50% Off for Christmas

Our Northern Islands is available for 50% off the regular price for the next two weeks for shoppers who would like to give the book as a Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa) gift. In order to receive the discount, the book must be purchased on Createspace.com and when prompted the following discount code must be entered: DPQ5DC28.

Our Northern Islands is a book about the first expedition to the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument and contains over 70 full color photos of the uninhabited islands north of Saipan. Written by recent high school graduate Dennis Chan, the book details the 10 day expedition taken to the newly created Mariana Trench Monument just months after its declaration by President George W. Bush on January 6, 2009.

Chan joined the expedition after winning an essay contest sponsored by the Friends of the Mariana Trench Monument, "Why I want to the visit the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument."

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will support the educational programs of the Friends of the Monument and create more opportunities like the one given to Dennis.

What people are saying about Our Northern Islands:

"Youthful enthusiasm and neophyte adventure jumps out of the pages of this book.”
-Jaime Vergara
Saipan Tribune

"I am so proud of Dennis for putting this book together at such a young age."
-Delegate Gregorio Sablan
United States Congress

Kudos to Kathy, FirstFridayFilms --- Sharkwater --- Reaching into the Heart of the Community

This post is dedicated to Kathy Lalaine Pagapular who took amazing next steps after watching FirstFridayFilms showing of Sharkwater at American Memorial Park! Kudos to the students who took the intiative to write the letters and look what happened!!! This is all so amazing...

Smithsonian Zoological Park: Project Blue Planet

Are you a teacher? Check this out: Grand prize is a trip for two adults and four students to fly to Washington, DC!

The Smithsonian Zoological Park is sponsoring a great program called Project Blue Planet.

You can get more information from their website here: Project Blue Planet.

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A quick visit to their website gives lots of information --- we get you started here:
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Help your middle school earn a “Seal” of Approval. One lucky group will win an exclusive look at the Zoo’s new seal and sea lion exhibit!

It’s easy to feel small in the face of large environmental problems, especially now with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but kids can make a huge difference. How? By starting an eco-team to educate classmates and inspire them to take action for marine life.

This new contest challenges kids nationwide to get their schools and communities involved to improve the environment for marine life. A healthy planet starts in your school (and school yard) even for people who live far from the ocean. We will provide the tools you need to get started, and National Zoo Green Team members will be on hand to help you along the way.

Depending on your school’s environmental priorities, there are four ways you can achieve a “Seal” of Approval. Form your team and follow easy instructions that will help you reduce waste, improve energy use, and create healthier environment for students and local wildlife.

Keep in mind that once your project is complete, you will need to submit the following:

• Research on at least one marine species, showing how your project benefits sea life
• Description of how the project educates others
• Documentation of up to ten photos and/or a link to a video (five minutes maximum) showing the project from beginning to completion

To be eligible, projects must begin after September 1, 2010 and end by April 30, 2011 Winners will be announced in June 2011. Read More...

Dennis Chan thanks Kilili with a copy of Our Northern Islands

Dennis Chan and members of the Friends of the Mariana Trench Monument presented Delegate Gregorio Camacho "Kilili" Sablan with a copy of Our Northern Islands, the new book written by Chan. The book is about Chan's experience aboard the 105-foot Lady Carolina during the first expedition to the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. Last year's expedition was organized by the Friends, who provided funding for a local young person to take part. Chan won a space on the expedition with an essay "Why I want to visit the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument." A portion of the proceeds of the book will go towards supporting the educational programs of the Friends. The book was presented to Kilili in gratitude for his continued support of coral reef conservation and for providing funding to design a visitors center in the CNMI. Our Northern Islands is available on Amazon.com and the CNMI Musuem.