Student Action for a Viable Environment

Mariana Trench in Outside Magazine

2010-06-24T05:16:00.001+10:00

According to Outside Magazine, I am an "up-and-comer with a strong marketing instinct." Those eight words will be in every job application and every cover letter I write for the next 20 years. Thank you, Outside Magazine!

On Saturday I received my July 2010 issue of Outside Magazine. This is an issue I have been waiting for for almost a year. This is the issue that contains the story on last year's expedition to the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

Patrick Symmes, Outside Magazine contributing editor and the writer of this article, did a fantastic job. I thought the story was going to focus mostly on the trip we took to the monument, but he took it to the next level and interviewed Sylvia Earle and officials from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. What could have simply been a story about going to a far off place turned into a great retelling of some of the best conservation that has taken place during the last decade.

The story starts before the creation of the monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and carries us through the creation of Papahanaumokuakea and the creation of Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

I have to say, it literally hurts when the story of the monument campaign, something that took so much effort and caused so much stress, is cut down to a few paragraphs, or as in the case of MSNBC, a single sentence. One day I'll be able to let go of that; perhaps after my book is published.

The Outside Magazine website says that the magazine will be available on newsstands June 29, but I was able to find it online. I'd love to hear your reactions to the story, so please feel free to leave comments.

Link to this blog

2009-03-03T17:39:00.001+10:00

During the 11th Micronesians in Island Conservation Retreat I was tasked with taking over the learning network's blog found at http://mic-network.blogspot.com. I've fiddled with the template and the colors a little bit here and there over the last two weeks and I'm liking the new look.

My first change was to turn the background from a solid green to a picture of two fishermen in an outrigger canoe. What says connecting islands better than a canoe?

I also added a Sitemeter counter, some frequently asked questions, contact information, and changed things around a bit so that the site is easier to navigate (at least to me). In the past I've done a few widgets for organizations I've done work with (i.e. a logo that links to your website). I used that code to add logos that link to Friends of the Monument, Micronesia Conservation Trust, and Beautify CNMI. I'll add a few more logos as work progresses on the blog, including the html code so that you can link to those websites, too!

As for the color scheme, I offer the fact that I am color blind as an excuse.

I encourage you to add a link to the Micronesians in Island Conservation blog. In the upcoming months we should be adding some great conservation stories from the whole of Micronesia. You heard it here first.

Carnival of the Blue XXII

2009-03-03T16:13:00.001+10:00

Carnival of the Blue XXII is now live at Rick MacPherson's Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice, & Sunsets. It has been a while since I've submitted a post for Carnival of the Blue, not like I don't post something about the ocean every single month, but I managed to get my act together this month. Enjoy!

MIcronesia Challenge on Facebook

2009-03-03T09:34:00.000+10:00

Are you a member of Facebook? Would you like to be the envy of all your friends? There is now a Facebook Fan Page and a Facebook Group for the Micronesia Challenge. Join today!

Both the Fan Page and the Group allow users to post comments on a discussion board, upload photos and video, suggest links, and leave comments. The Fan Page allows the administrator to write notes or, as I prefer to do, syndicate a blog feed. I am syndicating the Micronesians in Island Conservation blog until there is a Micronesia Challenge blog. The thing I like best about both is that the administrator has the ability to send messages to every member of both the Group and the Fan Page. This will come in handy, especially once the membership gets into the thousands.

Additionally, the Fan Page links to Fan Pages for the Micronesian governments that have signed onto the Micronesia Challenge: Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. It also links to a Fan Page for Beautify CNMI, an environmental coalition in the Marianas supportive of the Micronesia Challenge. I will link to other non-profits working on the Micronesia Challenge once someone sets up their Fan Pages. (Pehaps we can do this at the next MIC retreat or maybe the next steering committee meeting?)

So what are you waiting for? Log into Facebook and join the Facebook Fan Page and the Facebook Group for the Micronesia Challenge.

BEautify CNMI Email List

2009-02-20T10:24:00.001+10:00

I've spent the last two weeks getting Beautify CNMI back up to speed. I've started a Beautify CNMI Facebook fan page and I've updated the email list. We'll have activities all year in 2009. If you would like to be added to the email list, please email me at angelovillagomez at gmail dot com or call me at 285 6462 and I will add you.

Link to the Friends of the Monument blog

2008-10-12T16:17:00.002+10:00

Would you like to help spread the word about the Friends of the Monument blog? Just copy and paste the following code into your blog template!

The federal workshops on Saipan are just over one week away! There are ways that you can help to support the monument. Click HERE for more information.

Stop Turtle Poaching in the Marianas

2008-09-12T16:18:00.000+10:00

I received this message from MINA today:

NOAA needs your help. NOAA is offering Rewards for Information on Sea Turtle Poaching!!!!

NOAA’s Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of persons poaching endangered sea turtles in the Territory of Guam and in the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands.

Turtle poaching is an ongoing problem in the Guam area. In recent months, NOAA special agents have investigated cases involving the sale and consumption of meat and eggs of protected sea turtles.

Turtle experts believe that turtle poaching is a significant contributing factor to the reduction of indigenous sea turtle populations around the Pacific islands.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects all six species of sea turtles in the United States. Endangered species include the indigenous Green Sea Turtle and the Hawksbill Sea Turtle, which are commonly found in and around Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. Under the ESA and its corresponding regulations, it is illegal to take, possess, sell, deliver, receive, import, export, carry, transport, or ship any endangered species. A violation of the Endangered Species Act can result in civil penalties of up to $25,000, and criminal fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment up to one year.

Anyone with information is asked to call one of the following numbers:

Special Agent Charles Raterman (Guam) 671-472-7200
Pacific Islands Division (Honolulu, HI) 808-541-2727
Office for Law Enforcement - National Hotline: 800-853-1964
Guam Customs & Quarantine Service - MITF: 671-475-6331
Guam Division of Aquatics and Wildlife – DAWR: 671-735-3991
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Guam 671-647-6064
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

go to:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080729_seaturtle.html

The Master List Redux

2008-08-18T10:59:00.000+10:00

The Master List of Saipan bloggers has been updated over on The Saipan Blog.

There are currently over 140 Saipan bloggers along with almost 20 Coconuts Abroad.

Bloggers are requested to add a link to the Master List as it is the most comprehensive list of Saipan (and Tinian and Rota) blogs.

THANK YOU PARTY TIME CHANGE!!!!

2007-11-07T20:15:00.000+10:00

Sorry everyone, I totally spaced that tonight was the 1st Wednesday of November! I was at rehearsals for Scrooge. I've got too much stuff going on and need to write stuff down!!! Actually, what threw me the most is we are all supposed to meet Thursday November 15th (rescheduled from the 8th due to the Director of the Center being sick) at 5:00 at Koblerville Youth Center for a little Thank You party for the Haunted House.

Nice Job last week!!!

It was a blast. Never knew seeing kids get scared would be so funny:)

So I'll see ya manana!

2007-11-02T21:50:00.001+10:00

S.A.V.E TO HOST HAUNTED HOUSE

2007-10-18T06:36:00.000+10:00

The SAVE Club will be hosting a haunted house and recycled costume contest on Halloween at the Koblerville Youth Center. Power 99 and the First Lady will be there to pass out candy.

All youth are invited to help build the haunted house. We will meet on the following dates at the center to set up the haunted house.

October 27-30
NO WEEKEND DATES
Bring decorations, fabric, cardboard etc. Monday night.
10/29 6:30-8:00
10/30 3:30-6:00
Koblerville Youth Center Set up of Haunted House

Island Wide Meeting Minutes October

2007-10-17T11:00:00.000+10:00

Schools Represented:
MHS: Sami Birmingham-Babauta, Madisa Onni, Colleen Sablan
LISS: Litcelle Parahan
HJHS: Craig Hart, Kirstan Guevarra, Zoe Schorr, Roseanna Sablan

Topics: October 6, 2007 8:00-2:00 Susupe Park Clean Up Discussion about hosting a House of Environmental Horrors Recycled costume contest: Bree and Craig will check about location Colleen will plan guidelines and categories for costumes Everyone come up with one room theme and post ideas in the comment thread for the blog Students will meet on Nov. 18th location to be announced. Zoe and Roseanna will take care of the Refreshment. An up date that the signs where finally up. End of Meeting... 7:35

Blog Action Day: Saipan's Environment

2007-10-15T18:52:00.001+10:00

Litcelle E. Parahan

Saipan’s Environment

Air pollution is an important environmental issue on Saipan for several reasons. There are different types of air pollution. It is caused by car exhaust, burning trash, CUC burning fossil fuels and more. There are lots of ways to prevent air pollution. We should be driving more fuel efficient cars or more bio-diesel cars, , which you can make from coconuts, instead of diesel. CUC can use windmills, solar power, or wave energy to create electricity and instead of letting the dirty smoke out into the air they can use scrubbers to recycle and filter the smoke so it comes out clean. Burning trash is not a smart way to get rid of it, why not recycle, and then take what can’t be recycled to the landfill.

Air pollution affects people, plants, animals and the climate. What will happen if the animals and plants start dying more and more because of climate change? Where will we get our food? And what about cultural issues? Some houses are made from plants and trees. Climate changes can cause global warming which harms the corals and us because we live in an island.

Due to temperature change corals can die because they can only live in water with a temperature that’s around 86 degrees. They are homes for animals such as fish. Who’s responsible? Everyone! Human activity causes air pollution. We just need to think before we act.

SAVE cleans up Laly 4

2007-08-27T19:30:00.000+10:00

Why is the Beach in Chalan Kanoa called Laly 4? Does anyone know where Laly 1, 2, and 3 are located?

Well, whatever the reason, on Saturday morning 20 Hopwood Junior High School Students, 1 LISS student, two teachers, two dogs, and one soccer playing tree hugger cleaned it from Hopwood Junior High School to Sugar Dock.

Most of the litter was trash left over from picnics. We did not find any illegal dumping (this time) and not much washes up on the beach here.

If people would just learn to pick up after themselves we could have a nice clean beach. The adults on this island are lucky that their children are willing to pick up after them.

Thank you, Student Action for a Viable Environment!

Let's plan another clean up!

2007-08-27T19:13:00.000+10:00

So on August 25th, we were suppose to have a clean up with the whole S.A.V.E. Club and Beautify CNMI, but unfortunately.. They had their own clean up by Hopwood and we did ours. So Madisa, Jessica, Keisha, and I had our own clean up. We hiked own to the beach, filled up 10 bags of trash. To our opinion, it doesn't look like we made any difference. We didn't want to pick up too much because bring them back up would be a hassle.

You know what? The pictures explain more.. Here you go:

Our hike down...

Where do we start?

Look at the trash. Wait, there's A LOT MORE!

Our way back up..

I don't think we made much difference:

Madisa & I are the only ones that has gone down to this beach before and we were the ones that suggested to clean up the beach. YES! WE NEED SOME CLEANING TO DO!

We were surprised that so many fishermen came down to fish that day. A few of them stopped to talk to us and asked us what we were doing. They kind of thought we were crazy to think that we are seriously going to pick up all that trash. I decided to ask one of the fishermen what were his thoughts about going to the beach looking like this, and this is what he had to say:

There are more pictures from the clean up in my site-myLene rocks*. Now tell me that you're going to help us clean this beach up! Do it for the island, fishermen, and for the world.

P.S.: When we do the clean up, I suggest we think of some easier way to get the trash back up because IT WAS SO TIRING! Some of the fishermen had to help us carry them back up.

Beautify CNMI Mailing List

2007-08-27T10:09:00.001+10:00

Are you on the Beautify CNMI mailing list?

Every Monday morning I send out a summary of the weekend's activites. On Thursdays I send out the upcoming weekend's activities. If there is a meeting on a particular day, I send out a meeting reminder.

If you are not on the list and you would like to be, please email Angelo at angelovillagomez at gmail dot com.

Here is my update from this morning:

Good Monday Morning,

We had several successful events over the weekend.

On Friday, we announced the winners of the Photo Contest to raise awareness of the Micronesia Challenge and over 30 people participated in a public forum discussing Marine Protected Areas and Coral Reefs. On Saturday, the members of the Student Action for a Viable Environment clubs cleaned up the beach in Chalan Kanoa and one of the pocket beaches in Dandan. On Sunday, Friends of the Mariana Islands cleaned up Dandan Road. The Lion's Club was also out this weekend cleaning up their adopted spot along Beach Road (sorry, I forgot if that was Saturday or Sunday).

There will be a Parks & Trails meeting this Thursday at 1 PM. The meeting is in the USDA Conference Room, on the first floor of the DY Buidling in Garapan on Beach Road. If you have questions, please contact Ken Kramer, RC&D Coordinator, at 236-0893.

This Saturday we should be planting the last of our Flame Trees...I just don't know where yet.

This Sunday we will be in the Garapan Tourist District. Our cleanup meets at the AMP Parking lot and begins at 8 AM.

Have a great week!

Angelo

Come Join us!

2007-08-24T20:34:00.000+10:00

We are having a beach clean up tomorrow at Unai Dandan. So if you would like to join us, please read the directions to the place.

Location: Go up to the intersection to S.V. and Dandan, take the Dandan road. Keep driving until you see a store named "Hi-Mart." There is a yellow poker sign by the road and to the left, there is a road. Take the road, all the way down. Don't go to any turns until you meet the dirt road. Take the left turn and go all the way until the end of the road, there will be a two story apartment building. We will meet there at 10:00am and start walking down to the beach. After the clean up follows a potluck back at the two story apartment.

We hope you can join us!

P.S. --->Mylene Marie Balisalisa (S.A.V.E Club's Presidents) Birthday is on Sunday :). Make me happy and join us tomorrow!

Thank You.

Carnival of the Blue III

2007-08-06T19:33:00.001+10:00

A post on my personal blog was included in Carnival of the Blue III, hosted on Rick MacPherson's blog Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice, and Sunsets. Carnival of the Blue is a roundup of a month's worth of the best ocean blogging on the Internet.

The Saipan Blog will host Carnival of the Blue IV on September 3. I am currently looking for contributors. Please publish your post and email me the link at angelovillagomez at g mail dot com. Once I publish the carnival, all you have to do in return is to add a link to it in a post on your blog. It is a great way to build traffic and connect with other bloggers interested in ocean issues.

Calender of Upcoming Events

2007-08-01T19:51:00.000+10:00

November 15th (rescheduled from the 8th), 2007
Koblerville Youth Center 5:00 p.m.
Thank You Party for volunteers on Halloween
and we'll hold a SAVE Club meeting (plan next event)

November, 2007

Tree Planting with Ranger Nancy
American Memorial Park

August Meeting Minutes

2007-08-01T19:14:00.000+10:00

Attendents: Litcelle, Zoe, Mylene, Madisa, Samantha, Paila, Roseanna, Mark, Noely, Craig, James, Ken and Monique Kramer, Ranger Nancy and adviser Mrs. Bree.

1. Checked in about recruiting new teachers and students. Mylene contacted two teachers at Southern High, Zoe contacted a teacher at San Vicente, Litcelle talk to teacher at Ladera International.

2. Bree announced that there will be a guest speaker at the next meeting.

3. Madisa and Mylene suggested a beach clean up at upper dandan and a barbecue afterwards. The tentative date is on August 25th, meet at 10am.

4. By the next meeting each school needs to have a club established and each club needs to identify a beach or a place to adopt for monthly clean ups.

5. Mylene, Madisa and Paila adopted a beach called Unai Dandan.

6. National recycling day is on November, so schools needs to start collecting recyclables for the up coming event, make sure schools get sponsors for the contest.

7. Mylene suggested participated in a tree planting event.

8. Businesses, Marianas Variety and Apartments to sponsor MHS and Southern High.

9. A visitor named Ken Kramer came to our meeting talking about new planted trees that did not survive its new home and about replanting new ones again.

10. Another visitor named Ranger Nancy of the American Memorial Park of Saipan here to give us certificates of volunteer work at the park for planting six new flame trees.

11. Adviser Mrs. Bree talking about Arbor Day at the American Memorial Park and planting Mangroves that are becoming extinct. Arbor Day is on Saturday, November 3rd, now rescheduling planting day on a Friday, November 2nd, which is also Citizenship Day and also All Saints day, no school.

12. Samantha suggested a representative of each school to have Beautify CNMI, Save Club Calendars to schedule clean ups and dates to whether different clubs can clean up a certain beach to see if the Save Club has that certain beach scheduled as an up coming event.

Environmental Careers

2007-07-24T15:12:00.000+10:00

By: Madisa Onni

To be an environmentalist you have to have the modivation and experience, just take it from Clarissa Bearden, the current branch manager of DEQ. She had attended Walla Walla College in Washington where she took courses and exams. She love for science earned her an internship with DEQ but before becoming a lab specialist she was a school teacher.

July Meeting Minutes

2007-07-19T14:02:00.000+10:00

S.A.V.E. Minutes July 5, 2007

Attendance: Shanai Mayne, Craig Hart, Mark San Juan, Litcelle Parahan, Mylene Balislisa, Zoe Schorr, Madisa Onni, Angelo Villagomez, Bree Reynolds, Doug Reynolds

Writing Assignments:
Shanai - Compare CUC to DEQ
Craig - Nitrates/ Nitrites: algae and sickness: Blue Baby Syndrome
Mark - E Coli – Source, Harmful effects, how they test, and prevention
Litcelle - Enterococci – Source, harmful effects, how they test, and prevention
Mylene – Water Co.
Zoe - beaches- where they test, what they test for, and when
Madisa – Careers

Year End Goal : Recruit 100 members and become a chapter of MINA

- $ 5 dues
- Participation in 1 event

Hopwood – 40
MHS- 20
SSHS - 30
Ladera – 10
Oleai – Craig
Australia School – Shanai
San Vicente – Zoe
Koblerville – Mylene
San Antonio – Mark
Mount Carmel – Hope
Garapan – Bree

August 1 - teacher willing to advise. Invite to Aug. 1 meeting

Bree + Angelo

Hjhs Liss
Mhs Shhs
Goes to the S.A.V.E Club

Long Term
- 100 members
Possible activities:
Arbor day
Recycling contest
World water day

Medium Term
- Create chapters at other elementary schools
- Bring $5 to the next meeting

Short Term
- Write up responsibilities/ job descriptions and post them 2 blogs

Election of Officers
President: Mylene
Vice President: Madisa
Secretary/ PRO: Zoe and Litcelle

2007-07-19T13:41:00.001+10:00

REMINDER! NEXT S.A.V.E. CLUB MEETING IS AUGUST 1ST AT JAVA JOES AT 6:30 PM

BRING A FRIEND!

DEQ and Water Testing

2007-07-19T13:40:00.000+10:00

By Mylene Balisalisa

DEQ goes out to the 12 different water companies in the island. They show up unexpectedly and collect samples of the water. They bring it back to the lab to test if there is any bacteria. Like any test they would do, they'd pour some of the water out of the gallon and shake it. Then take a sample of 50 mililiters into a small jar. They would mixed this powder into the water, it would sit into a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius for 18 hours. The next day, they would turn on the black light and see if the water glows. If the water does glow then that means the water is not clean and it has bacteria in them. DEQ will report this to the company and the company either properly cleans their water or they will be permanently shut down.

Hermit Crab Shells and Survival

2007-07-16T22:49:00.002+10:00

Did you know that the White Spotted Crabs have a preference for Triton Trumpet conchs? These shells are a rare find, especially large ones. While a shell collector may see it as an amazing find, that crab species has to compete with the other large crabs in its habitat for another shell.

Tampering with the shells can have an impact on the reproduction cycle and survivability of the species. Female egg production is influenced by the type and size of shell the crab inhabits. In addition, the larger the crab, the more eggs it can produce. (Iossi, et al., 2005) The crabs will seek out undamaged shells of the right size and proportion to help increase their odds of survival. Damaged shells increase the risk of succumbing to predation. (Bulinski, 2007)

Crabs locate shells by smelling the decay of dead mollusks.(Scully, 1986) The crab scavenges the shell and if no other crabs are around to compete for the shell, the crab will try it on for size and decide if it’s a good fit. Hermit crabs don’t just select any random shell. Imagine being a size 8 in shoes and forcing your foot into a 5. The size and shape of the crab also affects the types of shells they can inhabit. (Vance, 1972; Bulinski, 2007) White Spotted Crabs are highly selective and are generally found in the Triton’s Trumpets. (UH Manoa Bishops Museum) The availability of large shells is limited.

Hermit crabs don’t “take” shells because they think the shells are pretty. The shell is part of the crabs defense mechanisms and acts as a protective armor. Hermit crabs have soft abdomens and don’t produce hard calciferous exoskeletons like other crabs. (Bulinski)

References:

Carmem L Iossi, Renata Biagi and Fernando L Mantelatto. (2005). Egg production and shell relationship of the hermit crab Pagurus brevidactylus (Anomura: Paguridae) from southern Brazil. Animal Biology (formerly Netherlands Journal of Zoology). Volume 55, Number 2 / July, 2005

Richard Vance. (1972). The Role of Shell Adequacy in Behavioral Interactions Involving Hermit Crabs. Ecology, Vol. 53, No. 6 (Nov., 1972), pp. 1075-1083

Erik Paul Scully. (1986). Shell Investigation Behavior of the Intertidal Hermit Crab Pagurus longicarpus Say. Journal of Crustacean Biology, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Nov., 1986), pp. 749-756

Katherine Bulinksi. (2007). Shell-selection behavior of the hermit crab Pagurus granosimanus in relation to isolation, competition, and predation. Journal of Shellfish Research. April 1, 2007

DEQ Lab Tour---Nitrates and Nitrites

2007-07-05T16:04:00.000+10:00

This is the machine that measures the nitrates in the water. It does that by measuring the total amount of nitrates and nitrites, then it measures the nitrites. after it subtracts the amount of the nitrite count from the total amount and PRESTO you get the nitrate count.

This machine can test 100 water samples in less than an hour. Pretty inpresive ,huh.

but that kind of work comes at a high price of nearly $100,000.

Nitrates and nitrites are somewhat harmful to humans and our marine life.It is harmful to us, particulaly to babies, because the nitrogen gets into the red blood cells andit takes up space so the oxygen can't get into the cell a lack of oxygen in the brain, heart, stomach,ect. can cause a person's cells to die. Blue Baby Syndrome causes the infant to turn blue because of lack of oxygen.

Nitrates and nitrites areharmful to our marine life because if the levels of nitrogen in the water is to highthe nitrogen in the water provides food for algae causing the algae to grow out of control and the water becomes foggy and that prevents the coral from getting food because coral needs sunlight for the zooantyhele to grow so the coral can eat it otherwise it will die.

posted by Craig Hart

A new look. A New CLUB!!!

2007-07-03T00:01:00.000+10:00

We started as a club of Hopwood Junior High Students, but voted in June, to become a CNMI wide club, meeting on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 at Java Joe's in Dandan on Saipan. All students are welcome!

We will be holding our first official meeting on a special date. This Thursday July 5th, at 11:00 a.m. at either the DEQ offices or RC&D offices. Check back on Wednesday for clarification.

This Wednesday, July 4th, we'll be helping Beautify CNMI clean up the Historic Light house on Navy Hill at 8 a.m. Hope to see you there.

Also, you can find out about events and club info through myspace as well. see the link on the right.

Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp, Last Day

2007-07-02T12:20:00.000+10:00

On Satuday we woke up before the sunrise, went for a swim and fed the kids s'mores and hot dogs for breakfast.

I also crushed Sami's head:

We took the 10:30 AM ferry back to Saipan. It was a great camp, guys! See you next year!

Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp, Day 5

2007-07-02T12:17:00.000+10:00

I wrote in my previous post that Thursday was our longest day. Well, we had the kids from 9 AM on Friday until about 12 PM on Saturday, so I guess the final day was our longest day.

And, oh man, was it a long day. I got back to my house at about noon, took a shower, washing my hair about 8 times to get all the sand out, and went to bed. I felt like I had run a marathon. I got up in time to meet Mayumi and the students from Marianas High School National Honor Society for a cleanup of Micro Beach...but only barely.

But enough about my whining.

Friday's activities started at American Memorial Park. The students were transported from Hopwood to AMP in a bus provided by Tasi Tours. Again, thank you a million times, Tasi Tours. Since I live in Garapan, I just met up with them at about 9:45 at the Park.

We met Ranger Nancy at the Park Museum. She gave the kids time to go through the World War II exhibit, then signed them in for the days activities, and gave them a short talk on National Parks and safety.

When I was college I had a professor, Dr. Barry Allen, who posed the following question during one of our lectures, "Who owns the National Parks?" The other students ventured guesses like the Federal Government, the Department of the Interior, and the National Parks Service, to which Dr. Allen pointed directly at a student and said, "No, YOU own the National Parks."

Whoa.

That stuck with me. Ranger Nancy told the kids pretty much the same thing. She told us how lucky we were to have a National Park on Saipan and she explained that is was Our responsibility to take care of Our National Park.

Ranger Nancy took the students through a short walking tour of the Park, leading them towards the site of our tree planting, where we were met by Representative Cinta Kaipat.

I invited Cinta to participate in our tree planting and to talk to the kids about the creation of Beautify CNMI. In introducing Cinta to the kids, I told them that although Cinta was a lawyer and a lawmaker, she had chosen to make the Environment the central focus of her public service to the CNMI. I want the kids to understand that there are many ways to work the environment into your career. Maybe someday the CNMI will even have an environmentalist governor. Maybe.

After her talk, the students presented Cinta with their models of coral reefs. Cinta is going to display them up on Capital Hill for a few weeks...but then she has to give them to Ranger Nancy so that they can be displayed at American Memorial Park.

Then it was time to plant trees! Earlier in the week, Brad Doerr came into camp to teach the kids about tree care and propagation. He came to camp again to help the kids plant six Flame Trees. Thanks, Brad!

Ranger Nancy told us where she wanted the trees planted, then with help from Brad and Rep. Kaipat's staff, we broke up into six groups and dug our holes.

After all of the holes were dug, Brad and I helped each of the groups plant their Flame Tree.

It was time for lunch by the time we finished planting our trees, so we all walked back to the AMP museum and made sandwiches. A big thank you to Boni Gomez for dropping off lunch supplies!

Today was going to be a really long day, so we gave the kids most of the afternoon to relax. Our ferry to Managaha didn't leave until 3:30. We needed the kids to be awake for our night time activities. In hindsight, we should have made the kids run a few laps to tire them out. Oh well, live and learn.

Tasi Tours transported us from AMP to the dock and from the dock to Managaha, the small island a few kilometers North of Garapan. When we arrived we set up camp and got ready for a fun night.

Once camp was set up we let the kids run free for a while. They played beach volleyball (or at least tried) and went swimming. While I watched the kids, Bree got the fire going for our delicious dinner of hot dogs and vegetables...and beef jerky, chips, cookies, soda, and candy.

(note to self: next time we do this camp, don't allow the kids to bring sugar)
We couldn't have picked a better night to have a campout. The weather was perfect and the view was stunning.

Aren't we lucky to live here? Some people on Saipan don't realize what we have. For some of the kids, this was their first trip to Managaha. It was also the first time camping for a few.

After the sun set we got the fire roaring again so that we could make s'mores. Bree had to go to three different stores before she found any marshmallows. We told the kids that they could have as many as they wanted, as long as they didn't throw up.

Then, of course, no camping trip would be complete without a giant teddy bear and a ukulele:

The kids did some learning, too. We had an activity where we looked for zooplankton and phytoplankton and we talked about the shearwaters (a bird species) that nest on Managaha. In my opinion, though, the best lesson the kids learned is how much fun and how beautiful places like Managaha can be. I mentioned before that some of the kids were visiting Managaha for the first time. How else can we get kids to be interested in protected places if we don't get them to visit protected places?

Although I hope that these kids remember the difference between phytoplankton and zooplankton and why both are important, I think it is more important that these kids take home a love for the outdoors, camping, snorkeling, Managaha, Saipan, and the CNMI. One day these kids are going to join the military or go off to college, they'll be in Baghdad or Los Angeles, and they're going to remember the island where they were born...then they'll really appreciate what we have.

One day they'll return and they'll understand the importance of protecting our Natural Resources. They'll want Saipan to stay Saipan and not become Guam or Oahu.

(steps off soapbox)

Or at least they'll remember how much fun it was getting buried in the sand:

Bree wrote about the weeklong camp on her blog, Land of the Ayuyu.

Mylene also wrote about our trip to American Memorial Park and to Managaha. Hope also wrote about Managaha. Sami hasn't written anything about the camp. Come on, Sami, start writing!

Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp, Day 4

2007-06-30T19:35:00.001+10:00

The last three days of the Beautify CNMI Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp flew by. As I type this on Saturday evening, I can't believe that it is over. Oh well, coming from a life long Boston Red Sox fan, there's always next year...and the students are already asking us to make it two weeks, instead of just one week, long.

We'll see about that.

Thursday ending up being our longest day. The day started at 7 AM. Two of the students, Bree, and I appeared on the Harry Blalock Island Issues radio program to talk about our camp. We were on the show for about 20 minutes and Harry grilled the two students, Sami and Zoe, about the things they have learned this week. He also helped us record environmental public service announcments after our interview.

Harry was so impressed by the girls and the other campers that he wrote about them on his blog and on his weekly radio commentary, Food For Thought:

Then I also wanted to spend a little time talking about a group of bright young students Angelo Villagomez and Bree Reynolds brought in to my studio Thursday morning. They are part of the Beautify CNMI Marianas Challenge Summer Camp, being put on by Angelo and Bree. These students really are learning about our environment, and what they can do to help protect it. I made sure they've learned something by grilling them with questions on Island Issues. Sami and Zoe totally impressed me with what they've learned and their passion about it. The only thing that caused me any concern at all was that Sami was just way too relaxed and good on the radio. I'm afraid she could replace me in a heartbeat if she wanted to, my only consolation is that she's just going in to the 9th grade this coming year, so my job is probably safe for a couple years anyway.

Part of what they did in this camp was to write public service announcements from what they have learned to air on the radio stations. Some of them even wrote an original song about beautifying the CNMI, they wrote the words and music. They came in with their ukelele and recorded the song in my production studio. I've got to say, I absolutely love it! You'll be hearing a lot of that song and those psa's in the coming months on both of our radio stations. What a talented group of students, and something tells me these are our leaders of tomorrow. If you'd like to see some of the pictures from their summer camp, and learn what it was all about, you can go to the www.greencnmi.blogspot.com website and read all about it. Tasi Tours deserves a big thank you for donating a van and driver to help transport the campers all week to their various places. And after hearing from the students on the air, Ed Salas of Tan Holdings Corporation called up donating Shirleys lunch for all the campers that day. They had talked about how the camp was being run on a shoestring budget and they were just making do with whatever they had, so Ed called up on behalf of Tan Holdings to give them a break from peanut butter or bologna for lunch. Many thanks go out to all the various people in the community who chip in to make amazing events like this happen. And while you could technically say this was job related for Angelo, Bree is a science teacher at Hopwood Junior High School, and is supposed to be on summer vacation right now. But she loves what she's doing so much, and loves the students so much, that she donated her time to help put on this summer camp.

I think I can forgive him for calling the Micronesia Challenge the Marianas Challenge.

After several hours at the radio station we returned to Hopwood to finish up work on the coral reef models and the wastewater science projects, which led right into lunch provided by Shirley's Coffee Shop and Tan Holdings. We also worked out some of the logistics for Friday's field trips to American Memorial Park and Managaha.

After lunch we had about 30 minutes before we left for our afternoon field trip, so Bree had the students play a couple of games based on communicable diseases.

In the first game they were given a series of clues and a map of a city suffering from disease outbreaks. Using the clues, they had to determine what disease people were contracting, how the disease was being spread (water borne, etc.), and the source of the disease (the water pump on Broad Street, etc.).

Then Tasi Tours picked us up at 1:30 and took us to the CUC Waste Water Treatment plant in Sadog Tasi...or as I like to call it, Wave Jungle II.

Our tour of the facility started in the lab. Heidi showed the students the lab and showed them how they check for bacteria in the water.

We also asked Heidi to talk about becoming a lab chemist for a career. She told the students that they had to be good at Math.

After letting use a microscope and showing us the different ways that CUC tests the effluent water, Heidi took us to the Brown Jacuzzi.

Ew. This is where CUC "cleans" the water. Using a process that I would only screw up if I tried to explain, CUC gets rid of all the solids and then dump the remaining liquids into the lagoon. Yum!

While we were contemplating joining the "Swim Club," some other CUC employees joined us. This led to one of the best moments of the camp.

Heidi asked one of the guys if there was anything he wanted to tell the kids. Without hesitation he responded, "well, kids, please don't flush your underwear down the toilet. You wouldn't believe the kinds of things we find: Shoes, underwear, even cellphones."

I'm probably going to repeat that story for the next five years.

Mylene wrote about Day 4 on her blog, Mylene Rocks.

I've got pictures and stories from Friday and Saturday morning, but I haven't uploaded the pictures yet. Come back tomorrow for an update. If the post isn't up by tomorrow, just keep waiting.

Thanks, Harry Blalock!

2007-06-29T09:05:00.001+10:00

Bree, Sami, Zoe, and I appeared on the Harry Blalock Island Issues show yesterday morning. We talked about the camp and what we've been doing all week. The girls did a great job on the show. They impressed Harry so much, that he even wrote about them on his blog.

After the show we recorded the PSAs that the kids have been working on all week. All of the PSAs were written and performed by the kids. The music and the lyrics for the song are original, too. Check 'em out:

Mylene and Sami: Pick That Up!

Mylene and Sami: Walk It, Don't Drive It

Rose, Ann, Hope, and Zoe: Beautify CNMI Song

Mark, Litcelle, Craig, and Tristan: Protect the Turtles

Day 3 of the Beautify CNMI Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp

2007-06-28T18:54:00.000+10:00

This morning we were visited by Marja and Tony from Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Brown Tree Snake Program. They gave a power presentation on the history and current operations of the Brown Tree Snake Program in the CNMI.

They also brought two snake dogs.

Mina is a two year old pit bull/Labrador mix. During a demonstration, Mina was able to find a snake hidden in a bucket…twice!

Jack is a Jack Russell Terrier. The students hid a snake in a bag in the classroom and Jack was able to find it in seconds.

The kids were able to hold the snake...and so did I:

Tony and Marja worked with the kids for over two hours. Thank you so much, Tony and Marja! The students really appreciated the time you spent with them.

After the snake team left we worked on our environmental PSAs.

PSA time led right into lunch...Baloney and mayo sandwiches! Yum!

After lunch, using a microscope, the students drew models of the different parts of a plant cell, talking about the differences between a plant cell and an animal cell.

They looked at plant cells under a microscope and drew sketches of what they saw.

Then the kids worked on a coral reef project. Using card board, paper, clay, rocks, beans, and pasta they created a model of a coral reef. Here is the metamorphosis from simple classroom supplies to coral reef model:

Pretty good, huh? This is a fringing reef. The other two groups did a coral atoll and a barrier reef.

Then as a preview to our Wastewater Treatment Plant field trip scheduled for Thursday, we did a waste water experiment where we gave the students sand, baking soda, vinegar, cotton, coffee filters, and paper towels. We gave them wastewater made from peanut butter, soy sauce, coffee, onions, leaves, beans, and another assorted fun things. The students had to return the pH of the water to 7 and take out all of the coloring until it was clear.

Here are some of the simple tools we gave the students to clean the wastewater:

We didn't tell the kids how to clean the water; they had to figure it out on thier own. They figured out that they should use a funnel to clean the water:

The day ended before we finished this experiment, so we put everything aside to finish the next day.

Finally, Mylene and Hope both wrote about Day 3 on their personal blogs. Keep up the blogging, girls!

Thank you to our Community Sponsors!

2007-06-28T17:39:00.001+10:00

I have to give a huge thank you to the businesses that supported the Beautify CNMI Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp. Tasi Tours offered to drive the students around to our different field trips all week FREE OF CHARGE. PSS does not have money to pay for gas, so we were extremely lucky that they are so generous.

Thank you, Tasi Tours!

We also owe a huge thank you to Ed Salas and Tan Holdings. Mr. Salas heard us on the Harry Blalock Island Issues radio show this morning talking about how we are running the camp on a shoe string budget. On Monday we had P&J sandwiches for lunch, on Tuesday we had the dollar menu at McDonalds, on Wednesday we had baloney and mayo, and due to Tan Holdings generosity, we feasted on Shirley's today.

Tan Holdings gave us $100 worth of food!

Thank you, Tan Holdings! Go visit Shirley's at the Thursday Street Market and at the Liberation Day Carnival. Thank them for me!

Beautify CNMI Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp, Day 2

2007-06-28T17:38:00.001+10:00

Day 2 of the Beautify CNMI Micronesia Challenge Camp was spent at the Traditional Fishing Workshop held at the Pacific Islands Club. The day long workshop was reported on by the Marianas Variety:

Workshop discusses traditional fishing
By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

THREE local fishermen discussed traditional fishing methods during a workshop at the Pacific Islands Club yesterday.

The workshop, spearheaded by the Children of Our Homeland Center, aims to educate the public on traditional fishing techniques which, according to assistant project coordinator Anicia Q. Tomokane, not only help conserve marine resources but also promote the local people’s cultural identity.

Funded by a grant from the Administration for Native Americans, the whole-day workshop was also sponsored by Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services and the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library.

Traditional fishing, according to one of the presenters, Stan M. Taisacan, is something that has not been practiced for the past 40 years.

Taisacan, who represents Rota on the Commonwealth Council for Arts & Culture board of directors, discussed the “achuman technique” of gathering fish.

It is done with a use of poiu, a device made of stone and coconut shell, and young coconut meat as bait.

“This one is better in conserving marine resources because with this method, you will get only what you need,” he said.

And it is not difficult to catch fish when one masters the technique, he said.
Lino Olopai, a Carolinian culture lecturer, shared his knowledge on traditional fish traps.

He demonstrated the use of ull wall osch, a woven fish trap used for general reef fish; the breadfruit leaf kite used to catch “needlefish without the use of a metal hook; and the use of coconut shell with line and bait to catch flying fish.

Artist, Chamorro historian researcher and lecturer, and experimental archeologist, Noel B. Quitugua, discussed traditional tools and fishing implements.

Jack Ogumoro, the CNMI coordinator of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, acted as moderator in the workshop.

He said they are now trying not only to talk about traditional fishing but also practicing it.

Traditional fishing should now be incorporated into modern management tools for the conservation and protection of marine resources, he said.

Traditional fishing techniques, he added, “are based on responsible fishing. They promote respect for the ocean.”

Dr. Teny Topalian, coral reef ecologist of the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration’s Pacific Island Regional Office, discussed how traditional fishing techniques help promote the preservation of marine biodiversity and cultural diversity.

Ann Asis Tores, a young participant from Hopwood Junior High School, described the workshop as “fascinating.”

I didn't take many pictures at the workshop, so this is going to be the boring post. I do have one picture of all the participants though:

Mylene also talked about Day 2 on her blog, Mylene Rocks.

Beautify CNMI Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp, Day 1

2007-06-27T21:27:00.003+10:00

The goals of the Beautify CNMI Micronesia Summer Camp are to introduce kids to conservation issues, the Micronesia Challenge, and environmental careers.

We had a very successful Day 1.

Kathy Yuknavage, Natural Resource Planner at CRM and MINA Secretary, helped us kick off the week long camp by making a presentation on the terrestrial portion of the Micronesia Challenge. She talked to the students about the 20%, how much land the CNMI already has in protected areas, and how much of that land is in forested areas.

She also made a presentation on the Walk It, Don’t Drive It Campaign. The students learned about the different reasons not to D.R.I.VE. on the beach: Driving on the beach Drips oil, creates Ruts, Impacts the sand, and kills Vegetation.

After the presentations by Kathy we did an energizer/ice breaker. We played boffer tag.

Our first activity was an experiment to determine how many germs are on our hands when we eat. We took a slice of bread and had someone handle it who hadn’t washed their hands. We put the bread slice in a zip lock bag and put it aside. We repeated this with slices of bread that had been handled by someone who had washed their hands with water only, who had washed their hands with soap and water, and who had washed their hands with hand sanitizer only. We also repeated the experiment with someone who had used soap & water, but who had only lathered for 10 seconds, 30 seconds, one minute, two minutes, and three minutes.

We'll take a look at them again on Friday.

We are going to record some environmental PSAs for the local radio station on Thursday. We gave the kids some time to start writing them. Some of the students are writing scripts, some are writing songs, and others just wrote first person dialogues.

Then we used a chemistry kit that taught the kids about the scientific method. It came with known and unknown chemical liquids that when mixed, changed color. The students mixed the known liquids and made observations of the changes. Then using those results, they tried to determine the content of the unknown liquids.

In typical Beautify CNMI fashion, lunch was provided on a shoestring budget. We fed the kids P&J sandwiches, apples, and water.

After lunch, Brad Doerr, a MINA member and local retiree, came in to talk to the students about tree care & propagation. He brought in different samples of soil, showing them the difference between sand, clay, limestone, and organic soil. He showed the kids how to plant a seed, showing them how seeds can be many different sizes. He also brought in some month old Flame Tree saplings and showed the students how to transfer trees from a smaller pot to a larger one.

He also showed them how he uses organic waste to create compost at his house in As Matuis.

After lunch we had a few more energizers (stolen from the clubmates at PIC) and then did a project on watershed pollution. Bree laid out four large sheets of white paper and then drew a non-linear line down the length of the paper, separating what would eventually be land and water.

She broke the students into four groups and had them paint on the ocean and the land, painting in the type of development they would like to see on the land. The students drew houses, agriculture, roads, hotels, ponding basins (!), pastures, and even a horse farm.

When they were finished we put the four posters back together and discussed how the different types of development would affect the marine environment and how one poster would affect the others. The kids were able to identify that the agriculture would result in pesticides and fertilizers running into the water, that the roads would result in erosion and increased runoff, and so on and so on.

Mylene also wrote about Day 1 on her blog, Mylene Rocks.

Micronesia Challenge Summer Camp

2007-06-24T21:10:00.000+10:00

For students going into 7th grade and up.

Where: Hopwood Junior High Room D4

Time: 9:00-3:00

Activities: Field trips, service projects, Managaha, fun, fun, fun.

ITS FREE!!!!!

Call 237-3477 for more information

Garapan Clean Up

2007-06-19T19:43:00.000+10:00

Here are some pictures of the last activity the Garapan School Junior Honor Society did before most of them were promoted. They will be joining the ranks of Jr. High School kids soon, and they've already gotten a good dose of community responsibility in them. I'll be expecting greater things from them as they move into their new campus homes. Thank you Mallards, now soar!

Save Club Summer Camp

2007-06-11T18:20:00.000+10:00

Do you live in Saipan? If you do, then you know how the economy and environment is. I’m pretty sure that you don’t like how it’s looking right now, am I right? Don’t you ever feel like you should do something about it? But was just afraid because you think just because you are young that people won’t listen to you? Well here is your chance; Hopwood Jr. High School’s Student Action for a Viable Environment (S.A.V.E) Club is opening their club to an island wide environmental club. Where you will be recognized, teamed up with Beautify CNMI, do really cool projects, and go to field trips around the island.

Why join? Because like myself, I hate how the adults don’t open up their eyes and see what’s happening to our environment. I want to make a difference and make Saipan a much more healthy and beautiful looking island. While I’m still living here, why not doing something about the problems then complaining about it, right? So if you hate how things are going in the island and want to do something about it, this is the club to join. Don’t be afraid, this club has been going on for 1 year now and we have accomplished so many and done a lot.

Our club will be starting in the end of June from the 25th to the 30th. The club will be meeting at Hopwood Junior High School, Room D4. Our lovely adviser is Hopwood’s Team E science teacher Mrs. Bree Reynolds. We will be meeting from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Permission slips will be given on the first day of camp.

We will not be in the classroom during the whole camp. We have some special dates plan, they are:

-June 26: P.I.C. Workshop with Fish & Wildlife
-June 29: Service Project at American Memorial Park
-June 29-30: A possible Campout at Managaha

I hope you consider joining our club. This is your opportunity to get wild, dirty, and involved during the summer!

Thank you,
Mylene Marie Balisalisa
S.A.V.E. Club President

Takin It To the Streets

2007-05-28T00:23:00.000+10:00

Several students from Ms. Bree's science classes took their Micronesia Challenge displays to the street market in Garapan, to educate the public about sea turtles, the benefits of sea grass, minimizing boat pollution, and how to protect coral reefs.

1,350 lbs of TRASH

2007-05-28T00:20:00.000+10:00

8th grade students from Hopwood's Team E, collected over 1,300 lbs of trash last week on a field trip to Tank Beach. The students started their trip at the Kagman Education Island (man made wetlands used for run off control and education) where they learned how wetlands help protect coral reefs.

Look what we've done!

2007-05-14T19:16:00.000+10:00

A song/video that everyone should hear. You will feel bad, think really hard, and maybe even cry like I did. This video shows what is happening in our world. All the problems and the mess that we are going through. It shows and pretty much explains: Global Warming, Wars, Starvation, etc. It is showing what once was our Earth but now turned into something horrible! What are me doing in life? Destroying the planet we live in? LOOK, JUST LOOK! LOOK WHAT WE'VE DONE!

What I've Done

By: Linkin Park

Or watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sgycukafqQ

HELPING THE CORAL REEF SURVIVE

2007-05-11T19:51:00.001+10:00

Cleaning the beaches and picking up the trash along the shores of Saipan is a big help for our lving corals here in the tropic. Picking a piece of trash won't hurt us it helps the coral reefs.So please when you have a party or picnic at the beach, please don't forget to pick up the trash around your area and throw at a proper place, like the trash bin, so the animals in the ocean would be there for the next generations through out the years.

Heres a slide show of what some ways you can can do to help the coral reefs and what waste we throw in the ocean..

Posted By: Mark Nhoevert P. SanJuan,John Lorenz DelRosario,Irene Villanueva, Reinhold ferrer, Andrew Delos Reyes, Min Woo Kim.

2007-04-20T23:14:00.000+10:00

WooT! Beautify CNMI is 1 year's old and was given an award from the EPA for helping make the environment of the CNMI cleaner and healthier. S.A.V.E. club members Sami Birmingham-Babauta, Mylene Balisalisa and Litcelle Parahan, pose with Rep. Cinta Kaipat at the 1st Anniversary Banquet. S.A.V.E. Club Advisor and 8th grade science teacher Bree Reynolds, received the Govenor's Beautify CNMI Environmental Champion Award for her work with youth and the environment.

2007-03-15T14:00:00.000+10:00

Madisa Onni
Mercy Palacios
Kathleen Laurio
Mylene Balisalisa
Sami Birmingham-Babauta

Chapter 3

Section 1:

Land Biomes

*Vocabulary:

1) Biome: a large region chracterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal coummunities.
2) Savanna: a grassland that often has scattered trees and that is found in tropical and subtropical areas where seasonal rains, fires, and drought happen.
3) Tundra: a treeless plain found in the Artic, in the Antartic or on the tops of mountains that is characterized by very low winter temperatures and short, cool summers.

*Objectives:

1)Distinguish between abiotic Factors and biotic factors in biomes.
Abiotic factors are nonliving parts of an enviroment. (soil, water, and climate)
Biotic factors are the living factors of an enviroment. (plants and animals)

2)Identify seven land biomes on Earth.
1.Forests
2.Rain Forests
3.Deserts
4.Tundras
5.Polar tundras
6.Grasslands
7.Savannas

Section 2:

Marine Ecosystems

*Vocabulary:

1) Plankton: the mass of mostly mircoscopic organisms that float or drift freely in freshwater and marine environments.
2) Estuary: an area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.

*Objectives:

1) List three abiotic factors that shape marine ecosystems.
1.water temperature
2.water depth
3.the amount of light that passes into the water.

2) Describe four major ocean zones.
1. Intertidal zone: is the place where the ocean meets the land.
2. Neritic zone: father away from shore where the water becomes deeper.
3. Oceanic zone: the sea floor drops sharply.
4. Benthic zone: the ocean floor.

3) Describe five marine ecosystems. 1. Intertidal areas: are areas found near the shore. 2. Coral reefs: are found in warm, shallow areas made up of small animals. 3. Estuaries: an area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean. 4. Sargasso Sea: if found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. 5. Polar ice: the Artic Ocean and the ocean around Antarctia.

Section 3:

Freshwater Ecosystem

*Vocabulary:

1. Littoral zone: the shallow zone of a lake or pond where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants.
2. Open-water zone: the zone of a pond or lake that extends from the littoral zone and that is only as deep as light can reach.
3. Deep-water zone: the zone of a lake or pond below the open-water zone, where no light reaches.
4. Wetland: an area of land that is periodically underwater or whose soil contains a great deal of moisture.
5. Marsh: a treeless wetland ecosystem where plants such as grasses grow.
6. Swamp: a wetland ecosystem in which shrubs and trees grow.

*Objectives:

1) Describe one aboitic factor that affects freshwater ecosystems.
An important abiotic factor in freshwater ecosystem is how quickly water moves.

2) Describe the three zones of a lake.
1. Littoral zone: the area water closest to the edges of a lake or a pond.
2. Open-water zone: the area of a lake or pond that extends from the littoral zone across the top of the water.
3. Deep-water zone: beneath the open-water zone where no sunlight reaches.

3) Describe two wetland ecosystems
1. Marsh: a treeless wetland ecosystem where plants such as grasses grow.
2. Swamp: a wetland ecosystem in which trees and vines grow.

4) Explain how a lake becomes a forest.
Sediments and decaying plants and animal matter build up in a pond. Over time, the pond may fill completely and become a forest.

2007-03-14T16:44:00.000+10:00

Rachelle R., Ernesto H., Merabel B., and Jocelyn S., Arnicia K., Jolyn Saures.

Chapter 5: Energy Resources

Section 1: Natural Resources

Vocabulary Words:

1. Natural Resources- any natural material used by humans.
2. Renewable Resources- a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed.
3. Nonrenewable Resource- a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate at which it is consumed.
4. Recycling- the process of recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap; the process of reusing some items.

Objectives:

1. Describe how humans use resources
Humans drink (water); get shade (trees), and most resources are changed into products to make people’s lives more comfortable.
2. Compare renewable resources with nonrenewable resources
Renewable resources are resources that can be replaced at the same time it is consumed, while nonrenewable resources can be replaced, but in a slower time.
3. Explain three ways that humans can conserve natural resources
Using what is only needed, taking care of it, and recycling can conserve natural resources.

Section 2: Fossil Fuels

Vocabulary Words:

1. Fossil Fuels- a nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived long ago.
2. Petroleum- a liquid mixture of complex hydrocarbon compounds.
3. Natural Gas- a gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons.
4. Coal- a fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material.
5. Acid Precipitation- rain, sleet, or snow that has a high concentration of acids, often because of air pollutants.
6. Smog- photochemical haze that forms when sunlight acts on industrial pollutants and burning fuels.

Objectives:

1. Describe what energy resources are
Energy resources are natural resources that humans use to generate energy.
2. Identify three different forms of fossil fuels
Liquid, gaseous, and solid fossil fuels.
3. Explain how fossil fuels forms
Fossil fuels form by the remains of animals and plants
4. Describe how fossil fuels are found and obtained
They are found in different parts of the world. Fossil Fuels are obtained by drilling oil wells, mining below Earth’s surface, and strip mining.
5. Identify four problems with fossil fuels
Acid precipitation, smog, water pollution, and the destruction of wildlife habitat are some of the environmental problems that are created by the use of fossil fuels.

Section 3: Alternative Resources

Vocabulary Words:

1. Nuclear Energy- the energy released by a fission or fusion reaction; the binding energy of the atomic nucleus.
2. Chemical Energy- energy released when a chemical compound reacts to produce new compounds.
3. Solar Energy- energy received by the Earth from the sun in the form of radiation.
4. Wind Power- the use of windmill to drive an electric generator.
5. Hydroelectric Energy- electrical energy produced by falling water.
6. Biomass- organic matter that can be a source of energy.
7. Gasohol- mixture of gasoline that is used as a fuel.
8. Geothermal Energy- energy produced by heat within the Earth.

Objectives:

1. Describe alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Most of your energy needs and the energy needs of others.
2. List advantages and disadvantages of using alternative energy resources

Some advantages to alternatives are that they don’t create pollution. Some disadvantages are that the supplies are so expensive to buy like the solar cells and solar collectors. Radioactive wastes, extremely high temperatures are required, wind cannot be generated in all areas, hydroelectric is cheap, but only available in some places, some doesn’t meet all our energy needs, and geothermal energy is only available in some areas, are the disadvantages of alternatives.

2007-03-14T08:37:00.000+10:00

James Dugan and Patrick Dowai

Chapter 3 Section 3

FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS

Chapter 3 Vocabulary

Littoral Zone-The area of water closest to the egde of a lake or pond.

Open-Water Zone- Area of lake or pond that extends from the littoral zone goes deep as sunlight can reach.
Deepwater Zone- Beneath the open water zone.
Wetland- An area of land that's sometimes underwater or who's soil contains a great deal of moisture.
Swamp- Wetland ecosystem in which trees and vines grow.
Marsh- Treeless wetland ecosystem where plants, such as grasses grow.

*Objectives

*Describe one abiotic factor that affects freshwater ecosystems.
An important abiotic factor in freshwater ecosystem is how quickly water moves.
*Decribe the three zones of a lake.

The three zones of a pond or lake are the littoral zone, the open-water zone, and the deep-water zone.

*Describe two wetland ecosystem.
A treeless wetland ecosystem where plants, such as grasses, grow is called a marsh.
*Explain how a lake becomes a forest.
Sediments and decaying plant and animal matter build up in a pond. Over time, the pond may fill completely and become a forest.

2007-03-13T14:37:00.000+10:00

Wilden Mangahis

Javier Castro
Windy Orcine
Marianne Ejercito
Donalyn Rosal
Diego Camacho

Chapter 1, Section 1: Everything is Connected

Objectives:

1)Distinguish between the biotic and abiotic parts of the environment.

*Biotic parts of the environment are all the organisms that live together and interact with one another. Abiotic parts of the environment are the non-living things such as water, soil, light, and temperature.

2)Explain how populations and communities are related.

*Population is a group of individuals of the same species that live together and community consist of all of the same populations of species that live and interact in an area.population is technically in community.

3)Describe how the abiotic parts of the environment affect ecosystems.

*Temperature,precipitation, and soil characteristics affect the organisms. For example, the rivers that empty into the salt marsh carry nutrients, such as nitrogen from the land. Those nutrients affect the growth of the cord grass and algae. this will block the oxygen and kill the fish.

Vocabulary Key Terms:

1)Ecology: The studie of the interaction of living organisms with one another and with their environment.

2)Biotic: Describes living factors in the environment.

3)Abiotic: Describes the non-living part of the environment including water, rocks, light, and tenperature.

4)Population: A group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area.

5)Community: A population of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other.

6)Ecosystem: A community of organisms and their aboitic environment.

7)Biosphere: The part on Earth where life exists.

Chapter 1: Section 2

Windy Orcine

Marianne Ejercito
3rd period

Objectives:

Describe the functions of producers, consumers, and decomposers in the ecosystem.Producers use sunlight directly to make food. consumers eat other organisms for food. Decomposers get energy by breakin down dead organisms. They remove stored energy from dead organisms.

Distinguish between a food chain and a food web.

A food chain is a diagram that shows how energy infood flows from one organism to another, a food web is a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.

Explain how energy flows through a food web.

Energy moves from one organism to another in a one way direction. Any energy immediately used by an oganism is stored in its tissues.

Describe how the removal of one species affects the entire food web.

If any species that kills an old, injured, and diseased organism, and that organism has a smaller population, it is letting all other species increase.

Key Terms:

Herbivore- an organism that eats only plants.
Carnivore- an organism that eats animals.
Omnivore- an organism that eats both plants and animals.
Food Chain- the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms.
Food Web- a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.
Energy Pyramid- a diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy.

2007-03-13T14:00:00.000+10:00

Ben Lizama, Renz Iglesias George Salas, Vincent Agulto

Chapter 4

Section 1

Vocabulary:
Pollution:is an unwanted change in the environment caused by substances,such as wastes or forms of energy,such as radiation.
Renewable Resource:is one that can be used over and over or has an unlimited supply.
Non-Renewable Resource: A resource that forms at a rate that is much slower that the rate at which it is consumed.
Over-Population:The presence of two individuals in an area for the available resources.
Biodiversity:Every habitat has it's own number and variety of organisms.

Objectives:
1.List 5 kinds of pollutants?volcanic eruptions,garbage,fertilizer and algae,oil
2.Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources?Renewable resource can be used over and over but non renewable resource can't.
3.Describe the impact of exotic species?Exotic species often thrive in new places. One reason is that they are free from predators found in their native homes.Exotic species can become pests and compete with native species.
4.Explain why human population growth has increased?Advances in medicinessuch as immunizations, and advances in farming.
5.Describe how habitat destruction affects biodiversity?If a habitat is damaged or destroyed, biodiversity is lost.
6.Give two examples of how pollution affects humans?
-Polluted air affects people with respiratory problems
-Waters could be polluted and people can get sick

Section 2

Vocabulary:
1.Conservation-the preservation and wise use of natural resources.
2.Recycling-the process of recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap.

Objectives:
1.Explain the importance of conservation. Helps wise use of natural resources. Reduces pollution, ensures that resources will be available in the future, and protect habitats.
2.Describe the 3 R's. Reduce- using fewer resources, Reuse- using materials over and over,Recycle-the recovery of materials from waste.
3.Explain how biodiversity can be maintained. If there is only one kind of tree in the forest the disease hits that species, te whole forest could die.
4.List 5 environmental strategies. Reduce pollution, Reduce pesticide use, Protect habitats,Learn about local issues,Develop alternative energy sources.

2007-03-13T13:07:00.000+10:00

Mark Nhoevert P. SanJuan
John Lorenz Del Rosario
Irene Villanueva
Reinhold Ferrer

Section 1

Vocabularies

1. Evaporation- The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas.

2. Condensation- The change of a state from a gas to a liquid.

3. Precipitation- Any form of water that falls to the Earth’s surface from the clouds.

4. Decomposition- The breakdown of substances into simpler molecular substances.

5. Combustion- The burning of a substance

Objectives

1. Diagram the water cycle and explain its importance to the living thing.
-First the water evaporates into the then is condenses in the clouds then later it turns into rain(precipitation) that falls into land again.

2. Diagram the carbon cycle and explain it’s importance to living things.
-Without water there would be no Earth. Also the environment exchanges carbon.

3. Diagram the nitrogen cycle and explain ot’s importance to living things
-Nitrogen os important to organisms because they build protein and DNA for new cells.

Section 2
Vocabularies

1. Succession- the replacement of one type of community by another at a single place over a period of time.

2. Pioneer Species-A species that colonizes an uninhabited area and the starts a process of succession.
Objectives

1. Describe the process of succession.
- The process of succession takes place in all communities not just those effected by disturbances such as forest fire.

2. Contrast primary and secondary succession.
- Primary succession- the rock is slowly transformed into soil.
- Secondary succession-the original community may regrow through a series of stage.

3. Explain how mature communities develop.
-Mature community develop by the number single organisms live in a community.

-

2007-03-13T13:02:00.000+10:00

Litcelle Parahan

Chapter 2 Section 1

Vocabulary:

Evaporation- The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas.
Condensation- The change of state from a gas to a liquid.
Precipitation- Any form of water that falls to the Earth's surface from the clouds.
Decomposition- The breakdown of sudstances molecule substances.
Combustion- The burning of a substance.

Objectives:

- Diagram the Water cycle and explain its importance to living things.
* The Water cycle is important to living things because it shows us how animals get water to drink and how water can be used in other certain ways.
- Digram the Carbon cycle and explain its importance to living things.
*The Cardon cycle gives out oxygen and carbodioxide animals use to breathe in and it helps their heart pump more blood so they stay alive just like us humans.
-Diagram the Nitrogen cycle and explain its impotance to living thngs.
* the Nitrogen cycle is also important to animals because the Nitrogen cycle helps plants produce and and reproduce dead animals which dice out more nitrogen in the air, bacteria is an important part in the Nitrogen cycle..

Chapter 2 Section 2

Vocabulary:

Succession- The replacement of one type of community by another at a single place over a period of time.
Pioneer species- A species that colonizes an uninhabited area and that starts a procces os succession.

Objectives:

- Descride the proccess of succession.
* Succession is a gradual development of a community over time, such as the regrowth of the burned areas of Yelow Stone National Park. It helps recycle and reused burned trees and other forest environment.
- Contrast primary and secondary succession.

- Explain how mature communities develope.

2007-03-13T12:31:00.000+10:00

jennica&marjoire&swanson
chapter3
section3

Terms/Definition
1.Littoral zone- shallow zone of a lake or pond where light reaches the bottom and nurture plant.
2. Open water zone-the zone of a pond or lake that extend from the littoral zone and that is only as deep as light can reach.
3.Deep water zone-the zone of a lake or pond below thaw open water zone where no light reach.
4.Wetland-an area of land that is periodically underwater or whose soil contain a great deal of moisture.
5.marsh- a treeless wetland ecosystem where plant such as grass grow
6.swamp- a wetland ecosystem in which shrubs and tree grow.

Objectives/question& answer
*Describe one abiotic factor that affect freshwater ecosystem-,when fast water move fast moss are attached to rocks that affect the freshwater in the ecosystem.
*Describe the tree zone of lake.-(1)littoral is the shallow zone(2)deep water extend from the littoral zone(3)deep water is where no light is.
*Describe 2 wetland ecosystem.-(1) marsh is a treeless where plant such as grass grow(2)swamp is a forest where plant such as shrub and tree grow.
*Explain how a lake becomes a forest.- a body of water carries neutrals settle in the bottom of a lake which grows planet and become a forest

2007-03-13T11:49:00.000+10:00

Chapter 1 Section 1
Joylien John, keoni Lizama, Eddy Manalili

Vocab

ecology- The study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment

biotic- describes the living factors in the environment

abiotic- Describes the non-living part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature

population- A group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area

community- All the populations of species that live in the same habbitat and interact with each other

ecosystem- A community of organisms and their abiotic environment

biosphere- The part of earth where life exists

Objectives

Distiguish the difference between the biotic and abiotic parts of the environment.
-biotic parts are living things that can interact with each other but abiotic parts are the non-living things

Expalin how populations and communities are related.
-They both consist of species that live ina specific area

Describe how the abiotic parts of the environment affect ecosystems.
-If there is no water most organisms will not survive.

2007-03-13T11:40:00.000+10:00

Jesse Palacios and Natasha Villagomez 4th period

Chapter 4: section 2:

Vocabs:

1. conservation- is the presevation and wise use of natural resources.
2. recycling- is the recovery of materials from waste.

Objectives:

Explain the importance of conservation.
-Because conserving resources is important so that we don't waste.

Describe the three R's.
-Reduce-lower down
-Reuse-to use again
-Recycle-recovery of materials from waste.

Explain how biodiversity can be maintained.
-Don't make forest or plants have diseases.

List five enviromental strategies.
-Reduce pollution
-Reduce pesticide use
-Protect habitats
-Learn about local issues
-Develop alternative energy sources

2007-03-13T11:03:00.000+10:00

Environmental Problems & Solutions
Chapter 4: Environmental Problems & Solutions[
Sheralin Guerrero, Camille Torres, Carla Smith, & Dino Palacios]

section one.
*Vocabulary.
1) Pollution: an unwanted change in the environment caused by substances or forms of energy.
2) Renewable resource: A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which it is consumed.
3)Nonrenewable resource: a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate that it is consumed..
4.) Overpopulation: The presence of too many individuals in an area for the available resources.
5.) Biodiversity: Number of a variety or oranisms in a given area during a specific period of time.

*Objectives.
1.)5 Pollutants: Garbage, Chemicals, HIgh Powered wastes, Gases. & wastes
2.)Renewable can be renewed. It can come back over time, but nonrenewable can't.
3.) They can become pests and compete with native species.
4.) Because the population can't get enough of what is needed.
5.) Habitat destruction can lead to soil erosion water pollution, abd decreased biodiversity
6.) Harms the environment we live in and harms humans.

Section two.
*Vocabulary.
1.)conservation: the preservation and wise use of natural resources.
2.)Recycling: The process of receiving valueable or useful materials from waste or scrap.

*Objectives.
1.) Conservation helps reduce pollution , ensures that resources will be available in the future, and protects habitats.
2.)Reduce: use fewer resources. reuse using products over and over .recycle: recover of materials from waste.
3.)its vital for maintaining healthy ecosystems.
4.)Recycling pollution, reducing pesticides, protecting habitats, enforce the endangered Species Act, and developing alternative energy resources

2007-03-13T10:10:00.000+10:00

Mikilynna Naputi, Maxinia Ulloa, Desirae John, Debra John, Coralynn Taitano
2nd period// Homeroom:E4/ Mr.Uhl

Chapter 2

Section 1 Vocabulary:

~Evaporation: the change of a substance frrom a liquid to a gas.
~Condensation: the change of state from a gaas to a liquid.
~Precipitation: any forms of water that falls to the earths surface from the clouds.
~decomposition: the breakdown of substances into simpler molecules substances.
~combustions: the burning of a substance.

OBJECTIVES:

- Diagram the water cycle, and explain its importance to living things...
~It is important because of the movement of water between the oceans, atmosphere,land, and living things.

-Diagramthe carbon cycle, and explain its importance to living things...
~Its the most common molecules, or molecules that contain no carbon.

-Diagram the nitrogen cycle, and explain its importance to living things...
~Organisms need nitrogen to build proteins for DNA for new cells.

SECTION REVIEW:
~Evaporation is the change of substances from a liquid to a gas, and a condensation is the change of state from gas to liquid.

~Decomposition is the breakdown of substances and combustion is burning of a substancce.

~D. Is a form of decomposition.

~The movement of water between the oceans, atmosphere, land, and living things, is known as the carbon cycle.

~4.4 liters, 1404.0 liters a year.

~It gets back to a cycle when it decomposes...

SECTION 2:

Vocabulary:

~Succession:The repalcement of one type of community by another at a single over a period of time.

~Pioneer species:A species that colonizes an uninhamitant area and that starts a processs of sucession.

Objectives:
*Describe the process of succession.
*Contrast primary and secondary succession.
*Explain how mature communities develop.
*Go through regrowth of a forest, primary sucession, scondary cucession, than lastly matute communities and biodeversity.
*Primary succession is when a rock slowly turns to soil, and secondarysuccesion is when original communities groe through a series of stages.
*Maturecommunitiessimply has organism that are well adapted to live together in the same area over time.

Section review:
1.When an old community gets taken care of by a single place over a period of time.
2.A primary succession
3.First it gets burned,then it regrows.(regrowths)
4.It has a organism that are well adpted to the place . Mature community may not always be a forest.
5.About 58%
6.Have organism, and its less likely to be destroyed.
7.Cause that when things start ti grow, and soil formation never stops.

Chapter REVIEW:
1.decomposition
2.succession
3.evaporation
4.combustion
5.precipitation
6.condensation
7.condensation
8.it never reetens the water cycle
9.combusition
10.animals
11.nitrogen fixation
12.lichens
13.The apperance of lichens and mosses in an area were a glacier has recently melted away.
14.crabgrass
15.ocean,forest,land,andrivers,and streams.Lakes
16.watercycle
17.decomposition
18.oxygen,air
19.nitrogem,air
20.When a rock slowly tranform to soil. when a community regrows.
21.
22.Yes, because it melts and forms water .
23..Ocean- Evaporation, the watercycle.
24.There would be no rain, an the land would be dry.
25.The earth woould be clean and watever needs it would die.
26. Because they mow it not burn it.
27.Not all.
28. D.
29.20-50L a day.

2007-03-13T08:42:00.000+10:00

Rich Pabalan, Mayumi Nakazato, Melvin Keller, Sheryl Alarzar, Rocco Reyes

Chapter 3 Section 1: Land Biomes
Vocab:
Biome - A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities.

Savanna - A grassland that has scattered trees and seasonal rains.

Deserts - A biome that is dry and often very hot.

Tundra - A biome that gas very cold tempretures and a litle rainfall.

Objectives:
1. Plants and animals.
2. Forest, savanna, desert, tundra, grasslands, tropical rainforest, and mountains.

Section Review:
1. The tundra is a biome.
2. Savannas have diffrent tempretures than deserts.
3. A
4. D
5. Forest, savanna, desert, tundra, grassland, ptropical forest, and mountains.
6. Plants and animals.
7. That biome is moving in it.
8. No. Because they have diffrent amounts.
9. The tundra gets 50 cm each year.
10. Deserts only get little amounts but savannas get alot of amounts of rain.

Chapter 3 Section 2: Marine Ecosystems
Vocab:
Plankton - Tiny organisms that float near the surface of the water.

Estuary - An area where fresh water from streams and river spill into the ocean.

Objectives:
1. This factors include water tempreture, water depth, and amount of sunlight that passes into the water.
2. Intertidal zone, Neritic Zone, Oceanic Zone, and Benthic Zone.
3. Intertidal areas, cordleafs, estuaries, the sergasso sea, and polar ice.

Section Review:
1. Planktons are mostly found in estuaries.
2. B
3. Surface Zone, thermoline, and deep-water zones.
4. Intertidal zone, netric zone, oceanic zone, and benthic zone.
5. Intertidal areas, reeds, estuaries, sargosas sea, and polar ice.
6. 220 million square killometer.
7. They could just hide under the sand.
8. ain the darkness and deep-water zones.
9. It varies by size.

Chapter 3 Section 3: Freshwater Ecosystems
Vocab:
Littoral Zone- The area of water closest to the edge of a lake or pond.

Open-Water Zone - The area of a lake or pond that extends to the closest edge.

Deep-Water Zone - The zone of a lake or pond that cannot get light.

Wetland - An area of land that is periodically under water and the soil has moisture.

Marsh - A treeless wetland ecosystem where plants such as grasses grow.

Swamp - A wetland ecosystem which shrubs and trees grow.

Objectives:
1. River Ecosystems.
2. Open-water zone, deep-water zone, and littoral zone.
3. Stream and Rivers
4. The plants just comes out of the bottom of the river.

Section Review:
1. The wetland differs from a marsh and a swamp.
2. D
3. Open-water zone, Deep-water zone, and littoral zone.
4. The lake has something in the water to make it grow.
5. 90 Meters.
6. The oxygen is in the pond and is very little to the fish and they die.
7. Ducks will come and live on the pond.

2007-03-12T19:32:00.000+10:00

*Shane Golingo, Florence Canonoy, Eric Maratita, Jonathan Sugutan, Summer Palacios, Maria Reyes
5th Period
Homeroom: Mr. Ferarri E-6

Chapter 1 - Interactions Of Living Things

Section 1 - Everything Is Connected

Vocabulary

1.) Ecology - the study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment.

2.) Biotic - describes living factors in the environment.

3.) Abiotic - describes the non-living part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature.

4.) Population - a group of individuals of the same species that live together.

5.) Community - consists of all the populations of species that live and interact in an area

6.) Ecosystem - a community of organisms and their abiotic environment.

7.) Biosphere - the part of Earth where life exists.

Objectives

*Distinguish between the biotic and abiotic parts of the envionment.
Biotic describes living factors in the environment, while abiotic describes the non-living part of the environment.

*Explain how population and communities are related.
They both consist of species that are grouped together and interact in a certain area where they belong.

*Describe how the abiotic parts of the environment affect ecosystems.
It's part of the ecosystem and describes the non-living part of the environment.

Section 2 - Living Things Need Energy

Vocabulary

1.) Herbivore - a consumer that eats only plants.

2.) Carnivore - a consumer that eats animals.

3.) Omnivore - consumers that eats both plants and animals.

4.) Food Chain - a diagram that shows how energy in food flows from one organism to another.

5.) Food Web - a diagram that shows the feeding relatonships between organisms in an ecosystem.

6.) Energy Pyramid - a diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy.

Objectives
*Describe the functions of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem
The functions of producers in an ecosystem is that they get food from the sunlight in a process called photosynthesis. The function of consumers in an ecosystem is that they eat of the producers to get energy for themselves because they cant make food from sunlight. The function of decomposers in an ecosystem is that they break down dead organisms to get energy.

*Distinguish between a food chain and a food web
The difference between a food chain and a food web is that a food chain shows how energy food flows through organisms and a food web shows he feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.

*Explain how energy flows through a food web.
Energy flows through a food web.

*Describe how the removal of one species affects the entire food web.
All organisms in a food web are important for the health and balance of all other organisms in the food web. If ever one specie of the food chain removes, many other specie in the food chain will die and be affected.

Section 3 - Types Of Interactions

Vocabulary

1.) Carrying Capacity - the largest population that an environment can support.

2.) Prey - the organism that is eaten.

3.) Preadator - the organism that eats the prey.

4.) Symbosis - is a close, long-term association between two or more species.

5.) Mutualism - a relationship between two species in which both species benefit.

6.) Commensalism - a symbotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.

7.) Paratism - a symbotic association in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed.

8.) Coevolution - when a long-term change takes place in two species because of their close interactions with one another.

Objectives

*Explain the relationship between carrying capacity and limiting factors,
It both deals with population and explains how a population grows or affects the resources of an environment.

*Describe the two types of competition.
Two types of competition are the predator and the prey. The prey is the organism that gets eaten and the predator is the organism that eats the prey.

*Distinguish between mutualism, commensalism, and paratism. Give an example of coevolution.
Mutualism is a symbotic relationship between two species in which both species benefit, a commensalism is when one organism benefits and the other is harmed, and a paratism is the same but with a symbotic association.

2007-03-12T19:27:00.001+10:00

Posted by: Judy Camacho, Barney Travilla, Anthony Rabago, Coquina Teregeyo

Chapter 1: Interaction of Living Things

Section 1: Everything is Connected

Vocabulary
*ecology: the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment.
*biotic: describe living factors in the environment.
*abiotic: describe the non-living parts of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature.
*population: a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area.
*community: all the populations of species that in live in the same habitat and interact with each other.
*ecosystem: a community if organisms and their abiotic environment.
*biosphere: the part of the earth where life exist.

Objective
*Biotic and abiotic are both important to the environment for many reasons.
*The community consist pollution.
*The pollutions the abiotic cause.

Section 2: Living Things Needs Energy

Vocabulary
*herbivore: an organism that eats only plants.
*carnivore: an organism that eats animals.
*omnivore: an organism that eats both plants and animals.
*food chain: the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organism.
*energy pyramid: a diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy.

Objectives
*(1)Producers are needed sunlight. (2)Consumers eats other organism. (3)Decomposers get energy by breaking down dead organism.
*They are diagrams that shows how the animals are important to other animals.
*When one animal eats another and another eats the animal.
*If the species dies, the animal that eats that species dies and the the thing will happen to the other animal that eats that animal.

Section 3: Types of Interaction

Vocabulary
*carrying capacity: the largest population that an environment can support at any given time.
*prey: an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism.
*predator: an organism that eats all or parts of another organism.
*symbiosis: a close, long term association between two or more species.
*mutualism: a relationship between two species in which both species benefits.
*commensalism: a relation between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.
*paralitism: a symiotic association in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed.
*coevolution: when a long term change takes place in two species because of their close interactions with one another.

Objectives
*Limiting factors are resources that are scarce and the carrying capacity is the largest population in the environment.
*The animals compete who get it first.
*They are all symbiosis. Coevolution is when a long term is changed.

2007-03-12T19:27:00.000+10:00

Chapter 1: Interaction of Living Things

Section 1: Everything is Connected

Vocabulary
*ecology: the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment.
*biotic: describe living factors in the environment.
*abiotic: describe the non-living parts of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature.
*population: a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area.
*community: all the populations of species that in live in the same habitat and interact with each other.
*ecosystem: a community if organisms and their abiotic environment.
*biosphere: the part of the earth where life exist.

Objective
*Biotic and abiotic are both important to the environment for many reasons.
*The community consist pollution.
*The pollutions the abiotic cause.

Section 2: Living Things Needs Energy

Vocabulary
*herbivore: an organism that eats only plants.
*carnivore: an organism that eats animals.
*omnivore: an organism that eats both plants and animals.
*food chain: the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organism.
*energy pyramid: a diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy.

Objectives
*(1)Producers are needed sunlight. (2)Consumers eats other organism. (3)Decomposers get energy by breaking down dead organism.
*They are diagrams that shows how the animals are important to other animals.
*When one animal eats another and another eats the animal.
*If the species dies, the animal that eats that species dies and the the thing will happen to the other animal that eats that animal.

Section 3: Types of Interaction

Vocabulary
*carrying capacity: the largest population that an environment can support at any given time.
*prey: an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism.
*predator: an organism that eats all or parts of another organism.
*symbiosis: a close, long term association between two or more species.
*mutualism: a relationship between two species in which both species benefits.
*commensalism: a relation between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.
*paralitism: a symiotic association in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed.
*coevolution: when a long term change takes place in two species because of their close interactions with one another.

Objectives
*Limiting factors are resources that are scarce and the carrying capacity is the largest population in the environment.
*The animals compete who get it first.
*They are all symbiosis. Coevolution is when a long term is changed.

Posted by: Judy Camacho, Barney Travilla, Anthony Rabago, Coquina Teregeyo

2007-03-12T13:51:00.000+10:00

Chapter 5 Energy Resources:

Vocabulary:

1.) Renewable resources- a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate atwhich the resource is consumed.

2.) Geothermal energy- the energy produced by heat within the Earth.

3.) Biomass- organic matter that can be a source of energy; the total mass of organisms in a given area.

4.) Hydroelectric energy- electric energy produced by falling water.

5.) Solar energy- the energy received by the Earth from the sun in the form of radiation.

6.) Wind power- the use of a windmill to drive an electric generator.

7.) Conservation- the preservation and wise use of natural resources.

8.) Nonrenewable resource- a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower that the rate at which it is consumed.

9.) Fossil fuels- a nonrenewable energy source that is formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago.

10.) Petroleum- a liquid mixture of complex hydrocarbon compounds; used as fuel source.

11.) Natural gas- a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbon located under the surface of the Earth, often near the petroleum deposits; used as a fuel.

12.) Gasohol- a mixture of gasoline and alcohol that is used as a fuel.

13.) Coal- a fossil fuel that forms underground form partially decomposed plant material.

14.) Acid precipitation– rain, sleet, or snow that contains a high concentration of acids.

15.) Smog- photochemical haze that forms when sunlight acts on industrial pollutants and burning fuels.

16.) Pollution- an unwanted change in the environment that is caused by harmful substances, wastes, gases, noise or radiation.

17.) Recycling- the process of recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap; the process of reusing some items.

18.) Natural resource- any natural material that is used by humans such as water, petroleum, minerals, forests and animals.

OBJECTIVES:

Section 1
*Describe how humans use natural resources.

*Compare renewable resources with non-renewable resources.

*Explain three ways that humans can conserve natural resources.

Section 2 :

*Describe what energy resources are. *Identify 3 different forms of fossil fuels.

*Explain how fossil fuels form. *Describe how fossil fuels are
found and obtained.

*Acid precipitation, smog, water pollution, and destruction of wildlife habitat are some of the environmental problems that are created by the use of fossil fuels.

Section 3:

*Describe the alternatives to the use of fossil fuels.

*List advantages and disadvantages of using alternative energy sources

2007-03-12T11:53:00.000+10:00

Lodelyn Castro

chapter 1

section 3

Everything is connected

* Vocabulary:
1. Ecology- is the study of the interaction of organism with one another and with their environment.
2.Biotic- describes living factors in the environment.
3.Abiotic- describes nonliving parts of the envoirment including water,rocks,light,and temperature.
4.population-groups of organism of the same species that lives in a specific geographical area.
5.community-all the population of species that lives in the same habitat and interact with one another.
6.ecosystem- a community of organism and their

*Objective (answers only)

1.Biotic describe living factors and 2.Biotic describes nonliving factors.
2. they both all the same species.
3.for example like the river that empty into the salt that carries mash and nutrition's from the land.

(parrot)

(diffrent kind of animals)

2007-03-12T10:20:00.000+10:00

Joven Tyquiengco
Melvin Castro
Ericka Dela Rosa
6th Period Science

Science Chapter 1: Section 1: Everything is Connected

Vocabulary Words

1.Ecology: Is the study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment.
2.Boitic: describes living factors in the environment
3.Abiotic: Describes the nonliving part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature.
4.Population: A group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area.
5.Community: All the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other.
6. Ecosystem: A community of organisms and their environment.
7. Biosphere: the part of the Earth where life exists.

Objectives

Distinguish the difference between biotic and aboitic.

* Biotic are all organisms live together and interact with one another. The abiotic part are the environment consists of the living factors such as light and water.

Explain how the population and communities are related.

* Population and communities consists of many group of species or individuals.

Describe how the abiotic parts of the environment affect ecosystems.

* Abiotic are parts of the environment that describes the nonliving part of the environment including the tempreture.They affect the environment by the remaining of things that are left behind. The water could cause floods and if its the sunlight, they make the environment look dry and need water to survive.

2007-03-12T10:03:00.000+10:00

Chapter 4 by: Hanna Jang, Maria Reyes and Herman K.

Vocabwords:
1)pollution-an unwanted change in the enviroment caused by substances of forms of energy.
2)Renewable Resource-a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rat which the resovrse is consumed.
3)nonrenewable resources-a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate at which it is consumed.
4)Over population-the presence of too many in dividuals in all area for the available resources.
5)biodiversity-the number and variety of or janisms in a given area doring a specific period of time.
6)Conservation-the preseruation and wise use of natural resources.
7)Recycling-the process of resoueping valvable of useful materials from waste of scrap.

Objectives:
1)List five kinds of pollutions
-pollutants include garbage, chemicals, high energy, waste, gases, and noise.
2)Pistinguish between Renewable and nonrenewable resources
-Renewable resources can be used over and over. Nonrenewable resources can not be replaced.
3)Pescribe the impact of exotie species
-Exotic species cna be come pests and compete with native species.
4)Explain why human population griwth has in creased
-over population is so large that i cant get what it needs to survive.
5)Describe how habitat destruction affects biodiversity
-Habitat destruction can lead to soil erosion, water pollution, and decresed biodiversity.
6)Give two examples of how pollution affects humans
-Harming the enviroment and throwing things in the wrong place can harm humans.

Section Review
1)Coal is a renewable resources
-False
2)Over popullation is the number and variety of organisms in an area
-True
3)Which of the following can cause pollution
-B)all the above
4)Pollution
-B)can make people sick
5)Compare renewable and nonrenewable resources
-renewable resources can be used over and over again but nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced.
6)Why has human population growth increased
-because people move to different places because of pollution
7)What is an exotic species
-it can become pests and compete with native species
8)How does habitat destruction affect biodiversity
-it can lead to soil erosion, water pollution,and decreased biodiversity

2007-03-12T09:58:00.001+10:00

Chapter2: Cycles of Nature section1:The Cycles of Matter

Environmental Science
The Cycles of NatureThe Cycles of MatterVocabularySection 1:Cycles of Matter

done by: Jacquelyn David && Jatanna Cabrera

vocabulary terms
evaporation: the change of a substance from a liquid to gas.

condensation: the change of state from a gas to a liquid.

precipitation: any form of water that falls to the Earth's surface from the clouds.

decomposition: the breakdown of substances into simpler molecular substances.

combustion: the burning of a substance.

Objectives:
Diagram the water cycle, and explain it's importance to living things

Diagram the carbon cycle, and explain it's importance to living things

Diagram the nitrogen cycle and explain it's importance to living things.

Section Review

Using Key Terms
For each pair of terms explain how the meanings of the terms differ.
1. evaporation and condensation
// evaporation is the change of a substance from liquid to gas and condensation is the change of state from gas to liquid//
2. decomposition and combustion
//decomposition is the breakdown of substances and combustion is the burning of a substance//
Understanding Key Ideas
3. Nitrogen Fixation//d//
a. is done mostly by plants
b. is done mostly by bacteria
c. is how animals make proteins
d. is a form of decomposition
4. describe the water cycle
// precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, and condensation are parts of the water cycle//
5. describe the carbon cycle
//photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion are parts of the carbon cycle//
Math Skills
6. The average person in the United States uses about 78 gal of water each day. How many liters of water does this equal?
How many liters of water will the average person use in a year? //around 295 liters of water each day; around 107770 for a year//

2007-03-12T09:53:00.000+10:00

Chapter 1:Interactions of Living Things
Section 2:Living Things Need Energy

Maria Aldan Reyes
Summer Palacios

Vocabulary

herbivore-a consumer that eats only plants. carnivore-a consumer that eats animals. omnivore-consumers that eats both plants and animals. food chain-a diagram that shows how energy in food flows from one organism to another. food web-a diagram that shows the feeding relatonships between organisms in an ecosystem. energy pyramid-a diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy.

Objectives

Describe the functions of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem

The functions of producers in an ecosystem is that they get food from the sunlight in a process called photosynthesis. The function of consumers in an ecosystem is that they eat of the producers to get energy for themselves because they cant make food from sunlight. The function of decomposers in an ecosystem is that they break down dead organisms to get energy.

Distinguish between a food chain and a food web

The difference between a food chain and a food web is that a food chain shows how energy food flows through organisms and a food web shows he feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.

Explain how energy flows through a food web

Energy flows through a food web

Describe how the removal of one species affects the entire food web

All organisms in a food web are important for the health and balance of all other organisms in the food web. If ever one specie of the food chain removes, many other specie in the food chain will die and be affected.

2007-03-11T16:11:00.000+10:00

Daniel Nie, Jack Crisostomo, and Pedro Castro

Chapter 1, Section 2
Vocabulary

Herbivore: an organism that eats only plants.

Carnivore: an organism that eats only meat.

Omnivore: an organism that eats both plants and animals.

Food Chain: the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organism.

Food Web: a diagram that show the feeding relationship between organisms in an ecosystem.

Energy Pyramid: a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem's loos of enrgy, which results as energy passes through the ecosystem's food chain.

Objectives

Describe the functions of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.

The producer make food from sunlight. The consumer eat producer or other animals to get energy, and decomposers eat the dead organism and in doing so recycle nature.

Distinguish between a food chain and a food web.

A food chain shows how energy flows from one organism to another and a food web feeding relationships such as showing a prarie dog is food for a cayote but also food for a mountain lion.

Explain how energy flows through a food web.

Energy from a food web moves from one organism to the next in a one way direction.

Describe how the removal of one species affects the entire food web.

If one species was removed the rest of the species will be effected, such as if there were no producers, the herbivores would die. Then the consumers will die because all their food will be gone.

FOOD WEB

2007-03-11T11:02:00.000+10:00

Keneisha Parks, Fumi Nimura, & Rosher Apolinar 8th period

CHAPTER 2

*Section 1*

Vocabulary:

1.) Evaporation: the change of a substance from a liquid to a gas.
2.) Condensation: the change of state from a gas to a liquid.
3.) Precipitation: any form of water that falls to the Earth’s surface from the clouds.
4.) Decomposition: the breakdown of substance into simpler molecular substances.
5.) Combustion: the burning of a substance.

*Objectives*

1.) Diagram the water cycle, and explain its importance to living things.

2.) Diagram the carbon cycle, and explain its importance to living things.

3.) Diagram the nitrogen cycle, and explain its importance to living things.

*Section 2*

Vocabulary:

1.) Succession: The replacement of one type of community by another at a single place over a period of time.
2.) Pioneer: A species that colonizes an uninhabited area and that starts a process of succession.

Objectives:

1.) Describe the process of succession.
*Primary succession*
a. Slowly retreating glacier exposes bare rock where nothing lives, and primary succession begins.
b. Most primary succession begins with lichens. Acids from the lichens begin breaking the rocks into small particles. These particles mix with the remaining dead lichens and they become to the soil.
c. After many years, the soils will be rich enough for the mosses to grow. Insects and other tiny organisms begin to live there, and when they die, their remainings will be the soil.
d. Mosses will be replaced by the ferns. Ferns will be slowly replaced by grasses and flowers. If soils are rich enough, the shrubs and small trees may grow.
e. After so many years, the soils may be able to grow up the forest.

*Secondary succession*
a. The first year after the farm stops growing crops or after the major disturbance, weeds will start to grow up.
b. By the second year, new weeds will appear.
c. In 5 to 15 years, small conifer trees may start growing up. By about 100 years, the forests may form.
d. As older conifers die, they may be replaced by hardwoods if the climates can support.

2.) Contrast primary and secondary succession.
*Primary succession: there were no living things before the succession.
*Secondary succession: there were living things before, but they died or destroyed by certain reasons (such as natural disasters) before the succession.
3.) Explain how mature communities develop.
Mature community develops by the succession.

2007-03-09T11:42:00.000+10:00

Students from Ms. Cabrera's homeroom and Ms. Bree's 7th period science class recently planted 70 Da'ok trees on Hopwood's campus. These trees will provide shade and help clean the air by adding oxygen to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, not all students at Hopwood care as much as these students. Most of the trees are now dead and were ripped out of the ground!

2007-02-22T22:33:00.000+10:00

Music Video:

If Everyone Cared - Nickelback Videos

Get Yours: Music Video Codes & Flash Games

2007-02-12T16:44:00.000+10:00

If you are interested in our environment and you want to see it up close, try hiking down to Forbidden Island. It is an awesome place to go to see a great view. While you are going down, take time to look at the view, for sometimes there are turtles. When you get down there, you can go snorkeling. The fishes are out there swimming 24/7, and the ocean is cleaner than most beaches in Saipan. Also, you could go into the cave and swim. There is a hole in the cave filled with ocean water (salt water) and fresh water. Therefore, it makes the water super cold. One very big advice for this trip, make sure you get something to eat before you do any hard physical activities, and bring a bottle of water!

2007-02-12T15:57:00.000+10:00

During my weekend, on Saturday and Sunday (Feb.10 and Feb.11,2007), I went on a field trip and beach clean up. I realized during the trip that people on Saipan don't really pay attention to the law and that is very disappointing to me and all the other people who volunteered to pick up trash. There are kids that are growing up to become good people and their parents are being a bad influence to their children by giving them ideas of how illegal dumping is good. That is not something our children of the future should be learning. Don't you feel sorry for the people who have to pick up trash? People come here from other places for work, for vacation and to see a beautiful tropical island. We all should try to keep our island clean. Tell your neighbor, tell your friends, even family that littering is bad and we should show pride in where we live by keeping it clean.

2007-02-10T17:21:00.000+10:00

The S.A.V.E. Club joined the National Junior Honor Society and Beautify CNMI for clean up projects between PIC and Hopwood. NJHS picked up trash along the beach from the San Antonio park to Hopwood. The S.A.V.E. club helped Beautify CNMI remove 2,580 lbs of trash from an illegal dump site near San Antonio Elementary School.

2007-02-05T23:53:00.002+10:00

It's the GreenCNMI Blog!!! A space for youth who care about their home, island and culture. A place for young leaders to shout out about the cool things they are doing to change the world and make their little island a greener, cleaner and safer place to live. Enjoy!

"People who say youth are the future are procrastinators"-Unknown

2007-02-05T23:53:00.001+10:00

Check out this video made by CRM!!!