Location: Saipan, CNMI

1
NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program
2008-2010 Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands
Location Saipan, CNMI
Kathleen M. Herrmann, MMA
February 27, 2009
2
Location Saipan Rota, CNMI
CNMI is a chain of 14 tropical islands in the
Western Pacific totaling less than 185 square
miles, but stretching over 375 miles north to
south.
3
Fellow Coordinates between three local agencies
NOAA

• Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ),
• Coastal Resources Management Office (CRM),
• Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW)

4
Fellowship Goals

• Watershed Planning
• Capacity Building
• Education Outreach
• Socioeconomic Monitoring
• Professional Development

5

• Targeting Behavior Change Strategies in CNMI
• Serve as Project
• Coordinator
• Assist in Conference
• Planning
• Link to SEM-Pacifika Goals

6

• Talakhaya Watershed Revegetation Project
• Serve as Watershed Coordinator
• Facilitate Project Logistics
• Conduct Education Outreach
• Measure Effectiveness for
• Micronesia Challenge

7
Talakhaya Watershed Revegetation Project
8

• Talakhaya Revegetation Project
• Luta Livelihoods
• Orientation Training
• Community Planting Festival
• Over 31,000 grass and tree seedlings planted in
  2008
• Coconut Fiber Pilot Project
• Future plans
• Continued Marine Monitoring
• Restart Water Quality Monitoring
• Vegetation Transect Lines to measure survival

9

• Watershed Inventories
• Gather data on local watersheds
• Bring in experts for training on land based
  pollution
• Work with NOAA PSC to develop NPS pollution and
  erosion comparison tool and the Habitat Priority
  Planner

10

• Conservation Action Plan (CAP) and the Micronesia
  Challenge
• Finalize CAP
• Link goals to fellowship projects

Laolao Bay Economic, Recreational, Cultural and
Historical Values

• Diverse coral reef and marine ecosystem
• Tourism important dive site (gt100 divers/day)
• Recreation fishing
• Turtle nesting habitat
• Historic sites and medicinal plants

11
Threats Identified in CAP Process
Threats Across Targets Threats Across Targets Vegetation Coral Macroinvertebrates Fish Turtles Overall Threat Rank
Project-specific threats Project-specific threats 1 2 3 4 5 Overall Threat Rank
1 Runoff - High Medium Low Low Medium
2 Large scale disturbance - High Medium Low - Medium
3 Lack of herbivory - High - Low - Medium
4 Fire High - - - - Medium
5 Invasive species High - - - - Medium
6 Poaching (Lack of Enforcement) - - Medium Low Medium Medium
7 Beach Activities Low - - - Medium Low
8 Overharvesting - - Low Medium - Low
9 Development Medium - - - - Low
10 Anthropogenic Light Sources - - - - Low Low
11 Lack of baseline data - - - - Low Low
12 Loss of Foraging Habitat - - - - Low Low
13 Habitat Loss - - - - - -
Threat Status for Targets and Project Threat Status for Targets and Project High High Medium Low Medium Medium
12
CAP Results to date

• Completed One Year Workplan
• Included workplan in NOAA CRI Grant
• Allowed CNMI to submit proposal for NOAA/Obama
  Stimulus Package

13

• Watershed Intern Mentoring
• Host an intern each
• summer to train
• them for a future
• environmental career
• Assist them in completing
• a project

14

• LaoLao Bay Land-Based Sources of Pollution Local
  Action Strategy
• Conduct Socioeconomic
• Monitoring
• Assist in watershed
• efforts

15
Education and Outreach

• Watershed Science Fair
• 4th Grade Class Presentations
• Library Readings
• Career Days
• Beach Cleanups
• Community Events/Fiestas

16
Erosion and Sediment Control Contractor Training
and Certification Program

• Three Day Training
• Live BMP Demonstration
• New Field Manual
• Materials Expo and Happy Hour Networking Event to
  bring products to CNMI!
• Exam Certification Program

17
Professional Development

• Micronesians in Island Conservation (MIC) 10th
  Retreat in Guam April 08.
• SEM-Pasifika Socioeconomic Training Workshop May
  08 in Republic of the Marshall Islands
• 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, in
  Florida on July 08
• US Coral Reef Task Force Meeting/Fellowship
  Retreat, Kona, Hawaii August 2008
• Fellowship Retreat, Guam June 2009

18
Thanks!
A special thanks to Fran Castro, Brooke Nevitt,
Reina Camacho, Chuck Sayon, Gary Toves, and James
Manglona for their support and guidance on these
projects, and to Marci Wulff for her leadership
for the NOAA Coral Fellows. A big thank you also
to Meghan Gombos, Kathy Chaston, Dana
Wusinich-Mendez, Arielle Levine, and Christy
Loper for their project support