FSMYoungChampions: Water Works in the Nimpal Channel

"Bravo" pickup...

It has been a busy start in the new year of 2012. Nimpal Channel MCA has gone into a lot of works with Water Quality monitoring with technical support provided by Dr. Peter Houk and Dr. Yimnang Golbuw, and the Yap State EPA. Conservation and the whole science aspect of it is a fairly new idea in Yap and to effectively conserve we must learn the science and methods and incorporate it with our traditional knowledge. When the Nimpal Channel MCA first sprouting as a no-take zone, new studies and science has brought to the attention of the community the need to further monitor not only the no-take zone, but also adjacent areas and other elements such as water quality, current flows, etc.

And so begins our Water works.

With the deploying of water quality sensors and surface current GPS trackers, more and more data has been gathered that helps give more understanding about the resource we protect and care for. In tracking the surface currents in the immediate area of the Nimpal Channel MCA, we can asses the total water shed area and how we can improve on managing land based activities. With the data gathered from the water quality sensors, we can get a better idea of what is in our waters that is natural and what is foreign and how these things affect these areas. These additional data helps support the decision making of the community. Knowing more of the factors that affect the community conservation areas and living spaces helps to better understand current impacts. This leads to better resource management, by flagging any potential future problems or challenges and addressing these directly to get the desired results, efficiently. The science confirms and supports the traditional knowledge of ridge-to-reef resource management as practiced for eons on our island.