CONTEST ENDS June 1, 2010!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program would like to know how marine debris impacts you and what you are doing about it. The winning artwork will be showcased in a 2011 planner that will help in raising awareness about the global problem of marine debris. Additionally, the winners will be featured on the Program’s website and in their newsletter, reaching over 200,000 people each month!

About the NOAA Marine Debris Program - Established in 2005, the NOAA Marine Debris Program supports national and international efforts to research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris. The Program’s goal is to protect and conserve our nation’s natural resources, oceans, and coastal waterways from the impacts of marine debris.

Eligibility - All students in grades K-4 and 5-8 from all U.S. states and territories–recognized public, private, and home schools are eligible to participate. Schools, including home schools, must be in compliance with federal and state civil rights and nondiscrimination statutes. Students must work individually.

Criteria for Art & Description - Each entry must be composed of a piece of artwork and a description (on entry form). All must meet the requirements below. Students are highly encouraged to check out the rest of the NOAA Marine Debris Program website for information about marine debris.

ARTWORK & DESCRIPTION:

1. The entries must be on 8.5” x 11” paper.
2. Use white, non-glossy paper; do not laminate.
3. Any art medium may be used (e.g., colored pencils, crayons, paint); however computer graphics will not be accepted. Artwork must be hand-drawn by the student.
4. Artwork must be flat (e.g., no glued pieces) and able to be scanned.
5. A description of no more than 50 words must accompany the artwork (space provided on the entry form).
6. Teachers may send in as many entries as they would like to; however selective screening would be greatly appreciated.
7. Label each entry (artwork) on the back with student’s name, age and grade, along with the teacher’s name, school name, address, and telephone number.
8. Entry Form - There should be one entry form filled out per student. Please ensure that the entry form is filled out completely and legibly. All entries (entry form + artwork) must be submitted via mail (postmarked) no later than Tuesday, June 1, 2010.

Download entry form here.

Competition Process - A NOAA awards panel will collect all entries and select six from each grade category (K-4 and 5-8) and one overall winner. Entries (artwork and description) will be judged on the creativity, artistic presentation, and relevancy to the theme.

Time Frame
June 1, 2010 - Deadline for postmark of completed entry form + artwork.
July 1, 2010 - Winners will be notified.

Entries (entry form + artwork) should be mailed to:

Art Contest
ATTN: Megan Forbes
NOAA Marine Debris Program
1305 East-West Highway
SSMC4, 10th Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910

*Please note that entries will not be returned.

If you have any questions, please contact Carey Morishige at Carey.Morishige@noaa.gov or (808) 397-2651 x256.

CNMI Coastal Cleanup Day

Beautify CNMI began its fourth year of service this year. Started with the simple idea of making the Commonwealth a better to live and visit, for going on four years now we've cleaned up beaches, roads, and tourist sites, planted trees, painted over graffiti, and promoted recycling and coral reef conservation.

In our first year we planned and executed an island wide cleanup called 1020 on 10/20, with the idea of having at least 1020 volunteers help us spruce up the island on October 20, 2006. Not only did we reach our goal of 1020, but we surpassed it by recruiting over 3000 volunteers.

Earlier this year in April we did it again and were even more successful. The weekend before Earth Day 2009, 27,070 lbs of trash were picked up by 4,140 volunteers from 61 volunteer groups at 54 adopted sites on Saipan.

Next month we hope to do it again with CNMI Coastal Cleanup Day.

Following the same model as the other two large cleanups, we are asking volunteer groups to adopt a beach for a day (and hopefully for a year!). We'll provide the tools and the trash pickup, you just provide the volunteers and a little bit of coordination.

From the Division of Environmental Quality:

Hundreds of volunteers throughout the CNMI are expected to clean their beaches next month as part of the world’s largest volunteer cleanup effort.

The 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup is Saturday, September 19 – from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Everyone is invited to participate. Saipan and Tinian are scheduled to participate on September 19, and Rota’s event is on Friday September 18.

On Saipan, a number of groups have already adopted beaches, including South Lao Lao and Cow Town, according to the Division of Environmental Quality. However, dozens of other beaches still need volunteers.

Several groups are working together to coordinate events on Saipan and Tinian, and the Coastal Resources Management Office is taking the lead on Rota.

The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest volunteer effort to help protect the ocean, according to the Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to protecting ocean environments and marine life.

Last year, nearly 400,000 volunteers hit their local beaches, lakes, and rivers with a common mission of improving the health of the ocean and waterways. On one day, they removed and tallied 6.8 million pounds of debris, from 6,485 sites in 100 countries and 42 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

DEQ will retrieve and properly dispose of the trash collected from the cleanup on Saipan.

Cleanup supplies – garbage bags and gloves which were purchased with funds from a generous Bridge Capital donation – will be available at DEQ the week before the cleanup.

Interested participants are encouraged to sign up for the event so that organizers may arrange for proper pick up and disposal of garbage.

To request a signup sheet for Saipan or Tinian, contact Lisa Huynh Eller, Olivia Tebuteb or Carlos Ketebengang, DEQ, at 664-8500 or email - lisaeller@deq.gov.mp. For information about Rota’s event, contact William T. Pendergrass, ICC Coordinator, or MJ Taisacan, CRMO Administrative Clerk, at 532-0466 or fax 532-1000.

Contact me for a sign up sheet and I will send you one. We will have a listing of all the cleanups up on the Beautify CNMI website soon.

In the meantime, photos from this year's Island Wide Cleanup can be found on the Beautify CNMI Facebook Fan Page here and here.