A retired shell enthusiast recently donated thousands of shells to the Guam NSF EPSCoR Biorepository at the University of Guam, many of which were collected on Guam during the 1960s, to be added to its historical collection.

Warren B. Carah, author and engineer, spent his teenage years in Guam from 1960 to 1964, where his family relocated due to his father’s service as an officer in the U.S. military. Carah attended Tumon High School, now known as John F. Kennedy High School, and spent his after-school hours searching for shells in Tumon Bay with his friends.

“We went to our lockers, got our spear guns out, and took the old Japanese elevator that went from the cliff down to the beach and we spent the rest of the day shelling, we went to just about every beach on the island,” Carah said.

Aside from Tumon Bay, Carah and his friends also frequented Apra Harbor, Malesso’, Cocos Island, and Tarague Beach in Andersen Air Force Base.

“I used to spend many, many hours out there at night. The bottom would literally be crawling with the very large cone shells, olive shells, and cowrie shells and during the day, it would look barren but at night, everything had come out,” Carah stated.

The donated shell collection includes around 4,000 shells from Guam, the Philippines, Australia, North America, and Africa.

Carah is aware of the difference in shell conservation now compared to how it was in the 1960s. “I think nowadays, most anybody that collects shells on Guam is quite aware of the fact that they have to let that resource go after they had found it, photographed it perhaps.,” Carah said, adding, “That didn’t exist in the early 1960s, but we still practiced conservation. There was no point in us collecting dozens and dozens of the same shell. We would collect one or two and our efforts would then go to find a new species.”

The Guam NSF EPSCoR Biorepository works to consolidate and expand Guam’s natural history collections and provides state-of-the-art digitization, imaging, and mapping of local and regional marine fauna and flora.

Regarding the importance of this donated shell collection, Robert Lasley, Ph.D., assistant professor and curator of crustacea at the Biorepository, describes it as “valuable for establishing a historical baseline, as well as for studying different species to better understand Guam’s biodiversity. It also allows researchers to compare what may have existed in certain localities in Guam back in the ‘60s to what is being found now.”

Carah had been sitting on his shell collection for almost 60 years before ultimately deciding to donate it to a place that can benefit from its possession.

“I sent a letter to the dean of the biological sciences group there at the University of Guam and she evidently then turned that over to Dr. Lasley, and then he contacted me via email and we’ve been corresponding ever since,” Carah said.

Lasley stated that Carah’s shell collection includes the exact day it was collected and the precise location where it was gathered. “Not only did he do these collections, but he kept a lot of good data and took really good care of them. In fact, you can see how well he packaged this stuff and sent it to us in really good condition,” he said.

The Biorepository houses thousands of coral specimens, crustaceans, fishes, algae, and other organisms to serve as an archive of the biodiversity found within the Micronesian region. Lasley explained that modern tools now allow for the collection and global dissemination of data from these specimens. He added that, eventually, all of them will be photographed, and their locality data will be gathered and entered into the curatorial database

“We’re going to get all the locality data from all these, and we’ll put them into our curatorial database, but then serve them online globally so any researcher anywhere in the world can access this information,” Lasley said.

For more information on the Biorepository and Guam NSF EPSCoR, visit the program’s official website at guamepscor.uog.edu or follow @GuamEPSCoR on Facebook and Instagram.

The University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant) program today announced the release of its 2024 Impact Book, chronicling a year of significant progress in sustainable development. The report highlights major initiatives including record breaking progress in the Sea Turtle Management program, Guihan for Guahan, the Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) and more.

Along with the announcement of numbers the group has collected over the course of the 2024 calendar year including over 12,000 outreach activity participants, nearly 150 recorded sea turtle nesting events, 59 students supported through fellowships, was a report of the return on investment of local funds allocated to the organization.

“In 2024, the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant delivered a 33.9 time Return on Investment (ROl) – for every $1 in funding we received from the local budget,” explained Austin Shelton Ph.D., the director of UOG CIS & Sea Grant. “Through the many grants we applied for and were awarded, we were able to leverage $33,900,000 in total funding for our island.”

The report highlights the biggest events and initiatives of 2024 in the UOG Conference on Island Sustainability and the launch of the CHalan Deskubre Hub learning center at the Mangilao campus but also provides some insight into ongoing projects including the move to pursue Gold Standard Carbon Credit Certification with the US Climate Alliance, for GROW reforestation projects. This pioneering strategy is designed to create a sustainable revenue source, allowing conservation work to continue for years to come, independent of traditional grant cycles.

“The projects featured in this year’s Impact Book demonstrate our commitment to developing practical, innovative, tangible and sustainable solutions for our island,” said Kyle Mandapat, Associate Director for Communications & Community Engagement at UOG CIS & Sea Grant. “From protecting our coral reefs through reforestation to inspiring our youth through hands-on science education, we are not just showing you what has been done but welcoming the community to participate in efforts as well.”

The Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps (G3CC) impacts are also revealed for the season with over 13,000 aluminum cans diverted from the landfill by recycling, 14 roadside cleanups being conducted and 200 feet of erosion control devices being installed. The workforce-development program, now in its fifth season, continues to add to growing success with around 80% of the nearly 60 G3CC program graduates finding jobs in the green economy.

“I am proud to present the 2024 Impact Report from the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant. The accomplishments outlined in this report reflect the university’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and our growing leadership in research, education, and outreach for Guam and the broader Micronesian region,” said Anita Borja-Enriquez D.B.A., president of the University of Guam.

The 2024 Impact Book can be found for free digitally at uog.edu/cis under the resources tab along with other publications from the group including posters, calendars, and books.

The University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), in collaboration with the Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) Initiative, successfully hosted a community tree planting event this past Saturday, August 2, at the Ugum Watershed project site in Malojloj. The event marked the official start of the year’s planting season, drawing volunteers dedicated to protecting Guam’s natural resources from ridge to reef.

The event brought together dozens of volunteers, including students, conservationists, and community members, working to restore the degraded Ugum Watershed.

The ongoing reforestation efforts are crucial for securing soil and preventing sediment runoff, which can harm southern rivers, interfere with the island’s water treatment systems, and suffocate nearby coral reefs.

“We want to thank everyone who came out and did their part to help protect our lands and prevent as much as we can from ending up in our oceans,” said GROW Project Lead Joshua Muña.

According to Muña, his team spent the past several weeks preparing for the event, alongside the newly launched Guam Green Growth GROW Corps.

“The entire team was doing site preparation for the plantings, we started drilling holes for the new trees, and we created erosion mitigation devices with the use of the dead trees that we cleaned up,” added Muña.

Altogether, organizers touted over 1200 trees planted within the three-hour event.

The GROW initiative, part of the larger Guam Green Growth (G3) partnership, focuses on empowering the community to take an active role in sustainable development. The tree planting series is designed to restore the watershed’s badland areas, which have been severely impacted by erosion.

Austin Shelton Ph.D., Director of UOG CIS & Sea Grant, has emphasized the tangible impact of the volunteers’ work. “Planting trees is a tangible way to contribute to the health and resilience of our island,” Shelton told the GROW Corps, adding that every tree planted is a part of a legacy for future generations.

The event also served as a service-learning opportunity for high school students, offering them a chance to earn credits while contributing to an important environmental cause.

The GROW in Malojloj event series is scheduled to continue select Saturdays throughout the planting season, with the next being prepped for September 6, 2025. The organizers encourage families, community groups, and corporate volunteers to join future events and help make a lasting difference for Guam’s environment.

The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant) is hosting a tree-planting event this Saturday, August 2 at the Ugum Watershed project site.

The event is scheduled to take place from 8AM to 10AM and will be coordinated by the Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) Initiative. Volunteers are welcome to participate in this event.

“This is the first GROW in Malojloj event for the year and is going to kick-off our planting season,” said GROW Project Lead Joshua Muña. “We want to welcome everyone down to learn how we can protect our watershed and our coastal ecosystems and to get hands-on experience making a difference.”

According to Muña, the Ugum Watershed is crucial for Guam’s ecosystem, providing habitat for various species and contributing to the island’s water supply. Tree planting efforts in the area help prevent soil erosion, improve water quality, and prevent coral suffocation.

Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing for outdoor work, including closed-toe shoes, hats, and sunscreen. Gloves and water will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles to minimize waste.

The GROW in Malojloj event series will continue Saturdays, September 6, October 4, and November 8, 2025, and are open to community group, corporate and service-learning student volunteers.

Participants are encouraged to arrive promptly to receive instructions and tools. For a map to the project site and to stay updated on the GROW in Malojloj event series, please follow @uogseagrant on social media.

The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant) extends its congratulations to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) on the recent launch of their ambitious RMI Green Growth initiative.

This significant step towards a more sustainable future for RMI has been greatly supported by the expertise and collaborative framework of Guam Green Growth (G3) and was first announced during the 16th University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability (CIS2025), where RMI President, Her Excellency, Hilda Heine Ed.D., was the keynote speaker.

“The future of our islands depends on the decisions we make today. Our goal is not just to protect what we have, but to create the future where our islands are stronger, our people are empowered, and our way of life can endure,” said Heine at CIS2025.

The RMI Green Growth initiative, was unveiled during the 27th Micronesian Islands Forum held this month in Majuro, marks a pivotal moment for the island nation, demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainable development aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Austin Shelton Ph.D., director of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant and co-chair of the G3 Steering Committee, expressed his pride in the regional collaboration.

“We are excited for the Republic of the Marshall Islands as they embark on their Green Growth journey,” said Shelton. “The expansion of the Green Growth movement across Micronesia signifies the critical importance of sustainable development for our island communities. Sustainability is ingrained in islands because it has been critical to our survival for millennia. Together, the Pacific is rising to the forefront of global efforts to secure a sustainable future for our planet.”

Guam Green Growth, a comprehensive public-private partnership facilitated by UOG CIS & Sea Grant, has played a crucial role in laying the groundwork for green growth expansion, recently celebrating the launches of CNMI Green Growth and Palau Green Growth initiatives as well.

The G3 team, in collaboration with Hawai’i Green Growth, Hawaii Sea Grant and the Local2030 Islands Network, has provided support in developing RMI’s Green Growth dashboard and assisting with grant-writing efforts to establish a circular economy makerspace in the Marshall Islands.

“As UOG continues to strengthen collaborations throughout Micronesia, we are so happy for our partners in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the launch of their RMI Green Growth initiative. As we stood on stage together earlier this year at CIS2025 and Her Excellency, President Heine announced her commitment to green growth, we offered our support. Now, we see the forward movement we Micronesians are known for, in action. Biba RMI Green Growth and Biba UOG,” said UOG President Anita Borja Enri quez D.B.A.

The RMI Green Growth program is set to continue the nation’s efforts towards a more resilient, prosperous, and inclusive economy. It builds upon RMI’s existing climate change priorities, including their 2050 Climate Strategy which aims for net-zero emissions and 100% renewable energy by 2045.

UOG CIS & Sea Grant remains dedicated to fostering regional partnerships and sharing successful models like G3 to empower other island nations in their pursuit of sustainability. The launch of RMI Green Growth is a testament to the power of collaboration and a promising sign for a more sustainable and resilient Pacific.