The Saipan Blog

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Engaged Citizen Awards
2009-04-29 04:26:00
We hosted a beachside barbeque on Monday night to thank the Friends of the Monument for all the work they did to support the creation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. We handed out "2009 Engaged Citizen Awards " to all of the members. Below are some of the members accepting their awards.Ike Cabrera was the first award winner of the evening. Ike has been on four trips to the states on behalf of the Friends of the Monument, earning him the "Most Onepass Miles Earned" Award.Heinz Hofschneider was given a "Special Award for Legislative Courage" for his early support of the monument.Alexie wrote the Boon or Bane article for Island Locator Magazine. The article explored the issues of the monument from both sides. Since the monument is now a reality, she was awarded the "Boon or Bane Award."Bryan Jones kick started our school outreach program. He also sent a number of photos to Washington, DC of student volunteers working to build support for the monument. He was name...

NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai
2009-04-29 02:01:00
I noticed this NOAA Research Cruise blog a few weeks ago and I've told a few people to look it up. This is from their main page:On March 12, 2009, scientists from the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (CRED/PIFSC), along with visiting scientists from San Diego State University and the University of Guam, departed on a three week cruise to Wake Atoll aboard the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai. This will be the third biennial Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruise to isolated Wake, sponsored by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The strategic goal of this research is to improve scientific understanding of coral reef ecosystems throughout the Pacific, and serve as the basis for improved conservation and resource management.The recent designation of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, of which Wake is a part, highlights the importance of this research.[snip]The cruise will terminate in Guam, where the H...

Tagaman
2009-04-26 11:09:00
I was pumped for the Tagaman yesterday. My alarm was set for 4 AM so that I could get out of bed and be ready in time for the 6 AM start. 2 K swim, 60 K bike, and then a 15 K run. I was ready.I got to the Pacific Islands Club with plenty of time to set up my bike in the transition area. Brad really helped me out. He gave me a helmet and glasses. He and Janet gave me bike snacks, too.With my bike ready to go, I went to the check-in table and turned in my bag for the running transition area. It had my shoes, a dry shirt, and some Powerade in it. They also wrote two big 58s on each of my shoulders.Then it was time to go to the starting line.I did some stretching and went for a short jog and then I put on my red Tagaman swim cap and my brand new swim goggles. Then I jumped in the water to test it out. Not too cold. Not a lot of rocks.  Let's do this thing.As it got close to 6 AM all the competitors started to congregate near the start line, about 60 of us. This being my fi...

Expedition to NW Rota
2009-04-24 09:04:00
Bill Chadwick from Oregon State University is the scientist you see interviewed in the NBC story about the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. He just finished up a research cruise in the Marianas where they visited NW Rota, an undersea volcano off the coast of, you guessed it, Rota. NW Rota is also one of the 21 seamounts that are a part of the monument.The expedition has a blog with some video of the underwater vents and a few pictures. Check it out.
More About: Expedition

Guilty on All Counts
2009-04-24 08:37:00
I just heard from a reliable source that the Lieutenant Governor has been found guilty of bribery, theft, conspiracy to defraud, and wire fraud. The other co-defendants in the case, James Santos and Joaquina Santos, were also found guilty on all counts. Jury Deliberations started and ended today. I don't know when the sentencing will be.******According to the Pacific Daily News, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial issued the following statement:“I have only two things to say regarding this matter. First, I want to express my sympathy to the family of the lieutenant governor. This is a terrible ordeal for any family to have to suffer, and I regret the great distress this unfortunate development has caused not only for the family, but for our entire local community as well.“Second, as I have repeatedly said in the past, I respect the law and the judicial process. I respect our system of justice.”
More About: Guilty

Award Winners II
2009-04-24 07:13:00
There was no Award Winners I, but in a previous post I did post a photo of some of the Rotary Club members who are Friends of the Monument.In my travels around the island I am taking pictures of our supporters holding the EPA Environmental Award given to the Friends of the Monument.  I will post those photos on this blog.  The people that you will see holding the trophy had a lot to do with our success.Now that the monument is a "done deal," I can look back on 2008 and say that there were dozens of people that were crucial at a crucial moment in keeping our campaign to create a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument alive and ultimately successful.I haven't told all those stories on this blog, but I will try to recount some of them as I post pictures of the Friends of the Monument holding their hard earned green glass trophy.Aya and Willie Matsumoto are the bridge between the Japanese community on Saipan and the Friends of the Monument. Aya writes a blog in Japanese and  many...

NBC: Working to Preserve a World Under Water
2009-04-24 03:26:00
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyThis is it! It is finally up!I love how Brian Williams starts the story off by calling us, "one of the most spectacular, but unseen places on Earth."I also like how Ian Williams (no relation) signs off with, there is "so much more to these waters than the decaying remnants of war."
More About: Water , Working

NBC: Oceans Offer Warning on Climate Change
2009-04-24 00:38:00
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyThis is the story that played on Earth Day. The reporter, Ian Williams, is the reporter that came to Saipan. I hope that our story plays today (Thursday).
More About: Climate Change , Climate , Change , Warning , Oceans

Voices from Saipan
2009-04-23 22:49:00
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyThis is a 3:31 web-only video that accompanies the NBC Nightly News segment on the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.There is also a written story."We can reach the moon, but we can't reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench. What kind of life is down there? What kind of scientific discoveries are yet to be found?" says Angelo Villagomez, of the Friends of the Monument, which led a vigorous campaign for a protected area.The Trieste, a 2-man min-sub operated by the US Navy, did reach the bottom in 1960. Since then, the only vessel to come close, was an unmanned Japanese research sub in 1995. Next month, though, they'll be another US attempt, this one unmanned, in a mini-sub called the Nereus from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.Scientists are heralding a new era in marine exploration. For his part, Villagomez sees the establishment of Mariana trench National Monument as the ocean equivalent of the se...
More About: Saipan

I need white people
2009-04-23 05:41:00
Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) is going to be on Saipan next week shooting a drama. They need some white people to stand in as extras. There is some pay, but I don't know how much. If you are available next Saturday, May 2, shoot me an email and I'll help set you up.
More About: People , White , White People

Earth Day Activities
2009-04-22 12:41:00
The Division of Parks and Recreation hooked me up with three trees for my Earth Day tree planting with the Rotary Club of Saipan. Two of the trees were da'ok trees, Calophyllum inophyllum. Do you know the trees lining the road to the Grotto? Those are da'ok trees that we planted in 2006. There are also several large da'ok trees at Sugar King Park.The third tree was a non-native species, the only specimen of its kind growing at Parks & Rec. It is a species of banyon, Ficus religiosa. As far as I know, there are only two trees of this species growing in the CNMI. There is one at the botanical garden in Papago and one growing on Tinian.I went all out for the tree planting today. After digging the holes this morning I took the shovels back to my apartment where I cleaned them and painted them gold. I also bought three big bags of mulch to place around the trees, fertilizer, and bottled water (less salt than tap water).The tree planting took place with the Rotary Club of...
More About: Earth Day , Activities

NBC: Teach a Man to Farm Fish...
2009-04-22 00:05:00
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyThis is part two of the NBC Nightly News "special series" on the ocean, Seachange: Our Oceans, Our Planet, & Our Future. This originally played on April 21.
More About: Fish , Farm

NBC: Reeling in the Threat of Overfishing
2009-04-21 23:44:00
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyThis is a part one of the NBC Nightly News "special series" on the ocean, Seachange: Our Oceans, Our Planet, & Our Future. This originally played on April 20.  The story on the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument is part of this. If you can view this video, you'll be able to view our video when it is posted. Visit the MSNBC website for more.
More About: Threat

Happy Earth Day
2009-04-21 22:08:00
Rotary Club Friends of the Monument (from left to right): David M. Sablan, Agnes McPhetres, Pete Igitol, Harry Blalock, and Karl Reyes with the 2009 EPA Environmental Award. The EPA Environmental Award belongs to all those who helped support the creation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. I brought the trophy to Rotary Club yesterday to photograph our biggest supporters there.  I hope to get more photos like this with the many environmental champions who helped us last year.******Earth Day brings forth mixed emotions for me. It is a day to celebrate my chosen profession...and I'll leave the other side alone for now.But like I said, today should be a day of celebration. I remember on Earth Day 2004 giving my first public speech at the kickoff rally for the League of Conservation Voters Environmental Victory Project in Florida and gathering signatures for a petition asking the new Rollins College president to support his predecessor's signing of the Talloires Dec...
More About: Happy

Earth Day News
2009-04-20 16:32:00
The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument is going to be featured on NBC Nightly News on Earth Day. Check your local listings for time and channel. Hopefully they'll have embed-able multimedia that I can put on this blog.Stay tuned.
More About: Earth Day

Good Luck, Jetsada
2009-04-20 16:27:00
Guess who I saw in the Narita airport on my way back to Saipan? Good luck back in Bangkok, Jess.
More About: Luck , Good Luck

The Final Countdown
2009-04-20 06:59:00
We're done tallying up the final numbers for the Island Wide Cleanup. It is funny to think that several weeks worth of work are going to boil down to a sentence like, "27,070 lbs of trash were picked up by 4,140 volunteers from 61 volunteer groups at 54 adopted sites." I guess that's what this kind of stuff comes down to in the end.So those are our official numbers. Here they are again:Number of volunteers participating: 4,140Weight of trash removed: 27,070 lbs (13.5 tons)Volunteer groups participating: 61Number of adopted sites: 54There are too many people to thank for our success, but my Thank You letter is a start.
More About: Final , The Final Countdown , Countdown

Island Wide Cleanup Photos
2009-04-20 00:36:00
It was a real honor to be able to fly to San Francisco to accept the EPA Award on behalf of the Friends of the Monument, but I'm still disappointed that I wasn't able to participate in the Island Wide Cleanup . I really wish I could have driven down the road and seen first hand the thousands of people out on the streets.I guess I'll have to settle for photos.So far I have photos from the Kramer Family and Laolao Bay Golf Resort, Saipan International School and Friends of the Mariana Islands, Garapan Elementary School, Docomo, Pacific Eagle and Isa CNMI, Department of Public Lands, Northern Marianas College, San Vicente Elementary, Paseo de Marianas Promoters, Aquarius Beach Tower, Ladera International School of Saipan, MVA and NMDOA, Tottotville Community, and William S Reyes Elementary.If you participated in the Island Wide Cleanup and have photos, please email them to me so that I can put them up on the Beautify CNMI blog.
More About: Photos

Thank you
2009-04-19 11:12:00
Friday was an amazing day. Thank you. Thousands of people came together for a single cause: a more beautiful Saipan. Young and old, citizen and non-citizen, local and non-local, government workers and business owners volunteered a few hours of their time to pick up the trash littering our beautiful island. Later this week the islands of Tinian and Rota will do the same. Again, Thank you.Our results were staggering. The final numbers are still being tallied, but our preliminary count shows 4040 volunteers, 55 volunteer groups and 48 adopted sites on Saipan, and 12,960 lbs of trash removed from our streets, beaches, and parks.The collaboration between groups to make this island wide cleanup a success was enormous. Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Rotary Club of Saipan handled most of the pre-cleanup coordination and sign-ups. Marianas Visitors Authority, Marianas Tourism Education Council, McDonald’s, and the Kramis Family provided funds for supplies and prizes. ...

Thank you Coral Reef Alliance
2009-04-17 19:19:00
I think I have a new favorite shirt. Thank you, Coral Reef Alliance !
More About: Coral Reef

Great Newspaper Article
2009-04-17 18:19:00
There was a great article by Anthony Pelligrino in today's Saipan Tribune. He interviewed a number of people for the story. Really good reportingThousands pick up trash to clean up SaipanBy Anthony PellegrinoSpecial to the Saipan TribuneClose to 4,000 young and adults picked up tons of trash along Saipan's major roads, beaches, parks, dive sites and other tourist spots yesterday as part of the islandwide cleanup highlighting the observance of Environmental Awareness Month.“I hope this day will make a difference for the environment and our children,” said 62-year-old Terry Camacho of the Office of Personnel Management. “I hope that next time somebody throws trash anywhere, he would think twice and think about those who are cleaning up the environment.”Camacho was among the OPM employees and their families who picked up trash at the Garapan Fishing Base starting at 2:30pm yesterday.Just a few meters from her was 4-year-old Ila Seman, the youngest of the OPM employees' fam...
More About: Article , Great , Newspaper

News from Joe Kaipat
2009-04-17 12:29:00
I received the following message from Joe Kaipat:Angelo: It is 7 pm and things wrapped up at 6. We have so far registered a total of 12,960 lbs and do not have weight from BEH, Parks & Rec. and one more DEQ vehicle. I will get them on Monday and total it with tomorrows collection before it is final. It was a good and hot day. Saipan is clean. I will update you further on Monday. When do you return? olomwaay Joe M. KaipatDivision of Environmental QualityManager, SDWPJoe coordinated all the logistics for the island-wide cleanup, including the pickup of all trash from every group that requested help. He was a huge part in pulling off this successful day.The 12,960 lbs of solid waste collected so far already exceeds the 9,120 lbs removed during 1020 on 10/20 in 2006. In every way, from the total number of volunteers, to the number of participating groups, to the amount of work done, this year's cleanup is bigger than anything we have ever accomplished.I am amazed at what our island j...
More About: News

Boston Red Sox vs Oakland A's
2009-04-17 11:46:00
As luck would have it, the Red Sox were in town the two days before the awards ceremony. I had wanted to go to both games, but only managed to make it to one.Getting to the Oakland Coliseum is very convenient. The Bay Area Rapid Transit stops right in front of the stadium...and right in front of our hotel. It was only about $3 and a short 20 minute ride over.Ticket prices are also very reasonable. The most expensive seat in the house was only $55. I would have purchased one of those, but they were all sold out. I had to settle for the $40 seats, which still weren't too bad.It has been nearly four years since I've been to a Major League Baseball game (check out my post from 2005 and you'll recognize a former Saipan celebrity). The two or three games I went to at Fenway when I was a kid are some of the best memories I have from my childhood. It was great to sort of relive them at Tuesday's game.Here are some photos:Big Papi about to take a monster swing.That's team captai...
More About: Boston , Boston Red Sox

Amigos en San Francisco
2009-04-17 11:22:00
Social media is a wonderful thing. I use it to connect with people who I haven't seen in years.After seeing a Facebook status update that I would be in San Fran, Dustin told me to give him a call so we could go out for a beer or two. To be honest, we ended up going out for a few more than that. We watched Oakland beat the Red Sox in 12 innings (damn!) and then he took me to Chinatown (yeah?) for a few more beers.Dustin and I worked together on the League of Conservation Voters Environmental Victory Project. It is always great to see other EVP alumni. My first job in the environmental field was with LCV and the people I worked with that year were great people.I've also met lots of great people from my use of social media. A short list of people I've met through my blog include Bev, Melissa, Chris, Missy, and Deece. I met Rick MacPherson about two years ago on my blog (or was it his blog?) We've traded comments back and forth over the years and we both participate in Carni...
More About: San Francisco , Amigos , Francisco

Juan and Galvin on Youtube
2009-04-17 09:58:00
I think Juan and Galvin are the first political candidates in CNMI history to put a political commercial on Youtube . Cinta Kaipat was the first elected official in the Marianas with a blog. Thought I'd just point that out. I think social media will have more and more relevance in CNMI elections as time goes on.

Pohnpei Postcards
2009-02-02 22:26:00
Want a postcard? Leave you name and address in the comments or send me an email at angelovillagomez at gmail dot com.

Sakau
2009-02-01 04:42:00
Sakau is not alcohol. It is a liquid extracted from the sakau plant, Piper methysticum. The chemical that gives you the high is found in the roots. All that needs to be done is to get that chemical from the roots into your blood stream.The process of drinking sakau in Pohnpei is very elaborate. It involves a lot of custom and a lot of ceremony. There is a hierarchy involved. I don’t profess to have a full understanding of the sakau ceremony, but I think I know the basics.Removing the sakau plant from the ground. Only the roots are used in the drink.Sakau is made from the roots of the sakau plant. When it is ready for harvesting the plant is removed from the ground and the roots are cut up into individual stalks. When I saw it being prepared the Pohnpeian men were cutting the trunk about an inch above the root stalk and cleaning soil from the roots using coconut husks. I’m not sure what is done with the rest of the plant. Firewood, perhaps?The roots are cut away from t...

Bacon Wrapped Conservation
2009-01-31 12:01:00
What could be better than having a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument? How about a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument wrapped in bacon?You can also have bacon wrapped Saipan Blog. Bacon wrapped Must Be the Humidity. White sneakers wrapped in bacon. Bacon wrapped fish wrap.
More About: Conservation , Wrapped

Membership has its benefits
2009-01-31 05:02:00
The 11th Micronesians in Island Conservation Retreat ended last night with a farewell dinner at the Village attended by the Governor of Pohnpei, John Ehsa.That's Governor Ehsa in the middle. I did take a picture of him with his eyes open, but I'm not in that picture. Hopefully he'll forgive me for posting this one.In our last session of the retreat I was nominated and voted onto the MIC steering committee for a second consecutive term. That means some extra travel and more opportunities to spend time working with other conservation leaders in Micronesia. Not that being on the steering committee is all about my own professional development, but I can point to a conversation last January I had as a result of my participation on the steering committee that helped guide me through the entire Marianas Trench Marine National Monument process.Being on the steering committee is a good thing. I enjoy the work.As practically our first order of business, I was nominated by the other st...
More About: Benefits , Membership

Pohnpei
2009-01-30 06:52:00
In a few hours I'll finish with the 11th Micronesians in Island Conservation Retreat. You'll notice that I'm not in this photo. That's because I was holding the camera. More to come.