MINA marks 20 years without awards amid challenges, opposes construction trash import plan
BY MARK RABAGO
Saipan Correspondent
GARAPAN, Saipan — The Mariana Islands Nature Alliance in the Northern Mariana Islands celebrated its 20th anniversary on Oct. 17 without its traditional environmental awards, citing economic challenges and a steep decline in donations.
Roberta Guerrero, executive director of MINA, said the organization decided to forgo awards this year to focus its limited resources on sustaining its programs. “We’re in the doldrums, economically,” she told the Journal at the sold-out Green Gala. “Ballpark this year, we’re down about 65%. The donations have been challenging.”
Guerrero, who joined MINA in 2017 after three decades in business management, said the nonprofit’s two-decade survival is largely thanks to community support and partnerships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Office of Insular Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior, and private foundations such as The Nature Conservancy and the National Parks Foundation.
She also voiced concern at reports that U.S. military contractors may begin shipping solid waste from Guam and the Marshall Islands to Saipan for disposal or incineration at the Marpi landfill — a move she warned could overwhelm the NMI’s already limited waste capacity.
Roberta Guerrero (center right) at the 2025 MINA Green Gala. Photo by Mark Rabago
“I’m really worried about the fact that I’ve been hearing the military [contractors] plan to import trash,” Guerrero said. “We have a very limited landfill. Two cells are already full, and cell number three is soon to be full. Now we’re talking about importing [construction] trash? What are we going to do with that?”
Guerrero said she strongly opposes any plan to bring off-island waste into the NMI. “We can’t even manage our own solid waste,” she said. “Maybe you get a little bit of money, but then what happens to our natural resources when that whole landfill is full? Then what? We’re going to have a mountain.”
In response to growing concern, Rep. John Paul Sablan has introduced a bill to prevent the NMI from becoming a regional dumping ground for waste generated off island.
House Bill 24-60, introduced on Sept. 11, seeks to explicitly restrict the acceptance and disposal of off-island waste in the NMI’s landfills unless stringent health, safety, and environmental conditions are met. The measure was immediately referred to the House Standing Committee on Natural Resources for further review.
Despite funding difficulties, Guerrero said MINA continues to run programs that have defined its 20-year legacy, including the Tasi Watch Rangers Program, which has trained dozens of young adults now employed in environmental conservation and natural resource management.
Another key initiative, the Schools for Environmental Education Program, recently regained funding after a two-year pause. The program teaches middle school students about recycling, ocean protection, and sustainability — knowledge they share with their families and communities.
The Adopt-a-Bin Program, started in 2010, remains a visible success, with green bins stationed across Saipan’s beaches and parks helping reduce ocean-bound litter. Guerrero said new efforts such as coral restoration training are now being expanded to strengthen reef ecosystems that protect the islands’ coastlines.
Francisca Castro, former board chairwoman, opened the gala by honoring MINA’s grassroots beginnings. “Tonight, we celebrate not only our island’s natural beauty but also 20 years of MINA’s commitment to protecting it,” she said. “When the people of the [Northern] Marianas come together, we can achieve lasting change.”
Jesse Borja, founding member and former NMI lieutenant governor, recalled how the organization got its name. “We decided that MINA would be apt,” he said. “In our local language, mina technically means ‘only a mind,’ but the connotation is that of a bridge of minds. We knew deep down that we were rich in our resources — and had to do everything possible to protect them.”
Guerrero said that enduring vision continues to guide MINA into its next 20 years. “We want to save [the environment] for future generations,” she said. “Everyone in this room has that desire to have something sustainable, so that our children and grandchildren can still call Saipan home.” mbj
The NMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality is reviewing two separate requests from private companies seeking to dispose of off-island waste in NMI landfills — one from a Saipan-based company involving construction and demolition debris from the U.S. Army Garrison in Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, and another covering pharmaceutical waste from Guam.
Hung Cao was sworn in as under secretary of the Navy on Oct.3. Serving as the Department of Navy’s chief operating officer and chief management officer, he oversees nearly one million Navy, Marine, and civilian personnel with an annual budget of $250 billion. He also serves as the Senior Defense Official for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Speaking at the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Micronesia Chapter’s membership meeting on Oct. 21 in Yap, Anthony Falvo, senior manager for Pacific Network Planning for United Airlines, said incentives for airlines for a new route are not uncommon.
