CNMI Department of Lands & Natural Resources

21/09/2026

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) concluded another meeting last week, resulting in a request for federal action on Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas). While still listed as endangered under the USFWS Endangered Species Act, data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently reclassified the species status as “Least Concern” on October 2025. With that, DLNR Secretary and Council member requested for federal partners NMFS and USFWS to conduct a status review of the Green Sea Turtle species populations of Guam, CNMI, and American Samoa. These reviews will be crucial in order to determine whether its conservation status may be downgraded or delisted.

Further concerns regarding bycatch of loggerhead and leatherback turtles in Hawaii and American Samoa shallow-set longline fisheries were also addressed.

For the full article please visit the link below ⬇️

https://www.wpcouncil.org/press-release-council-advances-sea-turtle-actions-finalizes-fishing-recommendations-18-september-2026/

19/09/2026

10/09/2026

🪸 CNMI Attends the 52nd U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting After Missing the 51st due to Supertyphoon Sinlaku

After being unable to attend the 51st meeting held in Puerto Rico in April, the CNMI managed to send a delegation to partake in the 52nd U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) Meeting, held in Washington D.C. last week. The meeting brings together representatives from all U.S. jurisdictions with coral reefs to discuss funding, priorities, and future partnerships between Federal, Jurisdictional, and Non-governmental partners. Jurisdictions in attendance: CNMI, Guam, Hawai’i, Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico with American Samoa being absent. Angel A. Demapan, Department of the Interior’s Deputy Assistant Secretary, has been representing his home island of Saipan well as co-chair for the past three USCRTF meetings alongside NOAA Assistant Administrator for the National Ocean Service Nicole LeBoeuf and elevating the needs of the CNMI in national priorities, policies, and response, particularly with the recent supertyphoons.

The CNMI USCRTF POC, Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Sylvan O. Igisomar and these members of the CNMI Coral Reef Initiative (CRI) team were in attendance: Lead Biologist Francisco Villagomez, Coral Restoration & Response Coordinator Kalani Reyes, and Policy Planner Bailey Warren, the former Coral Fellow for CNMI. Ahead of the meeting, DOI and NOAA staff met with the CNMI CRI to discuss legislative and funding priorities, and the CNMI team was also able to schedule their annual visit with the CNMI Congressional Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds at her office in Capitol Hill. Conversations focused on supporting CRI’s ongoing projects and federal awards, addressing damage from recent storms, particularly with FEMA, and preparing for future natural disasters and response.

10/09/2026

07/09/2026

Happy Labor Day CNMI! 🇲🇵

We are immensely grateful for our workforce, most especially for our incredibly hard working staff whose commitment and service have helped to unite, uplift, and rebuild our community as a whole. Thank you for all that you do! 🙏🏻

04/09/2026

03/09/2026

Email from Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Check out our quarterly newsletter! Summer 2026 | ISSN 2151-2337 Greetings! Enjoy our latest newsletter. Click on the cover below to view

20/08/2026

TS Saudel update # 05

TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL (17W)
BULLETIN #05
CORRECTION
DATE: AUGUST 21, 2026
TIME: 8:00 AM

BASED ON INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE-TIYAN GUAM AND COMPILED AT THE CNMI EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER-STATE WARNING POINT: ..TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL IS PASSING WELL EAST OF GUAM AND ROTA.....SAUDEL CONTINUES MOVING NORTHWEST TOWARDS THE FAR NORTHERN MARIANAS...

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY (NWS)
--------------------------
TYPHOON WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR AGRIHAN AND PAGAN.
TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT ALAMAGAN.

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
A TYPHOON WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR PAGAN AND AGRIHAN IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. A TYPHOON WARNING MEANS
THAT TYPHOON FORCE WINDS OF 74 MPH OR MORE ARE EXPECTED, WITH THE ONSET OF DAMAGING WINDS OF 39 MPH OR GREATER EXPECTED AFTER MIDNIGHT.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALAMAGAN IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 39 TO 73 MPH ARE EXPECTED AFTER MIDNIGHT.

A TYPHOON WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALAMAGAN IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. A TYPHOON WATCH MEANS THAT TYPHOON FORCE WINDS OF 74 MPH OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE, DEPENDING ON A WESTWARD SHIFT IN THE TRACK OF TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TINIAN, SAIPAN, AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 39 TO 73 MPH ARE ONLY POSSIBLE IF THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT WESTWARD SHIFT IN THE TRACK OF TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL TODAY OR TONIGHT.

SUMMARY OF 700 AM CHST...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...14.1N 149.3E

ABOUT 250 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF SAIPAN
ABOUT 255 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF TINIAN
ABOUT 270 MILES EAST OF ROTA
ABOUT 290 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF ANATAHAN
ABOUT 335 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ALAMAGAN
ABOUT 365 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PAGAN
ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTHEAST OF AGRIHAN

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...45 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTHWEST...325 DEGREES AT 13 MPH

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
----------------------
AT 700 AM CHST... THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 14.1 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 149.3 DEGREES EAST, ABOUT 305 MILES EAST OF GUAM AND 250 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF SAIPAN. SAUDEL IS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 13 MPH. IT IS EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN THIS GENERAL COURSE AND SPEED THROUGH SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN AT 45 MPH. SAUDEL IS FORECAST TO INTENSIFY THROUGH TONIGHT, POSSIBLY BECOMING A TYPHOON. SAUDEL COULD BECOME A TYPHOON LATE THIS EVENING AND PASS THROUGH THE FAR NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS ON SATURDAY AS AN INTENSIFYING CATEGORY 3 TYPHOON.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD FROM THE CENTER UP TO 100 MILES TO THE SOUTH AND UP TO 45 MILES TO THE NORTH.

BECAUSE OF THE ANTICIPATED THREAT OF TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL (17W), GOVERNOR DAVID M. APATANG HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS AS OF
8:00 AM.

DECLARE
• TYPHOON CONDITION II: AGRIHAN AND PAGAN.
*TYPHOON CONDITION II: MEANS DAMAGING WINDS OF 39 MPH OR MORE ARE EXPECTED WITHIN 24 HOURS.
• TROPICAL STORM CONDITION III: ALAMAGAN
*TROPICAL STORM CONDITION III: MEANS THAT WINDS OF 39 MPH TO 73 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN 48 HOURS.

MAINTAINING

• TROPICAL STORM CONDITION III: SAIPAN AND TINIAN.

*TROPICAL STORM CONDITION III: MEANS THAT WINDS OF 39 MPH TO 73 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN 48 HOURS.

THE CNMI EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER STATE WARNING POINT WILL BE MONITORING THE MOVEMENT OF TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL (17W) AND WILL BE ISSUING OUT BULLETINS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON UPDATES TO WEATHER FORECASTS AND STAY INFORMED ON THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND ADVISORIES WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH LOCAL MEDIA SOURCES AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO BROADCAST VIA PHONE AT 211, OR CALL CNMI EOC STATE WARNING POINT AT 237-8000 OR 664-8000, AND FOR THE NORTHERN ISLANDS TO CONTACT CNMI EOC STATE WARNING POINT AT HIGH FREQUENCY SINGLE SIDE BAND RADIO ON FREQUENCY 5.205.0.

AN INTERMEDIATE BULLETIN WILL BE ISSUED AT 11:00 AM CHST, FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT SCHEDULED BULLETIN AT 2:00 PM CHST

20/08/2026

Corrected: 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐈𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧, 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐧

At 1:00 pm today, Thursday, Aug. 20, Governor David M. Apatang declared Typhoon Condition III for Pagan, Alamagan, and Agrihan, with a Typhoon Watch now in effect. Damaging winds of 74 mph or greater are possible within 48 hours.

While no watches or warnings are in effect for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, residents are urged to monitor Tropical Storm Saudel (17W) and prepare for increased rainfall and gustier conditions late this weekend. Current forecasts show a low probability of direct impacts, but conditions can change quickly if the track shifts westward.

Saudel is expected to intensify into a strong typhoon and pass northeast of Saipan through the Northern Marianas Saturday night. NWS Guam estimates only a 10–20% chance of tropical-storm-force winds for Saipan and less than 5% for Rota.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨:

✅Monitor official updates from NWS Guam, CNMI JIC/HSEM, and local media
✅Ensure emergency kits are stocked (water, food, meds, flashlights, batteries, documents)
✅Secure loose outdoor items; clear drains/gutters; trim vegetation
✅Review family emergency and communication plans
✅Avoid unnecessary travel if conditions worsen

STRONG tents on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota are rated for up to 4 inches of rain per hour and winds to 55 mph. Based on current forecasts, they do not need to be taken down at this time.

Weather Outlook: Fair weather expected through Saturday for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Increasing showers, gusty winds, and rougher marine conditions possible Sunday–Monday.

Stay informed:
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20/08/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 20, 2026

80TH LIBERATION DAY FESTIVITIES CANCELLED DUE TO ANTICIPATED THREAT OF TROPICAL STORM SAUDEL

The safety of the community remains our highest priority

The 80th Liberation Day Committee, in coordination with the Saipan Mayor's Office, regretfully announces the cancellation of the 80th Liberation Day Festivities scheduled for August 21 and 22, 2026, due to the threat and anticipated impacts of Tropical Storm Saudel affecting the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

After careful consideration of current conditions, public safety concerns, and the potential impact on our community, the Committee has determined that cancelling the festivities is the most responsible decision. The safety and well-being of our residents, visitors, vendors, performers, volunteers, government personnel, first responders, and everyone involved in the celebration must remain our highest priority.

The decision was not made lightly. The 80th Liberation Day celebration represents an important milestone for our community—a time to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us, celebrate our history and heritage, and bring families and communities together. We recognize the tremendous effort, dedication, and resources that have gone into preparing for this year’s festivities.

The Committee extends its sincere appreciation to our sponsors, vendors, performers, volunteers, government agencies, community organizations, businesses, committee members, and residents who worked tirelessly to make the celebration possible. We are especially grateful for your patience, understanding, and continued support as we place the safety of our community above all else.

At this time, we strongly encourage everyone in our community to prioritize preparedness and safety, closely monitor official announcements, follow instructions from emergency management and public safety authorities, and take the necessary precautions to protect yourselves, your families, homes, and businesses.