AMERICAN SAMOA TO GET OVER $50,000 IN LWCF

American Samoa will be receiving more than $50,000 under the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service (NPS).

Funding for American Samoa is part of the $43.89 million in LWCF allocated for states and territories as announced yesterday morning by U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell at Fort Worth, Texas.

LWCF will target ‘for-state-identified’ outdoor recreation and conservation projects according to the DOI news release, and Jewell was visiting Fort Worth’s Gateway Park as part of a weeklong series of events across the country by Administration officials to highlight the fund’s successes during this year, its 50th anniversary.

President Barack Obama has called for full, permanent funding in his proposed budget, recognizing the LWCF as one of the nation’s most effective tools for creating and protecting urban parks and open spaces for kids to play and learn.

“Over its 50 year history, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped fund over 40,000 local conservation and outdoor recreation projects by re-investing a small portion of revenue from offshore oil and gas development in waters owned by the American people,” Jewell said in the news release, adding that the Fund was established by Congress in 1964.

According to the Fund’s spreadsheet, the U.S. Pacific territories are allocated a total of more than $150,000, with American Samoa to received $50,203; Guam with $50,583; and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands $50,197.

Since 1965, the spreadsheet shows that American Samoa has received a total of $1.89 million in LWCF; Guam has received just over $2 million and CNMI given $915,121. LWCF funds helped develop the Utulei Beach Park.

FIRST EVER DUAL LANGUAGE TRAINING OPENS

This past Monday, the Dept. of Education launched the first ever dual language training session at the Governor H. Rex Lee Auditorium in Utulei where educators from ECE to high school level were present.

An official from the DOE’s Office of Curriculum and Instruction (OCI) said the goal of the program is to accommodate the needs of all students.

Monday’s event marked a first in the history of American Samoa, as it is the first time an educational training like this has been hosted by the Dual Language Committee with scholars from New Zealand, Samoa, and the United States.

The target group for the training are teachers for ECE, K-5 and Level 1 as these are the main students that will pilot this program for the new school year and these lower level classes are where the ‘foundation’ is built for school children.

DOE Director Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau is calling on parents, government leaders and the DOE staff to team up and see to it that the dual language mission is accomplished.

Acting Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga told everyone that if the Samoan language is lost, so will our culture. He urged teachers to use the training as a way to equip themselves with tools and strategies to teach the Samoan language. The two-week training will take place at the Dept. of Public Works conference room in Tafuna.

LAWMAKER URGES DPW DIRECTOR TO RE-STRIPE ROAD IN TUALAUTA AREA

Rep. Larry Sanitoa is requesting Public Works Director Faleosina Voigt to re-stripe the road from Cost U Less to the Tradewinds Hotel and KS Mart because according to him, there have been cases of near accidents due to the lack of proper markings for the turn-in lanes.

Sanitoa made the request in a letter to Voigt, while also thanking her for the soak pit drainage improvement near Cost U Less.

He reminded the Public Works director about several other outstanding drainage projects in the Tualauta District, including the Ottoville drainage by the LDS Church, Fagaima, Pava’ia’i, and Happy Valley.

The lawmaker pointed out that all these projects — as well as others around the island — are on hold to await federal funding but expressed his confidence that the DPW team will do what needs to be done to complete these projects by next year.

CHANGE OF PLANS FOR FISHING AND BOATING WEEK 

Activities for Fishing and Boating Week have been postponed until next Tuesday and Wednesday, July 15-16, and the venue has been changed to the Fagaalu Beach Park, as there is currently a warning against swimming and fishing in the harbor area.

Fishing and Boating Week is set to run in conjunction with Youth Month (July) and it is a project that is being spearheaded by the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), working with the Pago Pago Charters of American Samoa and the Game Fishing Association to promote recreational fishing.

The activities are free of charge and those who don’t have experience in fishing can get a crash course on how to fish, and how to use a rod and reel.

Boat tours and fishing trips are also planned and the activities are open to the public, as there is something planned for every age group.

Samoa News notes swimming at Utulei Beach and around the tank farm area continues, despite the warning from AS-EPA and DMWR of the water being affected by an algae bloom that they have since found to be coming from a leak in the pipe that carries StarKist Samoa plant waste water out of the bay area. The cannery was served a Stop Order for its production activities until the leak is fixed. (An update can be read elsewhere in today’s paper.)

DYWA CONTINUES WITH ACTIVITIES FOR YOUTH MONTH

Yesterday, the Dept. of Youth and Women’s Affairs (DYWA) kicked off an elei workshop for local youth in Malaeloa. Throughout the past year, elei classes have been offered to local women but in celebration of Youth Month (July), DYWA decided to offer the class for teens. The classes teach the art of fabric painting and offers a chance to learn a skill that can be used to start a small business.

In addition to the elei workshop, the DYWA is also prepping for “Fika Mai Le Pese,” — a strictly acapella singing competition — set to take place tomorrow, July 10 from 12noon — 4p.m.

According to DYWA Deputy Director Tapumanaia Galu Satele, a total of ten groups has already registered as of Monday, although they are open to accepting more interested performers. Groups can be all male, all female, or mixed gender of up to eight people.

The event will take place at the Fale Tele at the Suigaula ole Atuvasa Beach Park in Utulei and will feature prizes donated by DYWA (trophies) and Bluesky Communications (cash). 

PACIFIC ISLANDS CLIMATE SERVICES DIALOGUE SET FOR NEXT WEEK

The Pacific Islands Climate Services Dialogue — Preserving Freshwater Resources and Minimizing the Impacts of Drought — will take place on July 17 and 18 at the Tauese P.F. Sunia Ocean Center in Utulei.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is conducting a series of activities to enhance scientific and technical capacity to support climate change adaptation in the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS).

These activities include the development and delivery of new or enhanced products and services that focus on climate issues critical to the region and respond to unique user needs. Preserving freshwater resources and minimizing the impacts of drought has been identified as an issue of concern.

During the event, information sharing dialogs will be held between climate experts and community water managers and planners, agro-forestry resource managers, disaster risk managers and other decision makers within the ‘Two Samoas’ and beyond.

According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), two days of dialog are planned and will involve sharing and building climate stories as a means to outline key messages and best practices for water resource management.