NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/

www.firststewards.org

Today: Micro Beach, Saipan.March 08, 2008.Gerald Zinnecker (photographer)

Alongwithitsbreathtakinglandscapeandmixtureofcultures,thebeautifulislandofSaipanencompassesrichhistorywithinitsshores.Overthedecades,Saipanhasundergonedrasticchangesthathaveaffectedthecultureofitspeopleanditslandscape.However,peoplesuchasInesSemanAdarecallwhatlifeonSaipanwaslikebeforesuchchangestookplace.

WhenaskedaboutMicroBeachduringtheTrustTerritorytimes,Mrs.AdadescribedalargepavilionwithinMicroBeachthatwasusedtoholdDistrictAdministrationreceptionsandentertainmentshowsforoff-islandgovernmentofficialsfromGuam,Micronesia,andWashington,DC.Mrs.AdaalsodiscussedthatthelocalswouldutilizeMicroBeachto“barbecueandenjoythebeach.”Sheexplainedthattheshorewaswideenoughtocastvolleyballnets,andduringLaborDaycelebrationsthelocalswouldplayvolleyballonthebeach.

Today,newdevelopmentssuchasrestroomfacilitiesandaplaygroundhavebeenaddedtotheMicroBeacharea.Thebeachisseldomusedtoholdreceptionsorentertainmentshows,asitwasfrequentlyusedduringtheTrustTerritorytimes.Thebeachisstillusedforrecreationalpurposes;however,itisnotbeingutilizedlikeitwasduringtheTrustTerritorytimes.

WhilecomparingthetwophotosofMicroBeach,Mrs.Adaimmediatelyrecognizedthedifferencesintheshore,astheshoreintheolderphotowasmuchwider.Sheexpressedthatthepotentialimpactduetoclimatechangewouldbesanderosion,andthaterosionmaybeevidentwheneverSaipanexperiencestyphoons.Mrs.Adasuggestedthatinordertoprotectthesite,thegovernmentshouldcontinuetomaintaincleanlinessinthearea.

Inanyculture,preservationisthekeyfactortoitssurvival.BypreservingMicroBeach,futuregenerationsmaycontinuetocarryonitstraditionofrecreationandenjoyment.

2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErPromoting ancEStral WayS to addrESS imPactS of climatE cHangECommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Tatiana Ada Calvo12th gradeSouthern High School

Micro Beach

Before: Micro Beach, Saipan.Trust Territory Times. 1950s-1970s

NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/

www.firststewards.org

Before: Healthy limestone forest lush with greenery and habitat.

Today: Introduced, invasive species have silenced the jungle and inhibited growth.

Forapproximately3,500yearsamysteriousanduniquecultureevolved:theChamorroculture.Ourpeopleheavilydependedonthebirds(paluma),bats(fanihi),andplants(tinanom)thatgrewonlandandthefish(guihan)andotherlifethatgracedtheoceanencompassingourisland.Theseresources,onceabundant,continuetodisappearbeforeoureyes.

Changeisinevitable.AnexampleofamajorchangeonGuamisthesilencewithinthejungle.Theintroductionofthebrowntreesnakemadenativebirdandfruitbatpopulationsdrasticallydecline,leadingtotheextinctionofonespecies(theGuamFlycatcher)andsubspeciesonGuam.Inaninterviewwithmygrandparents(Mañaina),whogrewupwiththebirds,memorieswerereawakened.Theystatedthatmusicfilledthejungles,andnowtheyareamazedwithitssilence.Withtheabsenceofnativebirdsanddecliningpopulationsofbatcolonies,theonceabundantsourceoffoodandentertainmentarenowabsent;ourpollinatorsoftheforestsaregone.Withoutpollinators,newtreescannotgrow.Whentreescannotgrow,therearenorootstoholdthesoiltogether.Soilwillerodeintotheriversthatflowintotheoceanandcoverthecoralsfromthesunlightthusleadingtothedeathofcoral.

Alongwithtoday’schanges,amajorcontributorisclimate.AswithanyislandacrossthePacific,wearesurroundedbywater.Inthefuture,ourshoreswillgetsmallerduetothedramaticriseinsealevels.Thecoralthathaveadaptedtoacertaintemperatureanddepthwilldisappear.ThedisappearingcoralwillleadtothedisappearanceoffishandimportantspeciesthatwereonceavitalpartoftheancientChamorros’lives.

Withouttheseresourcestoday,wewilllosethefuture.Savingmycultureandislandaremypriorities!

Halom Tano’ (Forest, Jungle)

Anthony Tornito12th gradeOkkodo High School

2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErGuam

Surviving climatE cHangE tHrougH cHamorro cultural traditionS and valuES

NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/

www.firststewards.org

Today: Utulei gas station, April 24, 2012. Farrah Tulia (photographer)

Before: August 23, 1906. Dr. E. Schultz (photographer)

Borntothemarvelsandconvenienceofthemodernage,Ineverthoughtthatusingcarstorunerrandscouldaffectourclimate,norhaveIconsideredwalkingwhenIrunerrands;butfromtalkingwiththeelders,Ihavelearnedthatalothaschangedfromthentonow.Inthepast,peopleusedtheirstrengthtowalkfromplacetoplace,andtogototheirdestinations.Thistraditionalroutinedidnotcausepollutionintheair.Now,peopleusecarstoreachtheirdestinations.

Theuseofcarscausespollutionintheairandfuelshortagesontheisland,whichpushestoimportmorefuelfromotherplaces.Thisdoesnotonlyaffecttheair,butalsotheocean.Whenfuelfromshipsspills,itaffectstheseacreaturesandmostlyeverythingintheocean.Whenthishappens,wewillallbeuncomfortablywarmduetoclimatechange.

Theimportanceofcultureandtraditionalknowledgeisthatitpreventsandlessenspollution.Usingourownstrengthandpowertowalkinsteadofusingcarswillnotleadtoclimatechange.Itwillalsohelpustobecomestrongerandtobeunwary.Wearenotonlydoingthisforourhealth,butalsoforourplanet.

Ithasbeenalongjourneyforourancestorstokeepourislandbeautiful.Letushaveourownjourneyintryingtokeepitpollutionfree.Letusridelessandwalkmore.

TransportationFarrah Tulia11th gradeNu‘uuli Vocational Technical High School

2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErAmerican Samoa

climatE cHangE and rElatEd traditional KnoWlEdgE

NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/

www.firststewards.org

After: Makaha were displaced and swept out to sea

BeforeCaptainJamesCooklandedinHawai‘iin1778,achildofrank,powerandpurposewasborn.AtthebirthofKalaninui‘iamamao,theKumulipo(Hawaiiancreationchant)wasfirstrecited.HewasalsogiventhenameLonoikamakahiki,whichisoneofthefourmajorHawaiiangods.Hisfatherbuilthimaloko i‘a (fishpond)ashisplacetobatheandfish.ItwasnamedHale O Lono(HouseofLono).

WhenHawai‘iwasoccupiedandturnedintoastate,Hale O Lonowasneglected,turnedintoarestaurantandthenanovergrowndump-site.Inthe1990s,theEdithKanaka‘oleFoundationtookthepond.Studentsnowuseitasalearningtool.

Recently,Hale O Lono washitbytwokaiakahinali‘i(tsunamis,ortidalwaves).ThefirstwasgeneratedonFebruary27,2010,whenChilesufferedan8.8magnitudeearthquake.Fourplacesinthepond’souterrockwallwerepunchedout.Thepondwasinundatedwithwateranddebrisrangingfromstickstotires.Themākāhā(sluicegatesusedtoseparatethefish)weresweptouttosea;plantsweresmashedandcoveredwithsediment.About70%ofthemulletstockwaslost,andnewpredatoryfishwereintroducedalongwithinvasiveplantspecieslikemangroves.Thepondtookthreemonthstoclean.

ThepondwasnearlyrecoveredwhenJapanwasrockedwitha9.0magnitudeearthquakeonMarch11,2011.AtHale O Lono,twolargechunkswentmissingfromtheouterwall,onemākāhāwasdisplaced,anddebrisfloatedin.Todaythepondisnearlybacktonormalwithrestoredgrowthcyclesoffloraandfauna.

Thekai(ocean)totheHawaiianshasgreatsignificance.Itcarriedustowherewelivenow,weworkitforourlivelihoodandrespectitasoneofourmajorgods,butit’sfullofdangers.Arisingseacandestroyourcoastlinecommunitiesandsignificantplacesmentionedinstoriespassedonforgenerations.Hawaiiansdon’twanttolosemoreoftheirculture.

AnHawaiianproverb(‘ōlelo no‘eau)states“Iliki ke kai i ka ‘ope‘ope la, lilo; i lilo no he hawawa.Theseasnatchesthebundleanditisgone;itgoeswhenoneisn’twatchful.Apersonwhofailstowatchoftenloses.”Inotherwords,knowandunderstandwhat’sgoingoninyourenvironmentsoyouareabletointerpretitsoyoucanbemoreprepared.

Hale O Lono Loko I‘a and Kaiakahinali‘i(Fishpond and Tsunami)

Roice Gariando11th gradeKe Ana La‘ahana Public Charter School

2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErHawai‘i

may our ancEStorS EStEEmEd Way of lifE tHrivE

Before: Makaha (sluice gates used to separate the fish) intact