By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

A BOOK on ecology developed over nine years by a team of 16 authors is now available at Northern Marianas College.
“Island Ecology & Resource Management: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,” is a hardbound volume, color-illustrated, with 802 pages of text and supporting components.
It “will be of great interest to all members of the general public who desire to learn more about the island’s environment,” NMC said.
The book was written to be the principal text for CNMI high school environmental science classes and for college courses in natural history and natural resources management.
But the authors also “feel that most CNMI parents will find the book as valuable for themselves as much as it will be for their young adult children.”
Organized into 42 chapters, the book is designed to be non-technical and easy to read. It is at the same time very comprehensive and well supported with a full glossary and a complete index, NMC said.
The book is being sold to help raise funds for NMC’s developing marine and environmental science program and as a fundraising activity for NMC’s Ecology/Marine Biology Club.
The book costs $89 in the CNMI and $117 for each copy that needs to be mailed.
Under a special arrangement, NMC students and the Public School System can purchase the books with a discounted price at the NMC Bookstore.
The book layout was done by a local design firm, Angil Design, and it was printed by a local printing company, Elite Printing.
The 16 authors who worked in close collaboration with several CNMI and federal resource agencies are Alan Davis, Peter Peshut, Scott Miller, Roger Church, Dr. Mac MacCarter, Michael Trianni, Scott Vogt, Katherine Miller, Jane Jackson, Dr. Aubrey Moore, Dr. Joaquin Tenorio, Dr. William Flood, Kaye Francis, John Jordan, Charles Schonder and John Furey.
The authors say “Island Ecology” will be particularly helpful for persons interested in, or who currently work for the CNMI or federal governments in a resource management capacity, “as it will answer many of the questions employees have concerning how and why our natural and cultural resource management and environmental protection programs carry out their duties and responsibilities and what important improvement measures still remain to be undertaken.”
For more information, e-mail johnf@nmcnet.edu or jfurey@saipan.com.