By Andrew Roberto
Variety News Staff
WITH the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance now 20 years old, its executive director, Roberta Guerrero, says the organization’s near future is going to be spent navigating the perennial challenge of all nonprofits: sustainability.
“Consistent and reliable funding is always a challenge,” Guerrero said in response to Marianas Variety’s question about the hurdles MINA faces in its mission to empower environmental stewardship.
“We continue to do our best in identifying and working diligently to secure grants, as well as the annual fundraiser, MINA’s Green Gala, that, with resounding support from community members and businesses committed to environmental stewardship, helps us to meet operational expenses,” she added.
In the organization’s annual report, Guerrero and staff cited the meaningful impacts MINA has had on the environment:
·425,770 lbs. of coastal and nearshore debris removed from CNMI waters as part of their Marine Debris Removal program in 2024;
6095 lbs. of recyclable materials prevented from reaching the ocean as part of the Adopt-A-Bin program;
Organizing 205 volunteers throughout the year 2024 to plant 1,910 trees through the Bring Back Our Trees program, and much more.
MINA was established in 2005. It has since spent its time rallying students, volunteers, private businesses, and more around environmental projects.
The work is important, Guerrero said, because the CNMI’s finite resources need careful handling, and the islands’ residents need to be empowered to care for them.
“Our island home has limited resources,” she says. “Conservation efforts that engage the community create a sense of ownership on the sustainability of these resources for future generations.”
For Guerrero, success in the coming years will be an island where the fruits of environmental stewardship are an integrated part of the community.
“Some indicators of the success of the programs that we engage the community in are being able to see tree saplings grow to full maturity, going for walks along beaches that are litter-free, school students and church groups being involved in plastics recycling, and witnessing more of our youth moving through MINA’s outreach and education programs into adulthood in the field of natural resources management,” she said.
Besides directly removing environmental hazards or planting trees that protect coasts, MINA also plants seeds of a different sort through its Tasi Watch Ranger program, which develops a local workforce of environmental stewards.
The program recruits residents who are at least 18 years old and have already graduated from high school. They receive training in coral reef ecology, forestry, and wetland restoration. Participants have gone on to work for the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, MINA, and beyond, according to MINA staff.
Also, through its Schools for Environmental Education, MINA partners with middle schools in the public and private school systems to engage students in ecological curriculum and field activities.
As Guerrero puts it, exposing children to environmental stewardship can result in island residents who want to directly work in the green sector.
“One reason why we’ve introduced our Schools for Environmental Education to middle school-aged children is our belief that habits start young, and we’ve seen where these efforts are being extended to the families, with the end goal of increased recycling and proper waste disposal in efforts to reduce pollutants entering the ocean,” she said. “Our Tasi Watch Rangers workforce development program instills the desire in our youth to engage in conservation efforts as lifetime careers.”
MINA will continue to look for funding and partnerships in the next five years to ensure its mission can still go strong, Guerrero said, adding that everyone can support MINA by being environmental stewards themselves.
“We ask the community and visitors to our islands to treat the environment as they would treat their families, with the care and respect that builds a healthy and happy home,” Guerrero said.
