Maria is a Kupu member working in our Visitor Services division at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge at Ritidian. She's under .
My name is Maria, nice to meet you! I’m indigenous to Guam but I spent my childhood growing up off island. After moving back to Guam as a young adult, I ventured out to the tåno (land) and tåsi (sea) by hiking and snorkeling. I also volunteered for organizations that focus on food security, invasive snake hunting, tree planting & Chamorro cultural revitalization. Getting involved has been the best way for me to learn about my cultural identity and the island itself. Over time, I felt a passion igniting within me to connect more community members to nature.
I get to put my passion to work here in the Visitor Services division. My responsibility is to teach visitors about wildlife, cultural history and the natural resources that can be found at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge (known as Litekyan in Chamorro, meaning "stirring place"). My audience ranges from students on field trips to community members on guided interpretive tours, and international visitors at the Nature Center or at the beach. In my role, my personal goal is to give others the eyes to see what we have around us such as pottery on the foot paths and coral fossils peeking out from the limestone. Recently, a six-year-old on a tour was so overwhelmed with all that we were learning that he stopped in his tracks and shouted out loud “I just have so many questions!!� Even though I’m two decades older than him, I later thought to myself, “Same here, buddy, same here.�
From time to time, I also work with our biologist to conduct green sea turtle nest inventory, remove invasive plants, and support native out planting site maintenance. What I’ve looked forward to the most while working here is learning from the land and sea directly. Immersive, hands-on experience supplemented by oral history is my preference and it feels true to how our ancestors learned. Some things I’ve really enjoyed while working here is finding sea turtle tracks in the morning that indicate a nest as well as speaking with experts doing fieldwork, such as those practicing åmot (CHamoru traditional medicines from plants). I love that when I learn about the plants here, I often need to memorize three names per plant: Chamorro name, common name and scientific name! My favorite challenge given to me by one of my mentors is to be able to stand outside anywhere on the Refuge, turn in a 360 degree circle, and be able to name all the plants in my line of sight.
In the last 7 months working here, Litekyan has been my teacher, and the environment has been my classroom. I hope you feel encouraged to connect with the nature around you or here at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge.
