Coco
The CNMI Organization for Conservation Outreach (CoCo) is a group composed of representatives from a number of government agencies that aims to facilitate collaboration on environmental outreach projects. The group has includes representatives from the Coastal Resources Management Office, the Division of Environmental Quality, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Division of Public Works, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, the Public School System, and Northern Marianas College.
Eventually we expect that CoCo will have many more members, including representatives from outside of the government. CoCo will work cooperatively on projects involving all areas of the environment from the summit to the sea, including litter and recycling, land habitat issues, coral reef degradation, non-point source pollution, and water quality. Because CoCo is concerned with environmental issues on both land and sea, the group is has chosen the coconut crab as its mascot because the adult coconut crab lives on land and lays its eggs in the sea. Also, the coconut crab is a widely recognized local icon.
You can read about CoCo’s activities and current issues that the natural resources agencies face on the Environment Page of the Saipan Tribune. This feature appears every other Thursday, and it is a good way to stay tuned to all the environmental happenings going on. CoCo also has monthly steering committee meetings, and conducts quarterly meetings open to the public at large, to discuss upcoming projects or other environmental outreach concerns.
CoCo has an email list-serve that allows us to share information with anyone who has an email address. We anticipate sending out notices of grants and funding sources, upcoming events, meetings, and trainings, and information about available teaching resources. We would also like to get feedback from about proposed projects and ways to involve students. To sign up, send an email to CoCoNet-subscribe@crm.gov.mp.