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Executive Directive 235 establishes the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas' Coral Reef Initiative Program under the Office of the Governor with an interagency structure to coordinate coral reef issues. The agencies include the Coastal Resources Management Office, the Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Division of Environmental Quality. The interagency group is tasked with protecting coral reefs and implementation of Local Action Strategies projects.
NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program releases redesigned website.
The new logo features "mascots" from two of the CNMI CRI programs- RARE PRIDE and the Marine Monitoring Team (MMT). "Primo" the yellow crowned butterflyfish, Chaetodon flavocoronatus, is a species found only in the Marianas Islands. The lined sweetlips, Plectorhincus orientalis, is featured in the MMT's logo. Also featured are two globally threatened species, a green sea turtle and the napoleon wrasse. The small damselfish in the front are a species that lives in close association with Pocillopora corals, front-center, as they rely on these corals for shelter. The island of Maug and Tropic Bird are reminders of the close connection between land and sea in the Mariana Islands. Meet PRIMO-- a RARE fish indeed. Primo the yellow crowned butterflyfish (on the right) and Brooke Nevitt, our RARE PRIDE CNMI coordinator, have been building support for informed stewardship of our marine resources. Brook attended an extended training course in England in preparation for this education and outreach program that hopes to help our residents understand some of the threats our reefs and fisheries resources are facing, and how they can help improve things. To learn more, visit the CNMI's RARE PRIDE website. 2008 State of the Reefs Report NOAA released the a report on the status of US coral reefs in July 2008 during the International Coral Reef Symposium, held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The report is a combined effort on numerous federal, local and academic partners. The chapter on CNMI's reefs includes contributions from local resource agnecies, NOAA research groups and univeristy scientists. Click on the cover image to access the NOAA home page for the 2008, 2005 and 2002 reports.
2008 was International Year of the Reef, but -- EVERY ACT STILL COUNTS!
The ICRI International Year of the Reef 2008 was a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to their sustainability, and to motivate people to take action to protect them. Individuals, corporations, schools, governments, and organizations were actively encouraged to participate.Find out about CNMI's IYOR activities, follow this link: http://www.deq.gov.mp/article.aspx?secID=3&artID=109
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