Mariana Islands Nature Alliance

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Goals & Projects

2008 - 2011 Strategic Plan 

To address the priority issues of coral reef protection and solid waste, MINA's members have agreed upon the following 3-year goals, 2-year objectives, and projects:.

ISSUE	GOAL	OBJECTIVES	PROJECTS
Meeting the Micronesia Challenge	Educate the public on existing land use and marine practices, promoting better community stewardship.	Conduct and develop a “More fish, less pollution” campaign. Increase by 50% the general public’s knowledge and understanding of the CNMI's rules and regulations used to manage the marine resources.	Identify and target significant stakeholder marine resources user groups for a “more fish, less pollution” outreach and education program.    Conduct in 2008 a teacher training camp and a kids summer camps.
Solid waste management	Clean beaches and reduction of solid waste.	Coordinate (via MINA staff & volunteers) with Beautify CNMI! coalition “leads” on solid waste reduction activities.	Identify beaches for adoption; solicit community members, businesses and legislators to donate trash removal for area beaches; provide educational signage at beaches.

MINA Promotes Marine Debris Prevention 

Saipan's reefs and marine habitats are at risk from litter washing into the surrounding waters and becoming marine debris. Saipan's most commonly littered items include: cigarette butts and packaging, pull tabs, plastic bottle caps, and juice box straws and wrappers. These items may seem too insignificant to be considered litter by the people who carelessly drop them on the ground, but this type of debris is not only unsightly; it poses a risk to marine life from toxicity, entanglement, and smothering from its ingestion. 

Even small bits of marine debris can last for years in the environment before degrading. NOAA’s Marine Debris website reports that cigarette butts can last up to five (5) years, aluminum cans 200, plastic bottles 450, and monofilament fishing line up to 600 years.

Cigarette butts are specifically designed to trap toxins from entering smoker’s lungs. According to “Californians against waste”, butts can contain “up to 60 known human carcinogens including arsenic, formaldehyde, chromium and lead.” Littered butts become a toxic meal for animals and marine life that confuse them for food. Smokers looking for a solution to disposing cigarettes when an ashtray is not available can simply place the extinguished butt between the cellophane wrapper and the cigarette package until they find a bin to throw it away.

MINA has found that beach clean ups alone are not the answer to marine debris. The barrier to proper waste disposal must be addressed as well. In response MINA proposed and was awarded a grant by the NOAA Marine Debris Program to place conveniently located recycling and mixed waste bins for public use and provide trash collection services at popular beach sites.

Thus far, funding has paid for the fabrication of 14 weather resistant recycling and mixed waste bins thus far at Saipan's most popular beaches and tourist sites. Ericco Enterprises began installing bins at the end of March 2010. Weekly trash collection services commenced immediately. Thanks to the many individuals, families, and businesses that have become part of the solution by “Adopting-A-Bin” we have prevented over17,000 lbs (nearly 8 metric tons ) of trash from becoming marine debris since then. 43% of this trash was separated for recycling!

All our adopters have also agreed to clean up their sites on at least two occassions this year and pay for one year's worth of trash collection services. Trash collection costs a meer $1,000 for a full year and is totally tax deductible. Our present Adopters are:

In return, the Adopters logo is displayed on their bin, and they will be internationally recognized as one of Saipan's eco-friendly and community-oriented businesses in a documentary to be shown at the 25th US Coral Reef Task Force meeting next year in DC. 

Please act locally! Before the sun goes DOWN on your fiesta, remember to pick it UP, and THROW it in an Adopt-a-bin. It’s that easy. If you would like to learn more about what you can do as a resident to prevent marine debris, please view our presentation here. For more information about how you can add your name to the map please call 233-REEF or contact the Marine Debris Project Manager, Kathy Yuknavage at kathyjuk@gmail.com

 

Call for Marine Debris Prevention Outreach Volunteers

MINA is looking for outgoing individuals to volunteer their time to help raise community awareness about the hazards posed by marine debris. Litter left on the ground makes its way into our ocean environment; much of it never fully degrades and continues to circulate in what’s come to be known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html).

MINA is asking for volunteers to help reduce marine debris by promoting an island culture of proper waste disposal and recycling. Volunteers will spend just a few hours each week on the beach engaging visitors and asking them to use public recycling and trash bins that have been adopted by several local sponsors who pay for their regular trash collection.

Volunteers will be equipped with garbage bags to hand out to beach-goers, and laminated fact sheets that explain the hazards posed to marine life that ingest marine debris or become entangled in it. For their efforts, volunteers will earn a limited edition T-Shirt that they will help design, and a set of 18 gallon UV resistant stackable recycling bins for their home or school.

To learn more about this project made possible through funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program and how you can volunteer, please contact MINA’s project manager Kathy Yuknavage at kathyjuk@gmail.com

 

School Presentations and MINA's Litter Patrol

MINA is now providing class room presentations to teach our elementary, middle and high school students about the hazards posed by marine debris and how to prevent their contribution to this worldwide problem please view our teachers presentation here.

Elementary students attending classroom presentations on Marine Debris Prevention are asked to pledge their time to show family, friends and neighbors how to recycle. The Litter Patrol is also asked to volunteer time to set up recycling stations at home, during family picnics, and other social gatherings.

Pledging students are deputized as Litter Patrol officers and given these badges to wear while performing their pledged dutires. If you are a teacher and would like MINA to give your class a presentation please contact Kathy at kathyjuk@gmail.com to schedule a time and date.

Last Updated: 3/10/2008