating since 1970, much of the work carried out by the marine lab, government agencies, and contractors has typically involved only individual studies and assessments, with no sites regularly surveyed over a long period of time. To address this major short-coming the Guam Comprehensive Long-term Monitoring Strategy was developed in 2006. As part of this strategy several reef sites <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9ZEZAVfxpd4g5QM1HgypXt1jsvEUGXlIIUmWM-GvXw0SvtsaKEiioITW7oiVD9tYCefiNS4Yrh4uGE-2qQYIO9DqPCfgLpX6KJvmGygeF5Y0gs8o8S6G9NarYtYONh9ubtzEfn1uUao/s1600/Screen%252Bshot%252B2011-05-27%252Bat%252B3.46.17%252BPM.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612677696153333058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9ZEZAVfxpd4g5QM1HgypXt1jsvEUGXlIIUmWM-GvXw0SvtsaKEiioITW7oiVD9tYCefiNS4Yrh4uGE-2qQYIO9DqPCfgLpX6KJvmGygeF5Y0gs8o8S6G9NarYtYONh9ubtzEfn1uUao/s320/Screen%252Bshot%252B2011-05-27%252Bat%252B3.46.17%252BPM.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 228px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a>around the island would be monitored annually, with data collected for a broad array of reef health indicators, such as benthic cover, coral colony size, coral health, fish diversity and biomass, and the abundance of commercially and ecologically macroinvertebrate (sea cucumbers, crown of thorns sea stars, sea urchins, etc.). Another major component of the program is the collection of water quality data, such as temperature, turbidity, salinity, and other types of water quality data. By collecting all these different types of data we are hoping to move beyond simply detecting whether or not there is a change out on the reef, and make progress towards a better understanding of the processes – whether natural or human-caused – underlying these changes.<br />
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In the coming months I will be posting updates on the progress of the monitoring program, interesting critter encounters, and other related observations and thoughts, especially as they pertain to the Micronesia Challenge. Stay tuned!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">PHOTOS: </span><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">Top</span><span style="color: #990000;"> A graduate student from Guam's Marine Lab carries out a fish survey in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve as part of Guam's long-term reef monitoring program. </span><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">Center</span><span style="color: #990000;"> A graduate student from the University of Guam Marine Lab taking photos along a survey transect in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve; these photos will later be analyzed to obtain estimates of the percentage of seafloor occupied by living coral, dead coral, algae, and other</span><span style="color: #990000;"> benthic features. </span><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">Bottom</span><span style="color: #990000;"> A school of bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) at a survey site in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHnQYvmOuXM0WCMfVje4mFCb_krFtCfabFqIPSd6Z0s4FEPzMnn7GJwQLyWzPX62yl3Irgpfb-iuArHhwpGLCdm3W9P2lSjSIrLhPwgrAyReEcxo2TZHfnQCn9lzyQw6_9RuvyTAT0DU/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-27+at+4.01.32+PM.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611272290291437122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHnQYvmOuXM0WCMfVje4mFCb_krFtCfabFqIPSd6Z0s4FEPzMnn7GJwQLyWzPX62yl3Irgpfb-iuArHhwpGLCdm3W9P2lSjSIrLhPwgrAyReEcxo2TZHfnQCn9lzyQw6_9RuvyTAT0DU/s200/Screen+shot+2011-05-27+at+4.01.32+PM.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 144px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 129px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Pos</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">David Burdick<br />8:32 pm<br />Monday, March 27, 2011<br />Location: Hagatna, Guam</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-56888467961758875422011-06-29T09:32:00.001+10:002011-07-02T10:14:26.231+10:00ROTA: Dispatch from this year's Eco Day CampWhen a child is positively changed by his experience in nature you can see it and feel it.<br /><br />It's palpable and it changes the adults around him, too. For the past three years I've been traveling to the beautiful island of Rota to help organize a summer day camp program for the island's children. For <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJFwCfyg9wKLmwWmQG_dixCO_kQ-mOawJCb6kGnGo4RKTNtRrDKyuUGBf-0-ExYa1NqdogqKjxzP7_Iv-nkH39QMVdxFq0zofFQ3YJ4wKXbnf0aIr-CZuQjv4sPERu8CzfytZKueh6XE/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.41.24+AM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJFwCfyg9wKLmwWmQG_dixCO_kQ-mOawJCb6kGnGo4RKTNtRrDKyuUGBf-0-ExYa1NqdogqKjxzP7_Iv-nkH39QMVdxFq0zofFQ3YJ4wKXbnf0aIr-CZuQjv4sPERu8CzfytZKueh6XE/s320/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.41.24+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624534420585331538" border="0" /></a>one week students join scientists and field experts at sites around the island to learn about the connections between land and sea. The team that has kept this camp going for the past six years is made of dedicated volunteers, leaders, community members, cultural practitioners, scientists and field experts.<br /><br />Getting the camp together every year is always a mad scramble - the scramble to get letters out to directors of offices to get permission for things, the scramble to get funding released to use for the camp, the scramble of recruiting campers and getting their registration forms. The week-long program requires at least two months of preparation. It's functioning can appear deceptively simple but the scramble can leave you crazy. In fact, at the beginning of camp I have a brief moment of wondering why I signed up to do it again - what with all the no-shows, surprises and snafus through the first day.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxEIIRK1gYw09d7JXYHpxvWXXyjoi3cXpo8atApBNKzP9CpBn1fyzs0itucZCe02l4FpXHiNfqUkwQFohdOcHhegCy1KhpYChCuRkgH0axhc7aGJQcW4DhMw6h21NmCJ01dVQlwHaM1U/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.42.07+AM.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxEIIRK1gYw09d7JXYHpxvWXXyjoi3cXpo8atApBNKzP9CpBn1fyzs0itucZCe02l4FpXHiNfqUkwQFohdOcHhegCy1KhpYChCuRkgH0axhc7aGJQcW4DhMw6h21NmCJ01dVQlwHaM1U/s320/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.42.07+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624534992985726434" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But once the camp gets rolling I forget about the headaches. The children of Rota amaze me every year with their enthusiasm for the natural world. I realize shortly after camp starts that I am privileged to share these life-changing experiences with these children.<br /><br />Today, one of our youngest campers, Efrain, became comfortable swimming in the ocean. He finally let go of the side of the boat and began floating out to discovery. Another camper called his parents from the top of Wedding Cake Mountain to tell them that he "really" made it to the top. We know that some of these children will be our future conservationists and scientists. Each day we witness the shifts in how they value and relate to our planet. Their appreciation and understanding is growing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkmNuuYHCP0ZbOLdnQAc72cHTyT0tu5nOlf5Jf5trdbixzcSx1wqmR8d8que8DGrZe7YrG1bBl6le5FrzRURN2ypnUfzOOa9sinyLZtSjXxGPQgbvmA8u66ewLTr8gHOydzmjpLHt1I4/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.43.19+AM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkmNuuYHCP0ZbOLdnQAc72cHTyT0tu5nOlf5Jf5trdbixzcSx1wqmR8d8que8DGrZe7YrG1bBl6le5FrzRURN2ypnUfzOOa9sinyLZtSjXxGPQgbvmA8u66ewLTr8gHOydzmjpLHt1I4/s320/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.43.19+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624535243511684818" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sometimes, when planning and undertaking educational programs, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. Sometimes I hear resource managers question the time spent on educating children, maybe they think its overkill or that a disproportionate amount of resources is spent on it or that it doesn’t directly address more pressing management problems. But I know that what we can do to shape the environmental ethics of our children is a long term but critical endeavor and it is as important as collecting data or issuing permits.<br /><br />We know that the root of our environmental problems is the human population and its destructive behavior. Educating, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIoW-AbP8naA5UOJPqiWVu6UKRCM9PQ7Md_pOlcQqX-79udfZ8I6IEa9MVKxMsSrHsHVLmX0GXmYhNkU6M1RPVC0_CHh6YZh4NRGLbMrQPsMql91NiRf4d3VQ-qT32ZJe_NoFYQ4PSOM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.30.53+AM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIoW-AbP8naA5UOJPqiWVu6UKRCM9PQ7Md_pOlcQqX-79udfZ8I6IEa9MVKxMsSrHsHVLmX0GXmYhNkU6M1RPVC0_CHh6YZh4NRGLbMrQPsMql91NiRf4d3VQ-qT32ZJe_NoFYQ4PSOM/s320/Screen+shot+2011-07-02+at+9.30.53+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624531540448508674" border="0" /></a>inspiring and influencing children are all ways to prevent or counter the development of environmentally harmful practices for the future. We all know how hard it is to change human behaviors after they’ve taken root ….<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">PHOTOS: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Top</span>: </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Propogating bahia gra</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">ss seedlings at the DLNR nursery for the Talakahya Revegetation Project in the Sabana</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> Conservation Area.</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> C<span style="font-weight: bold;">enter</span>: </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Hands on learning at Bill Hocog's farm in Rota. Mr. Hocog uses</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> soil conservation practices to balance environmental benefits and farm</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> productivity.</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom</span>:<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Rota Eco Camp students explore Coral Gardens, a popular snorkeling and dive site, in the Sasanhaya Bay Marine Protected Area.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Pos</span><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 98px; height: 123px; font-family: georgia;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLJPjGlbvdKT_Erz-kilG15DG4DUkniuyxW5_pplCLPmX7gTrqu55KtJe85YQ-d8dPqhngusPawUIWKQIzwiwWwNZXUDQiWwfCCgF3TJNIe7IesIe2wxqFy8Wvy-1jsnvZWk9M66MXnE/s200/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+4.35.57+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599406508172594482" border="0" /><span style="font-family:georgia;">ted by</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Lisa Huynh Heller<br />12:13 am<br />Wednesday, June 29, 2011<br />Location: Rota, CNMI</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-32834737823326122362011-06-21T10:47:00.005+10:002011-06-21T11:04:06.725+10:00CNMI: MotivationI'm sight seeing. Again. Yes, sight seeing!<br /><br />I love taking a stroll around the island midday with the sun hanging over head illuminating our beautiful forests and the unique creatures that live there. Every weekend, I always find the time to take my family <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IUB-qD_uGzmmcTonphySwoQLmIiZCdj9s38W8uAb28HipRkykVSvBTAJp1haK6ggzQUltnTIMDS6a8UfRN__2aqgBQfxKp5CH1cBNpNSDxY0x-kTmvle6LlyjCVH83v8WdD17XSLz8I/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-21+at+10.56.06+AM.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IUB-qD_uGzmmcTonphySwoQLmIiZCdj9s38W8uAb28HipRkykVSvBTAJp1haK6ggzQUltnTIMDS6a8UfRN__2aqgBQfxKp5CH1cBNpNSDxY0x-kTmvle6LlyjCVH83v8WdD17XSLz8I/s320/Screen+shot+2011-06-21+at+10.56.06+AM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620471892908044498" border="0" /></a>around the island for a leisurely stroll as an excuse to get out of the house. I enjoy watching the waves break on Banzai Cliff and carefully scanning the water for turtles, feeling the cool breeze on the highest point of Suicide cliff where gravity is defied by the rising raindrops. You can head down from Suicide Cliff and go to the Grotto, a local swimming and diving spot and cool down from the sizzling heat. Further down the road is Historic Kalabera Cave with its wall drawings etched by locals during World War II. Down south, along Beach Road, the crystal clear water glistens in your eyes and has a hint of red from the reflection of blooming Flame trees that align the pathway.<br /><br />Although I have stayed on Saipan for over 20 years, I can never get tired of such beauty we have been blessed with. Litter, more homes/buildings, and carelessness threaten these beautiful sights I love to visit. Whether you’re feeling down in the dumps, or stressed from being cramped up in the office all day, step out and ease your mind with a beauty that’s one of a kind.<br /><br />Only on Saipan!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">PHOTOS: Waves crash against the rugged shore of Banzai Point on the northern point of the island of Saipan.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQu52O7GcG60LT84ueQdoLbt8aFcKqK_4MSTuy8hFHoX6gmWmuJdDhnGAGQPLwntUZTfd1v92G1lffckBogcqyJKi2kqq8SNSR1g9ZhOh6lX93UbFZWRdBC_zW1q-R3bR9Dtn51HTHU8/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-21+at+10.55.02+AM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 113px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQu52O7GcG60LT84ueQdoLbt8aFcKqK_4MSTuy8hFHoX6gmWmuJdDhnGAGQPLwntUZTfd1v92G1lffckBogcqyJKi2kqq8SNSR1g9ZhOh6lX93UbFZWRdBC_zW1q-R3bR9Dtn51HTHU8/s320/Screen+shot+2011-06-21+at+10.55.02+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620470753099690690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">ted by</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Kid Cabrera<br />7:32 pm<br />Tuesday, June 21, 2011<br />Location</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">: Saipan, CNMI</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-8870677852397898732011-05-17T14:56:00.007+10:002011-05-17T15:11:24.059+10:00SAIPAN: A Day at Micro BeachI spent a Saturday at Micro beach, here in Saipan, a few weeks ago with a group of friends. It was supposed to be just another weekend of hanging out, b-b-q’ing, and playing softball, however, it was much more crowded than expected. There was a large family gathering, which looked like a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2coIkNECh_z4H2cHWo9V45fg3J3zFPxVm_i2g3d8FPacSbVzzB_v0TrQuDyqAIm-81TLUPcJMkZA6kDS2QkWL5PEzFuZerB954Mr54NrHPXZ8oYeUXKTQ5rQLmeiN6JA_vMmBvV890Ow/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-17+at+3.01.42+PM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2coIkNECh_z4H2cHWo9V45fg3J3zFPxVm_i2g3d8FPacSbVzzB_v0TrQuDyqAIm-81TLUPcJMkZA6kDS2QkWL5PEzFuZerB954Mr54NrHPXZ8oYeUXKTQ5rQLmeiN6JA_vMmBvV890Ow/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-17+at+3.01.42+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607546006206171938" border="0" /></a> birthday party, not too far from our group. Not too long after we arrived, their party started to die down. This meant we would have space to start playing a game of softball. Finally, they all left quickly and me and my two of my friends went over to collect some of the stuff they left since it was in the way for us to play.<br /><br />We couldn’t believe how careless this group of people was. There was still a bunch of trash on the ground that included bottle caps, six pack rings, pieces of plastic, and trash bags. We also found a baby diaper lying right next to the trash can. We cleaned the place up, not because we wanted to start our softball game, but because we knew that if we didn’t clean up, something bad could happen- like the trashe could end up in the ocean, or animals, like birds, could mistakenly eat some of it thinking it is food. Luckily my friends are just as much concerned about things like this than I am. I remember how a conversation started because of this. We all started to talk about how some people can be negligent when it comes to littering. We got into how common littering around the islands has always been a problem and that it shouldn’t have to be a problem at all.<br /><br />The moment people of the CNMI understand the importance of conservation is the moment things like littering in beaches will lessen and we will all be happy campers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcZvxhNN-VI9oxgZPqcPLgQ3Yi3rhZngzCymv_2NNsKfb3uBYvgVQ4cKnliod2YozskWS3gyW8xiXzP5-c52pJvys5Q_jb50ZHFNh4vKQagWA_UJreY1QLwW8tWT4AIp8CNTGls8wx2A/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-17+at+3.05.46+PM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 117px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcZvxhNN-VI9oxgZPqcPLgQ3Yi3rhZngzCymv_2NNsKfb3uBYvgVQ4cKnliod2YozskWS3gyW8xiXzP5-c52pJvys5Q_jb50ZHFNh4vKQagWA_UJreY1QLwW8tWT4AIp8CNTGls8wx2A/s200/Screen+shot+2011-05-17+at+3.05.46+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607547450235831634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Pos</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">ted by</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">David Sablan<br />12:19 pm<br />Monday, May 17, 2011<br />Location: Saipan, CNMI</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-38071675593950156532011-04-25T15:01:00.003+10:002011-04-25T16:40:29.781+10:00SAIPAN: I cannot imagine life without the Marianas Fruit Dove<img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HKTUrH6HqXOmxxRLdLQw_AUtwTvBHtchzRrUjleu67i1jUD8woNCagMwN1ecXATe6OfEKI5BLh04YmJ2ntyKLtG4J0OeZpLtZfACTO8G9wC3oqVabAOL17c6h8JeJVwy0AIgpAyJCog/s400/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+3.00.03+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599382302273388466" border="0" />For the birds? Yeah I'll get up early. After a late night of celebrating our friends beautiful wedding, my buddy and I got up a little (maybe a lot) after sunrise to hook up with some folks who were tagging birds. This morning we were boonie stomping around the Obyan area. The CNMI has some of the most beautiful, watchable birds around. We saw Rufous fantails (very vocal), Bridled white eyes (look much bigger in the trees – tiny down low) and Golden white eyes (gorgeous golden coloring - even prettier up close). No matter where you are, as long as you go at the right times, around sunrise or sunset, you'll probably see one of these cool looking birds or one of the many others inhabiting the CNMI. But threats like habitat loss and invasive species threaten to make these common sights uncommon. We need to better balance land development needs with conservation needs to ensure the survival of birds like the iconic Mariana Fruit Dove – with its bright red and green plumage. A CNMI without them would never be the same.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Pos</span><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 98px; height: 123px; font-family: georgia;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLJPjGlbvdKT_Erz-kilG15DG4DUkniuyxW5_pplCLPmX7gTrqu55KtJe85YQ-d8dPqhngusPawUIWKQIzwiwWwNZXUDQiWwfCCgF3TJNIe7IesIe2wxqFy8Wvy-1jsnvZWk9M66MXnE/s200/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+4.35.57+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599406508172594482" border="0" /><span style="font-family:georgia;">ted by</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Lisa Huynh Heller<br />3:37 pm<br />Monday, April 25, 2011<br />Location: Saipan, CNMI</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603215589665660745.post-51541561189079873712011-04-16T22:13:00.000+10:002011-04-17T11:35:07.633+10:00GUAM: Facebook Report<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2JY6odd78PexlLvU9yL390AsKiI7ebIaLklTSSn2bcRvPtKNMYZ41kAZj8ePcX-6YEaQrBlBF03BdSUsc_GOo3miy1aGxvGgu7Uwm5Iw42k-hgVAZr5Lc-0tQRTf-mXrM3iFpSk-DZI/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-15+at+2.02.09+PM.png"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2JY6odd78PexlLvU9yL390AsKiI7ebIaLklTSSn2bcRvPtKNMYZ41kAZj8ePcX-6YEaQrBlBF03BdSUsc_GOo3miy1aGxvGgu7Uwm5Iw42k-hgVAZr5Lc-0tQRTf-mXrM3iFpSk-DZI/s400/Screen+shot+2011-04-15+at+2.02.09+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596159693859241106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZiwbcOOPd36NCqnIA7Yp79PyUF8oLudVlDTWie6JZ6_9ByvH_PZB0Bn81E6MRoWCDnD6bYddDB1llU4znAH7vK6clJbWFG1nYxwK0uDIKj7Kctugww4IHkhN4O7yehCnptKOu51AnGI/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-15+at+2.03.37+PM.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 353px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZiwbcOOPd36NCqnIA7Yp79PyUF8oLudVlDTWie6JZ6_9ByvH_PZB0Bn81E6MRoWCDnD6bYddDB1llU4znAH7vK6clJbWFG1nYxwK0uDIKj7Kctugww4IHkhN4O7yehCnptKOu51AnGI/s400/Screen+shot+2011-04-15+at+2.03.37+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596159040114470866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE94mnQtMOHvBcXms9Fj5yiQ1BQx2oz5RU3N3Sr8RAe6G0Ds4FZPdLft2DdavD-228y7dG110iqIFAcO9lCAaR2VUYxLM1TiUobqJ8KOVha77WT7DGj25f9Y3k026GcexmMEJQ8vz1MvE/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-15+at+2.04.10+PM.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE94mnQtMOHvBcXms9Fj5yiQ1BQx2oz5RU3N3Sr8RAe6G0Ds4FZPdLft2DdavD-228y7dG110iqIFAcO9lCAaR2VUYxLM1TiUobqJ8KOVha77WT7DGj25f9Y3k026GcexmMEJQ8vz1MvE/s400/Screen+shot+2011-04-15+at+2.04.10+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596158754934163362" border="0" /></a><br />I found these pictures on Facebook posted by a company on Guam that offers grilling parties. These pictures were posted between February and July 2010. The <span style="font-style: italic;">humphead parrotfish</span> (right) is illegal to poach. The posts bragged about how delicious they were. Sad. Are our people starving that we need to poach these fish? Just terrible.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />These are <span style="font-style: italic;">Napoleon wrasse</span>, not illegal to poach as of this writing, but they are monitored. Traditional fishermen don't even like these fish because they're tough, but young sportsmen hunt them for size. It is very difficult here to enforce laws.<br /><br />/submitted by js-Guam/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0