Fatoata and Learning Endeavors host Wetlands Teacher Workshop

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The non-profit organization Fatoata, in collaboration with Learning Endeavors, hosted a wetlands teacher workshop on Thursday, June 26, and Friday, June 27. Learning Endeavors focuses on coastal resilience throughout the territories of Guam, CNMI, Palau, American Samoa, and Hawaii.

Fatoata is a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in American Samoa that focuses on conservation, restoration, and education. These two nonprofits came together to empower teachers to teach wetlands in the classroom.

Learning Endeavors approaches wetland education through four avenues on their Champions of Coastal Resilience website that the teachers learned to navigate during the workshop. The first tab defines coastal resilience and lists coastal resilience strategies. The second tab goes over coastal ecology, ecosystems, culture, and wetlands, and provides a map of wetland locations in American Samoa along with school locations and other characteristics. Tab three provides climate science themes, and tab four provides tools teachers can use to take action, such as stewardship and creating a short video.

The American Samoa Department of Commerce Coastal Zone Management Division (CZMD) Wetlands Specialist, Aveipepa Fua, was a guest speaker during the two-day workshop. She came with a wealth of information pertinent to local wetlands in American Samoa.

Teachers learned that there are a total of 19 wetlands in American Samoa. She explained the difference between inland and coastal wetlands. Ms. Fua also shared that wetlands are vital to our island ecosystem because they are a barrier against coastal erosion, they improve water quality, they contribute to food security as a nursery for commercially relevant fish, and they store atmospheric carbon dioxide, a form of carbon sequestration. Ms. Fua and her team at CZMD have been working hard to protect the wetlands, but it must be a community effort, as wetlands continue to be filled for development.

The second day of the workshop was held in Leone in collaboration with the Governor's Public Policy Adviser, Andra Samoa, a long-time wetlands conservationist and protector of all things sacred to the Samoan people.

Teachers toured the Leone Healing Gardens, a somber reminder of the impact that Mother Nature has on our island, remembering those we lost during the 2009 tsunami. Teachers walked to the Leone bridge to get a distant view of the wetlands and to see firsthand how human activity and natural processes shape the wetlands. Then it was a walk into the Leone wetlands, where marine life and native vegetation thrive. Teachers saw the togomumu (red mangrove) and togosaina (oriental mangrove) flourishing together. American Samoa is one of the only places in the world where the red and oriental mangrove grow together.

Andra Samoa encouraged the teachers to stay involved in their local wetlands, emphasizing that educators play a vital role in fostering environmental stewardship at the school level.

Teachers can inspire the next generation to care for and protect wetlands by integrating place-based learning and real-world experiences into their classrooms. The wetlands teacher workshop was a call to action, reminding educators of the power they hold to spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and lead their communities in preserving American Samoa’s delicate ecosystem.

To learn more about Learning Endeavors Champions of Coastal Resilience, visit their website at https://www.championsofcoastalresilience.org.