Conservationists to speak about the CNMI's sea turtle and Fanihi populations

Two of the CNMI’s endangered species, the Hawksbill sea turtle and the Marianas fruit bat (Fanihi), will be featured at the next “First Friday Films” at American Memorial Park.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3 with the film Home for Hawksbill followed by our second screening: Fanihi: A Cultural Digest. Joining us to shed more light on the conservation efforts underway to protect these species will be Tammy Summers, Julia Boland and Joe Ruak from the Department of Land and Natural Resources – Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Before each film, they will talk briefly about conservation and protection of the sea turtle and Fanihi populations in the CNMI. There will be a question and answer session after both films. Viewers are encouraged to come early to enjoy displays in American Memorial Park’s Visitors Center lobby as well as stay after the film to have their questions answered by our presenters.

Two Films for December

Coming up on Friday December 3rd at 6:30pm, First Friday Films will be screening two short films that highlight two threatened and endangered species here in the CNMI; the Fanihi (Marianas flying fox) and the Hawksbill seaturtle.

Fanihi: A Cultural Digest, a short film shot in the CNMI by Jonathan Fowler, discusses the complex issue that is the conservation of this import animal.  The film examines the ecological role the Fanihi plays on our islands as well as the cultural importance it has with the chamorro people.

Home for Hawksbill, a short film by Jordan Plotsky, tells the inspiring story of how three distinctly different cultural groups in the Solomon Islands came together to help protect this endangered species.  The film details how these communities went from hunting the turtle to localized extinction to providing a safe haven for the animal that mutually benefits all the groups involved.  You can visit the movies website here.

For planning purposes, the two films combined have an approximate run time of about 50 minutes.

We hope to see you in December!

Blue Gold This Friday!

Just a reminder that we will be showing Blue Gold: World Water Wars this Friday at 6:30pm at the American memorial Park Visitors center.


For more information on the film see post below.

After the film, Derek Chambers, from the Division of Environmental Quality's Safe Drinking Water branch, will discuss where our tap and drinking water come from on Saipan and highlight ways we can become better stewards of this precious resource. The Visitor’s Center lobby will also feature an exhibit about the declining supply of global freshwater and ways we can help conserve it.

  

We hope to see you Friday!