‘Like a glove’

Hafa Adai, CNMI! My name is Vincent Delos Reyes and I am a student at Northern Marianas College, majoring in Natural Resources Management. I chose to enroll in the NRM program at NMC because of my great interest in our environment and its preservation. Knowing how dedicated I am to my studies and major, my adviser informed me about the internship offered by the Coral Reef Initiative. I immediately realized that this could be a perfect opportunity to gain skills, knowledge, and experience in my field of study. I am now one of the fortunate few who were awarded the internship and I could not be happier and more excited to be a part of a program that will only strengthen my interests in environment/conservation work.

I began my internship on June 6, 2011, and was placed under the supervision of Guy Macaranas, coastal coordinator at the Coastal Resources Management Office. I will be given the opportunity to take part in many great and exciting projects throughout my internship, including planning the Clean Beach Campaign, the making of a public service announcement exclusively for the campaign, and coral reef monitoring throughout Saipan.

I consider the Clean Beach Campaign to be my main project this summer. The Clean Beach Campaign aims to promote and educate the public about the importance of keeping our beaches pure. We will be creating posters with facts on the effects of marine debris and having them displayed at our beaches, schools, and various places throughout the island to achieve that goal. Another outreach project that falls under the campaign is an islandwide beach cleanup. With this project, we will be partnering up with other agencies, such as the Division of Environmental Quality and the Division of Fish and Wildlife, to conduct the 2011 International Coastal Cleanup.

Another task I have been assigned to, and what might be the most fun, is the creation of a public service announcement for the Clean Beach Campaign. I will put together a short video clip promoting the campaign. The clip will likely be aired on television and will also be shown on the CRMO website (www.crm.gov.mp).

Finally, one of the projects I have completed is assisting with a reef flat survey of Bird Island Beach. This project was so fun and exciting and I would do it again. We had to survey and take samples of the algae and invertebrate species. I am very fortunate to take part in such an educational project. It was also my first time to go to Bird Island Beach, so it was truly a great opportunity to take pleasure in what Mother Nature had to offer.

Although I am only four weeks into my internship at CRM, I have already learned so much and my passion for doing work in environmental preservation has been reinforced. I am reminded everyday how important it is to educate our island community about the irreplaceable value of our oceans and beaches, and the consequence we will face if we do not work together to keep them clean. Even a single piece of trash on any one of our beautiful beaches is not only an eyesore but a threat to our marine life. With the help of CRM staff, I will be doing everything possible to encourage the community to help prevent these eyesores, and more importantly eliminate these threats to our marine life.

This internship is my chance to give back to our island’s natural environment. It has served as a motivator for me to continue on the path I have set for myself and pursue a career in the Natural Resources Management field. My internship fits me like a glove, and I am appreciative for this opportunity given to me to help me learn about the career I am pursuing.