A $50,000 grant funded by the Department of State and administered by the U.S. Forest Service is helping the village of Moata’a restore its renowned mangroves. The village logo reads “Your Village, Your Identity,” with the village motto “As Fiery/Fierce as a Mangrove,” accompanied by a rooster and the iconic mangroves. Local media widely covered caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa and Chargé d’Affaires Jonathan Lee Yoo’s keynote addresses at the dedication, May 14. The event was attended by hundreds of villagers and schoolchildren and organized by the local member of parliament-elect, Honolulu-born Lenatai Victor Tamapua. Other villages and schools are visiting the mangroves as part of hands-on learning, encouraged by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Photo by Perelaaroi Siaosi
