UOG students Mekumi Joseph, Danielle Caraig join Sihek recovery efforts on Palmyra

Two students from the University of Guam are gaining hands-on conservation experience at Palmyra Atoll through the University of Guam's COMPASS internship program.

Mekumi Joseph anf Danielle Caraig will spend one month on Palmyra working as interns under the COMPASS program, which provides educational and skill-based internship opportunities for students from the Mariana Islands, and assist with the Sihek Recovery Project.

COMPASS is funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) NextGen grant awarded to the University of Guam. The program aims to equip students with practical experience and professional development opportunities in fields related to agriculture, natural resources, and environmental stewardship.

Conservationists on Palmyra Atoll are caring for and monitoring a population of the critically endangered Sihek as part of an effort to establish a thriving wild population outside of Guam before their eventual return to their native island.