Guam’s Fanihi Population Now Less Than 50

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011 12:00AM BY GERALDINE CASTILLO - VARIETY NEWS STAFF

HAGÅTÑA — Numbering in the thousands over 50 years ago, what once was a thriving population of Mariana fruit bats, or “fanihi” in Chamorro, now has a scarce population of less than 50.

The fanihi, a subspecies endemic to the Mariana Islands, is a mammal whose diet is comprised of native fruits, nectar, pollen and some leaves.

Because a number of environmental and man-made factors have affected the natural habitat of the fanihi on Guam, their population has declined over the decades.

According to the Guam National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan, the fanihi is currently listed as an endangered species.

On the other hand, although the fanihi was federally listed as endangered on Guam in 1984, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in January 2005 published a final rule, listing the fanihi as threatened. However, the threatened status refers to the collective population of the bats throughout the Mariana Islands. Guam’s current population remains endangered.

According to the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, a maximum of 3,000 bats were believed to be on Guam in 1958. Monthly counts on military lands in the 1960s indicated the island’s bat population was dropping.

In addition, fewer than 1,000 bats were believed to exist in 1972, and less than 100 bats were estimated from 1974 to 1977. During an intensive islandwide survey in 1978, it was concluded that fewer than 50 fruit bats survived. The most recent counts indicate fewer than 50 bats remain in Guam.

There are several reasons for the decline of the fanihi’s population.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified five limiting factors, including:
• the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range;
• overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific or educational purposes;
• disease or predation;
• inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and
• other natural or man-made factors affecting its continued existence.

According to Mariana Sanders, a biotech/intern with the Guam National Wildlife Service, the primary factors for its decline are due to overhunting, and most importantly — loss of habitat.

“The Mariana fruit bat is considered a culinary delicacy throughout the Mariana Islands and is hunted extensively as a result,” says Sanders. “But, as of this moment, habitat loss is the most threatening aspect to the survival of this species.

Final report on Marianas range expected soon

Final report on Marianas range expected soon

By Steve Limtiaco • Pacific Daily News • November 9, 2009

The draft environmental report that will set the stage for the military buildup on Guam, including the construction of a new Marine Corps base in Dededo, won't be made public for about two more weeks, but a different environmental process related to increased military training in the region is expected to wrap up by the end of this year.

The military plans to step up the number and types of training exercises on and around Guam and the rest of the Mariana Islands, and it started an environmental review process for the "Mariana Islands Range Complex." A draft environmental report was released Jan. 30, the public comment period on that report ended March 31, and a final record of decision is expected by the end of this year.

As an example of the proposed changes, the "Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance/Strike Force at Andersen Air Force Base, which operates as many as 48 fighter planes, six bombers, four drones and 12 aerial refuelling planes, is scheduled to increase its operations by 45 percent."

The strike force currently operates an average of 14 take-offs and landings a day from Andersen, the environmental report states, which means there could be about 20 a day.

And a permanent 10-mile restricted safety zone would be created around the Farallon De Medinilla firing range in the Northern Mariana Islands, the study states. All private and commercial vessels would be prohibited from entering that restricted area, which could be temporarily extended as far as 30 miles during military training.

The waters around that island currently are restricted only 3 miles from shore, and only when there is training, the environmental report states.
Provides a glimpse

The environmental process for the new training plan, although on a smaller scale than the Guam buildup, is several months ahead of the buildup's environmental process and provides a glimpse of what Guam residents can expect to see in the environmental report.

Residents will have 90 days to comment on the Guam buildup's draft environmental report after it is made public.

The section devoted to the impact of training on marine mammals reads like a science textbook, providing information about the types of whales that can be found in the Marianas, how well they hear underwater, and the effect military sonar training might have on their behavior.

As an example, the report states Blue Whales continued foraging when exposed to low frequency active sonar.

Unlike the military buildup and the relocation of Marines from Okinawa to Guam, the new military training proposal will not involve any extensive changes or expansion and will not require any construction projects, the environmental report states.

There could be an overlap between the requirements for the military buildup and the new training proposal, the environmental report states, and documents for the two environmental reports are being coordinated to ensure consistency.

"This study is important because it determines the potential effects on the environment from current and future training activities and provides recommendations for minimizing those effects. It also gives the services the opportunity to review their procedures and ensure that the benefits of recent scientific and technological advances are used to lessen effects on the environment," the environmental report states.

The environmental report concludes that the increased training would create "irregular, minor, and short-term disturbances from military activity noise, but would have no unavoidable significant environmental effects."

Marianas Buildup, Not Guam Buildup

'Marianas buildup, not Guam military buildup'
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Saipan Tribune
April 3, 2009

Guam Lt. Gov. Michael Cruz yesterday said he and Gov. Felix P. Camacho propose to rename what has long been known as the Guam military buildup to “Marianas buildup,” and both look to forming a regional economic task force to tap a projected $2 billion to $4 billion in annual defense-related contracts associated with the influx of military personnel on Guam.

Cruz was the keynote speaker at yesterday's opening of the two-day 2009 Economic Restoration Summit, which drew over a hundred businessmen and government officials from the CNMI and Guam.


He talked about the growing need for a regional approach to the economic challenges faced by the Marianas.

“I firmly believe that Guam's strategic value would diminish if not for the assets of the CNMI. The complexity of current military operations and the security requirements which accompany them cannot be resolved by one island alone,” Cruz told participants in the summit held at the Fiesta Resort and Spa in Garapan.


Jobs

In his remarks, Cruz said he and Camacho propose a regional program in which the CNMI government will share experts with Guam for up to four years, with taxes paid to the Commonwealth to ensure critical government services.

Cruz said the next four years will increase Guam's need for tax enforcement officers, building inspectors, environmental health inspectors, policy specialists and public safety officers.

Although Guam will train its people to meet the increased demand, the number of needed positions requires that it finds other sources such as the CNMI.

“If the CNMI has an excess of these officials, we believe our governments can engage in a program of shared expertise during the peak years of the buildup,” he said.

The program, according to Cruz, would allow the region to share in Guam's future prosperity and by giving jobs to people.


Opportunities

CNMI Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, in his welcoming remarks, recognized the military buildup and the federal stimulus funding as opportunities for the islands.

The summit identified agriculture, aquaculture, edu-tourism and call centers as alternative industries for the CNMI, and brought together experts, entrepreneurs, lawmakers and other policymakers to help develop these industries.

Results of the summit will be presented at the U.S. Department of the Interior-sponsored Business Opportunities in the Islands Conference in Hawaii from April 6 to 8.

In an interview, Cruz recognized the CNMI's growing interest in agriculture and aquaculture which on Guam, “unfortunately, is sort of a dying industry because of multiple concerns, and the increasing price of land.”

Reducing the cost of shipping goods from the CNMI to Guam, he said, is a key area of cooperation.

“Gov. Felix Camacho has been very strong about ensuring the region benefits from the prosperity that Guam is going to see. A healthy region is a healthy Guam, and a healthy Guam should mean a healthy region,” Cruz said.

He added that the Marianas buildup recognizes the various impacts the military relocation will have on the islands, which need to work collaboratively to share in the success coming their way.

“This region must deal with a higher military profile, a large population influx, and a severe lack of skilled labor. If we do not meet our challenges together, we will be divided by them.” he added.

To implement this concept, Cruz and Camacho propose the creation of a regional economic task force that will use the Marianas buildup as the initial engine to address the region's economic concerns.

The proposed economic task force is seen to explore continued collaboration on the guest worker program to ensure new federal regulations address the region's shared concerns.

Accompanying Cruz on Saipan for the summit was his chief of staff, Carlotta De Leon Guerrero, a former TV anchor on Saipan.


Difficulties

Businesses in the CNMI and Guam experience significant difficulty identifying federal contracts and obtaining them, according to Cruz.

While companies with Guam addresses transacted approximately $250 million with the federal government last year, only less than 10 percent of the companies in Guam actually performed the work, he said.

“With a projected $2 billion to $4 billion per year in defense-related contracts associated with the buildup, companies throughout Guam, the CNMI and Micronesia must participate in these good times, especially after we survived the hard times,” said Cruz.

Over the next four years, Guam's population is expected to grow by 28 to 30 percent-the equivalent of some 22 years of population growth occurring in less than a third of that time.

Cruz said the government of Guam is spearheading efforts to prepare for the buildup, but these efforts are not for the military alone.

A dramatic increase in the population requires an upgrade to public services such as health, education, public safety, cultural preservation and economic development.


No easy solutions

Fitial, in his welcoming remarks at the summit, said it's not an easy task to develop promising new industries because of a dramatic change in the economic environment.

For example, the CNMI no longer holds its traditional competitive advantages such as local control of minimum wage rates, local control of immigration, and duty-free access to U.S. markets via Headnote 3(a) provision.

There may be no easy solutions, he said, but the Economic Restoration Summit represents a “good, healthy starting point.”

Fitial thanked former Supreme Court chief justice Jose S. Dela Cruz and others for publicly calling for an economic summit to discuss the CNMI's problems. He also thanked Commerce Secretary Michael Ada for organizing the summit along with other public and private sector agencies such as CDA, Northern Marianas College, and IT&E.

The well organized summit, co-sponsored by the Department of Commerce and the Commonwealth Development Authority, identified agriculture, aquaculture, edu-tourism and call centers as alternative industries for the CNMI.

Commerce Secretary Ada presented the Commonwealth Economic Development Strategy, which serves as a master plan for the CNMI's economic development. Among the priority projects involve the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., inter-island super ferry, alternative energy, and housing. Ada also provided an update on CNMI efforts to tap into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or the federal stimulus package.

Dr. Arthur L. Smith, president of consulting firm Management Analysis Inc., said with half-a-billion dollar in proposed projects, the cost of which is more than three times the CNMI's annual budget, there is increased opportunity for public-private partnership.

He cited as examples the CUC power plant 1, Garapan Elementary School, Garapan redevelopment, Pinatang Beach Park, alternative energy and international sports complex as areas in which public-private partnership can benefit the CNMI.

Sergio Loya, project manager of MAI, presented the results of discussions on aquaculture, agriculture and edu-tourism. Each was followed by presentations of experts and entrepreneurs, including Dr. Shaun Moss of the Oceanic Institute who talked about aquaculture; businessman Tony Pellegrino, who talked about agriculture; and Wayne Pangelinan, who talked about edu-tourism.

The summit was broadcast through video teleconference to Rota and Tinian participants, who were also able to ask the presenters questions.

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=89102

The Despair of the Indigenous People

Letter to the Editor: The despair of the indigenous people
December 14, 2007
The Saipan Tribune


MR. John Kapileo’s recent letter to you will resonate in the minds and hearts of the indigenous people of the CNMI and I am very happy that people like him are beginning to participate in the discussion on the issue of immigration and migrants in the CNMI.

Mr. Kapileo recognized the despair of the indigenous people when their homeland is being bastardized by the most powerful nation in the world and people are flocking to these islands in search of the American Dream at the cost of the people that were here first.

If democracy is at work, Mr. Kapileo is right — Rep.-elect Tina Sablan is heading in the direction that will perpetuate more poison to the despair of the indigenous people of the CNMI.

Democracy is at work and being a trashcan after an election is a normative political behavior in the eyes of the freshman representative who is supposedly under moral obligation to give and divide equal attention of her official time to the problems of the land.

The bad news to Mr. Kapileo, however, is that you and scores of other voters like you in Precinct 1 have forfeited your votes even before the games are played to the freshman representative who is now a foreigner and careless about your need for representation in the Legislature.

You see how ironic democracy is, turning the tides against the people who voted you to office is perfectly acceptable. We asked those caring elected representatives in the new Legislature to hold the fort of the indigenous people because we are counting on your true and genuine concern in advancing the cause and aspirations for those people who have struggled and lived the lives of their ancestors and witnessed every human turmoil of war, and Godgiven hardship so that we value and give meaning to a permanent homeland for future generations of our kind.

The islands in the CNMI are not for auction to anybody — these islands are meant for the indigenous people. This is a cause that will divide people who are new to these islands and people who came to these islands first, but once you see the despair of the indigenous people, you cannot unsee it.

We all know that Saipan, in particular, is over populated. The island could not forever sustain the current level of population. Hence, elected officials like Rep. Cinta Kaipat said that overpopulation and the potential of permanent migration of people to the CNMI is a serious threat to the life and livelihood of the indigenous people. This is not a congenital defect in our particular brand of democracy! The CNMI is not the place where the American Dreams could be found as gold that lies at the end of the rainbow.

For those that have given false hope to desperate migrants in the CNMI, giving encouragement that it is moral and democratic to desecrate the indigenous people of the CNMI in launching their platforms for the American Dream — the indigenous people will view this as bad to their well-being, and consequently, a new democracy will come.

At the end of day this matter will be too overbearing and the masses will be awakened and chaos will emanate across every heart and mind of the indigenous people to fight and recover what was once their own homeland.

Scores of Pacific island people in modern times are being pushed aside by foreigners in their own homelands. Guam and Hawaii are examples where the indigenous people are being outnumbered because of U.S. immigration policy. Fiji is a prime example where migrants from India are overtaking the survival of the indigenous people in their own homeland and chaos in this region of the world is a sad story and this is imminent in the CNMI if the U.S. plants its own immigration policy here.

As indigenous people in the CNMI, are we to stop and wait for the worst? We need to act in a proactive manner and have a voice and a unified force to protect our existence as a people and let everyone know that the CNMI belongs to the Chamorrosand Carolinians wo are attached to these islands as their homeland. We welcome visitors, but you are only a visitor and one day we expect that you will leave us and these lands.

Ms. Tina Sablan’s position will ignite further division of the people that she thinks she is representing and those that she has publicly abandoned. Perhaps the people that voted and supported her in the election did so in haste, but are now regurgitating their decision.

Language was used to pacify and fool the people. The words of Ms. Tina Sablan were misunderstood. We hope that as she plays her politics of justice she would give some special attention to the indigenous people’s despair and promote their desire to be left alone and to flourish as a people in their homeland. She should search and find the balance as she is introduced and welcomed to the world of politics of immigration, migration, education, health care, resistance, morality, governance, opposition, accountability, the environment, the indigenous people, and the sickening uncertainty for future generations like my grandchildren and those that follow my foot steps.

I hope Ms. Tina Sablan would find in her heart that the indigenous people of the CNMI are a people that have only their land to have and the language and tradition to be identified with. We hope that as the church teaches us to give respect to others, those that come to our house should respect us as well. But if that is not the case, we ought to ask that you leave us.

Ms. Tina Sablan should realize that when those who are advising her have achieved their aims, they will leave the commonwealth and the world will start collapsing and she will be viewed as one who helped desecrate her own people.

Idealism is good, but people fight for idealism because it is the right thing to do in their minds. We need to connect thoughts and language in the same way that we integrate idealism to realism. We know our language and our thoughts as indigenous people of the CNMI, and once you see how we feel and value our life, you cannot unsee it.

FRANCISCO R. AGULTO

Chalan Kanoa, Saipan

US Allies to use the Northern Marianas for Training

US allies to use Marianas for training
By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff
friday 29 june 07
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THE U.S. and its major military allies in the Asia-Pacific region — Australia and Japan — will be using air, sea and land areas on Guam and the Northern Marianas for training.

This month, the U.S. defense representative to Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau began the early stages of preparing an environmental impact statement/overseas environmental impact statement in connection with the range complex’s proposed update and active use.

This range complex, which covers Guam and the Northern Marianas, was last updated in 1999.

This month, American and Japanese pilots held a two-week joint aerial live bombing exercises on the uninhabited island of Farallon de Mendinilla, about 45 miles north-northeast of Saipan.

This is the first time that Japanese pilots tested their high-tech war planes known as F-2 outside of Japan since the prototypes were made in 2000.

Lt. Donnell Evans of the U.S. Commander Naval Forces Marianas public information office said the military is not conducting any new training but simply wants to update the study of the ranges amid plans to more actively use them.

“The training that we’re doing now is sometimes obvious to the public and sometimes not obvious,” said Evans. “We’re looking at training on currently controlled-(Department of Defense) lands but the difference is this is an update to the study of the ranges. We’re a little bit behind because of budget and financial (constraints).”

“(The Mariana Islands Range Complex) is very important. It allows us to get quality training. Not just for the U.S…. These same training ranges will be available to our allies. It helps us in relationship building. It helps us in being proficient in working with the different military and it also helps us be proficient in what our business is,” he added.

Besides Australia and Japan, the navies of Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, among others, may also use the ranges for training, said Evans.

Among the proposed upgrades include activities for underwater mine warfare and antisubmarine warfare, underwater training range, new small arms and mortar ranges and military operations on urban terrain.

Northern Marianas is claiming rights and control over its 200-mile submerged lands. But the U.S. claimed the islands surrendered its rights on such when it became part of the nation through their Covenant Agreement in 1976.

During the recently held scoping meeting on Saipan, a public document showed that the Mariana Islands Range Complex has provided the U.S. military with a safe testing and training environment for over 100 years.

“The land, air, and sea areas of the Mariana islands are irreplaceable. These areas are important to all people of the Marianas, including members of the U.S. military services who call the Marianas their home,” the document stated.

“The ranges and facilities of the Mariana Islands Range Complex are unique because of their location in the western Pacific where deployed forces can maintain warfighting proficiencies. This range complex is also in proximity to Forward Deployed Naval Forces, which also need to maintain their warfighting proficiency,” it added.

Marianas Will Be One Big Military Camp

Marianas as one big military camp
By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff
18 June 07
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THE public scoping meetings scheduled to be held on Guam and the CNMI this week may be more important than the ones recently completed for the Marines' relocation plan.

The draft environmental impact statement, or EIS, for the proposed Mariana Islands Range Complex is regional in scope, affecting not only Guam but also Saipan and Tinian.

It also involves not just an increase in military personnel but also an increase in the number and type of training operations such as underwater mine warfare, antisubmarine warfare, and other underwater training that could have an impact on the environment.

The U.S. military has long been using the Marianas as a training range but not in the scope that is being proposed now which is why the military is holding public scoping meetings to draw up a new EIS that would supplant the Marianas Training Plan EIS drawn in 1999.

Moreover, the proposed action not just revolves on training activities but actually goes beyond training and also focuses on the "research, development, testing and evaluation of systems, weapons and platforms."

One such new weapon and platform is the future proposed Littoral Combat Ship which is the first of the U.S. Navy's next-generation surface combatant ships.

The concept behind the Littoral Combat Ship as described by the Navy is to create a small, fast, maneuverable and relatively inexpensive ship that can be easily reconfigured for multiple roles.

These roles include anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, homeland defense, maritime intercept, special operations, and logistics functions that can be launched from Guam during times of conflict in the region.

Both the Guam and CNMI economies are expected to benefit from the expansion of the militar's activities in the Mariana Islands Range Complex as the military also wants to upgrade and modernize ranges and training areas, including new small arms and mortar ranges, Military Operations on Urban Terrain, and a new mortar range and other live-fire ranges on Tinian as well as more capable fixed underwater training ranges.

According to the military, the facilities of the Mariana Islands Range Complex are unique because of their location in the western Pacific where deployed U.S. forces can maintain their war fighting proficiencies.

This range complex is also in proximity to forward deployed U.S. naval forces that also need to maintain their war fighting proficiency."The range complex provides U.S. forces with a wide range of training opportunities involving varying degrees of complexity and diversity, which enhances the training benefit," a backgrounder provided by the military said.

To keep up with advances in technology and new security challenges, the military said the various U.S. Services including the U.S. Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force occasionally need to change their operations, including the way they test weapons and train service personnel.

Before making any changes, the military said it is vital to ensure that the changes will not harm the environment of the Marianas, including the land and sea animals and plants; natural resources; cultural sites and artifacts; and the economic well-being and quality of life of the Marianas people.

Thus, the need for an Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS/OEIS, that would study current and future training activities in the Mariana Islands Range Complex.

The first public scoping meeting for this EIS will be held at the Guam Hilton today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Subsequent meetings will be held at the Hyatt Regency Saipan on Wednesday and the Tinian Dynasty Hotel on Thursday.

The scoping meetings have two main objectives: to inform the public about the Defense Representative’s Proposed Action and to obtain written comments on environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS/OEIS.

The U.S. Defense Representative is accepting comments throughout the 45-day comment period, from June 1, 2007 to July 16, 2007.

According to DoD, there may be some overlap between the Mariana Islands Range Complex EIS/OEISs and the EIS being prepared for the relocation of the Okinawa Marines.

But DoD said the preparation of these documents between the Commander Pacific Fleet and the Joint Guam Program Office will be closely coordinated to ensure consistency.