My MaRinE BiOLOgY CLaSs

Fishes of the Marianas

Invertebrate-Sea Anemone

Sea anemones are considered to be the flower of the sea, where as they look like plants, but are actually meat-eating animals. They are classified in the class of Anthozoa of the Phylum Cnidarian, where as there are about a thousand species of them. They all come in variety of shpes, sizes and colors. Their mouth is located in the center, where as in order for them to eat, they must wait for their food to swim by then sting it with their tentacles and push it into their mouth. Sea anemones spend most of their lives in one place; they can attach themselves to rocks or corals, where as some even bury themselves in the mud.

Adaptations and biology of Animals

All animals live in habitats, which provide food, water, and shelter in order for one to survive. However, there is more to survival than just the habitat. Animals also depend on their physical characteristics to help them obtain food, keep safe, build homes, withstand weather, and attract mates. Their physical charateristics are called physical adaptations, which do not develop during an animal's life but over many generations.

Reptiles-Reptilia-American Alligator

The American Alligator is native only to the southerneastern United States, where it inhabits wetlands, which holds the key to their continued long-term survival. Alligators depend on the wetlands, and in some ways the wetlands depend on them. The American Alligator is a predator at the top of the food chain, which help control the population of rodents and other animals that might exhaust the wetland vegetation.

Birds-Aves-snowy owl

The vertebrate class Aves includes the birds, an extremely distinctive and successful clade. They are descended from the dinosaurs but birds have evolved remarkable characteristics for flight, where as they have a unique "one-way" breathing system, light yet strong hollow bones, a skeleton in which many bones are fused or lost, powerful flight muscles, and feathers.

Mammal-Mammalia-Cheetah/Otter

Mammals are a class of warm-blooded vertebrate animals that have milk-secreting organs for feeding the young. This class include human beings, apes, many four-legged animals, whales, dolphins, and bats. The different species of mammals have evolved to live in nearly all terrestrial and aquatic habitats on the planet. They inhabit every terrestrial community, from deserts, tropical rainforests to polar icecaps. Most are arboreal, spending most or all of their time in the forest environment, however, others are partially aquatic; living near lakes, streams, or the coastlines of oceans.

Nonpoint Source Pollution (research paper)

Have you ever been to a beach or a stream and seen the water looking kind of cloudy or discolored? If yes, you may have just witness a Nonpoint Source Pollution or “NPS“. Nonpoint Source Pollution comes from so many different places. It can be easily spotted but not as easy as to control. It is caused by runoff from rainfall moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves across the land, it picks up natural and man-made pollutants (something that contaminates), depositing them into our coastal and ground waters.

Nonpoint Source Pollution

What causes NPS originates mostly from land use activities. These activities include, land clearing without a DEQ permit or proper erosion control measures, construction site-soil matter on the road, improper storage, use, and or disposal of oil and other toxic chemicals, animal wastes, leaking sewer lines, disposing of garbage in an un-permitted open dumpsite, and burning of grass land, where as the toxic chemicals enters the water by runoffs during heavy rain and not only but even pollutants that are released directly into the atmosphere, etc… These factors affect our islands environment. It threatens the marine life and harms the coral reefs, closes our beaches (red flags notices), contaminates our groundwater (causing the water to be unsafe to drink or use), clogs water ways, but most importantly affects our health by contaminating the fish and other marine organisms that we humans consume. Though who generates this NPS? -You are or rather more, we human beings are basically the main contributors to NPS. We are the threat to our islands environment but more importantly known as our home.

Farm

Animal waste

Improper storage of oil

Oil spill

However, “there are no cure for NPS but there are ways to control and minimize it and therefore, the solution starts with US,” said Olivia Tebuteb of the Nonpoint Source Branch. To help manage NPS we must dispose our non toxic and toxic waste properly, monitor and inspect septic tanks and sewage systems regularly, engage in re-vegetation or start planting, sweep roads and walkways, pick up trash and don’t litter (recycle/beach clean-up), reduce the usage of your car (carpool or take a one way route) and make sure there are no leaks in your car but if so then fix it, read instructions and directions for pesticide or other chemical use and utilize only what you need or what is required, try to substitute toxic cleaners for natural products and try to prevent grass land fire, etc... There is also another way to help minimize NPS and this is by planting shrubs and installing a barrier at NPS location.

Beach clean up

I went to DEQ and spoke with Olivia Tebuteb, an employee of the Nonpoint Source Branch. She gave me a brochure and we conversed for awhile. She gave me information about the topic and where it can be found. I did research and studies and also went around looking for several places that contains NPS (Garapan Hotel Street-next to Remington bar/Fiesta Resort, Garapan basketball court, and American Memorial Park, etc…) and took pictures. I also found two articles, which are at the bottom. The first article was from the November 11, 2007 Saipan Tribune. It stated that the Jeffries Beach and Old Man By the Sea were posted red-flagged because of excessive concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria. The second article was from the November 12, 2007 Marianas Variety. It stated that volunteers and representatives from environmental agencies planted shrubs and installed a barrier at the Obyan beach to prevent storm water from rushing down into the ocean.

Local Saipan Tribune
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Two Saipan beaches red-flagged
The Division of Environmental Quality has raised the red flag on Jeffries Beach and Old Man By the Sea on Saipan after samples collected from these sites showed excessive concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria. The public is advised not to fish or swim within 300 feet of these locations for the next 48 hours or until notified.DEQ said that samples taken from these locations contained concentrations of enterococci that exceeded the CNMI Marine Water Quality Standards. These bacteria can indicate the presence of human and animal waste in the water.However, studies have shown that storm water runoff in tropical environments may also contain these bacteria from the natural environment, which may not be directly associated with public health concerns.DEQ analyzed 12 water samples collected from Saipan's east and south recreational beaches this week. DEQ welcomes all inquiries as to the quality of the beach water. The public is encouraged to contact DEQ at 664-8500 with any questions concerning this matter. Beach

Marianas Variety
Monday, November 12, 2007
Volunteers, gov’t agencies install storm water barrier at Obyan beach
VOLUNTEERS and representatives from environmental agencies did not mind the rain as they planted shrubs and installed a barrier to prevent storm water from rushing down to the ocean at Obyan Beach on Saturday. Twenty-six people including Coastal Resource Management Director John Joyner and Rep. Cinta M. Kaipat, Covenant-Saipan, planted the shrubs behind a portion of the area that they blockaded. The barrier, according to Department of Lands and Natural Resources forestry technician Mike Saures, is a combination of shrubs, called nanaso, and coirs, or processed coconut fiber. The shrubs, which the DLNR has started propagating, are good for erosion control, Saures said. The coir, according to CRM natural resource planner Kathy Yuknavage is filled with twigs from iron wood then rolled to form a log-like barrier. The group planted 41 shrubs and laid down three coirs. This project, she said, is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Services’ management plan and aims to address concerns about storm water flow reaching the shoreline. Yuknavage said the coral road leading to the Obyan Beach area washes out during heavy rains. When storm water reaches the shoreline, soil enters the water and threatens coral reef health. She said installing the barrier is the first of many different projects to reduce upland erosion at Obyan Beach. “We would like to continue what we’ve done further down the slope,” she said, adding that they will ask DLNR’s Division of Parks and Recreation not to mow the grass which will help check the storm water rushing down the slope. The Natural Resources Conservation Services, she said, made the plan which was carried out by CRM in partnership with the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance and other CNMI government agencies. The plan is being implemented, Yuknavage said, under the NRCS program called the wildlife habitat incentive program or WHIP from which any group can apply for grants. The NRCS, she said, pays for 75 percent of the cost while the implementing group shoulders 25 percent which can be also matched with in-kind share of volunteers. Joyner said the Obyan beach re-vegetation project shows the cooperation and coordination of various agencies “and it’s wonderful.” He said any activity that helps to maintain and sustain natural resources is important.
Moreover, I also spoke with Ana Agulto, the permit manager of the Coastal Resource Management (CRM) whom explained to me that planting shrubs and installing a barrier at a NPS location doesn’t necessarily stop the runoff but rather more slows it down and where as the shrubs; a plant but has similar characteristics to a colander or a type of screen, filters the water and catches the bigger particles. “Not every NPS location can go through this process,” said Ms. Agulto. She said that the NPS location next to Remington’s Bar and the Garapan Basketball court can’t go through this process because there is no room to plant the shrubs and install the barrier but if it was to be done then the place would over flow. She also said that the American Memorial Park NPS location is under/leased to the federal and with that; its their job to fix the problem. Although she then concluded that any government agency (CRM) receiving federal money can’t touch nor undergo anything that is under the federal.
The following are the pictures I took of the three NPS locations I researched on:

American Memorial Park NPS location:

NPS location next to the Garapan Basket Ball Court:

NPS location next to Remington’s Bar:

My purpose for my study and research is to inform and promote awareness to you and to the public on Nonpoint Source Pollution and its effects. I want to notify you and the public on what’s happening to our home island, why and how it is happening. I want to let you and the public know the benefits of minimizing the improper use of our environment and how it can be so much of a helping hand to a safer and healthier community.

Resources:

Olivia Tebuteb, employee of the Non Point Source Branch
DEQ Brochure
Ana Agulto, permit manager of the Coastal Resource Management
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=74185&cat=1
http://www.mvariety.com/localpage/lnews51.htm
http://www.deq.gov.mp/article.aspx?secID=9&artID=52