By Riyo Anne Reyes, REEF intern
One thing I’m quickly learning as a Research, Education, and Extension Fellowship (REEF) intern is that no two days look quite the same. This week was full of new experiences, from conducting interviews and covering events to trying something completely new.
At the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), we define sustainability as the balance between meeting current needs and safeguarding the resources of future generations. Established in 2009, UOG CIS & Sea Grant is the region’s lead institution for supporting the transition toward a sustainable, self-reliant, and prosperous island community.
Since our founding, UOG CIS & Sea Grant has evolved into the region’s focal point for sustainability research and community outreach. We collaborate closely with government agencies, NGOs, and community groups to address critical island needs across four key pillars: Environment, Economy, Society, and Education.
With an expanding portfolio of implementation projects and strong community partnerships, UOG CIS & Sea Grant is moving the region toward a sustainable tomorrow. Our work is defined by action. Through transformative programs like Guam Green Growth, the SEAS Islands Alliance, and Navigating Home, we are turning sustainability plans into on-the-ground reality.
The Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative leveraged approximately $1 million in annual local funding to attract over $30 million in external support, showing that local sustainability investments can deliver significant socioeconomic benefits. At the 2026 Virtual Island Summit, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero shared these results and highlighted Guam’s ongoing sustainability initiatives during a panel with policymakers and practitioners.
True science communication also honors the human stories behind the programs, behind research. Serving as a mentor for the Navigating Home program this year gave me a renewed appreciation for this truth. While I have guided reporters and community educators in the past, mentoring Kira Reklai—a fellow with a background in early childhood education—for Navigating Home was a uniquely rewarding journey.
Local fishers are reporting an increase in both the size and overall abundance of several fish species across Guam’s reef waters following the 2020 ban on SCUBA spearfishing, according to observations shared during a recent Fisher Forum hosted by community science initiative Guihan for Guåhan.
Though one approached conservation through the lens of early childhood education and storytelling, and the other through fisheries management, Navigating Home short-term fellows Kira Reklai and Enqi Yang arrived at the exact same conclusion by the end of their three-month experience: protecting Guam’s natural resources requires meeting the community where they are.
Conservation leaders from across the Pacific and Southwest gathered on Guam recently to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships and explore solutions to some of the region’s most pressing soil, water, and natural resource challenges.
A plate filled with food grown on Guam represents more than a good meal. It represents an island becoming morae capable of feeding itself.
303 University Drive
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913
Phone: (671)735-5631
Email: cis@uog.edu
seagrant@uog.edu
©2026 University of Guam
Sea Grant. All rights reserved.
303 University Drive
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913
Phone: (671)735-5631
Email: cis@uog.edu
seagrant@uog.edu
©2026 University of Guam
Sea Grant. All rights reserved.
