On Saturday, 19 October, 2019, TRCT conducted clam distribution operation with 12 children with the support of Tamil Youth Organization, TYO, and Yap Community Action Program, YapCAP, releasing 92 giant clams which were raised in farming beds for three years.
In advance to the operation, TRCT distributed 63 clams on October 7, and 92 clams on 8. In total 174 clams were released into the Marine Protected Area in the lagoon of Tamil municipality. Now we have 225 clams in farming cases.
In old days, lagoon of Yap was fully covered by giant clams, according to old persons. TRCT is now trying to recover the number of clams. From baby status with the size of thumbnail, clams grow to bigger than 220 millimeter width and it is now maturing stage. With less risk to be bitten by predicators like puffin fish, TRCT decided to release those to wide spread protected area for natural hatching process.
Jeff was drawing the map of the area with machete!
Big tree “QAW.”
Bamboos.
Dialogue after the walk.
Map was completed.
On October 5, 2019, Jeff Marbey, vice chair person of TRCT, Mr. KAWAGUCHI Daisuke, human resource specialist and OHMAE Junichi, board member of ECOPLUS, conducted trial village walk and mapping activity in Teb village of Tamil.
The activity was intended to re-identify resources and assets of the place for sustainable future. Through the walk, Jeff, originally from the village, identify different plants, historical sites, traditional stories and life in old days. During the walk a huge lizard with more than 1 meter long appeared just in front of us.
Along the coast side, Jeff told the story about sea level rise. Taro patches next to the coastal road was having salty water coming through high tide. Because of the salty water, those places became to be abandoned. When we stepped into mountain side through the old stone path, several remains of stone platform, or “daef,” where people were setting their houses were identified. A huge tall tree called “QAW” was also identified. Jeff told that fruit-bats liked the fruit of the tree.
For just a couple of hundred meters walk, we joyfully enjoyed exploration for more than one hour. For Mr. KAWAGUCHI, it was the second visit to this island, and he told that it was quite exciting to walk the place with local people.
After coming back from the walk, other staff at TRCT joined in the dialogue. Specially on the issue of fruit-bats, Jeff and Ken told the place of their nests in the area. They also mentioned about the habitat of the animal and how people of Yap had been hunting those in with ways. We all agreed to have such walk and dialogue would visualize what the area was having in the relation with the nature and human and it would show the potential of the area in this modernized society.
United Nations’ “Equators Prize” was given to TRCT on September 24, 2019, in New York during its general assembly. The prize is given to communities in tropic area to promote their efforts to conserve and to use biodiversity sustainably in every two years.
This year TRCT was chosen with other 21 communities. TRCT is very honored for this award and recognizes that the award is for all the community members and many related bodies including The Nature Conservation, BMUB, North Pacific Development Fund,US Forestry Service, Micronesia Conservation Trust, Risona Foundation, JICA, ECOPLUS, YapCAP, Yap State EPA, R&D, Marine Resources, Agriculture and others.
The awarding ceremony was held at Town Hall of central New York in the evening of September 24. The representatives from TRCT, Mr. Vitus Faneg and Ms. Wenifred Faimau were attended on the stage with other winners with local attire. They were introduced to the audience including leaders from different countries.
In advance of the ceremony, UNDP organized several workshops to connect each awardees. Not only the two representatives, but also Mr. and Mrs. Fetan of Tamil were joined in the workshops at their expense.
