Natural Environment

What is radon? Radon is a radioactive gas that forms from the natural decay of the element uranium. Because uranium is found in all soils, radon gas is emitted virtually everywhere. It is odorless, colorless, and completely undetectable without the right equipment. It travels upwards through cracks in the underlying rock and, eventually, into homes and buildings. If such structures are poorly ventilated, radon can gradually accumulate to unsafe levels.

Serianthes nelsonii is a tree species that is endemic to the Mariana Islands of Guam and Rota. Each island has its own unique local name for this plant. On the island of Guam, it is called håyun lågu, meaning “northern tree” or “foreign tree” (Figure 1), and in Rota, it is called trongkon guåfi or trongkon fi’a, meaning “fire tree”.

Kava (Piper methysticum) is an important ceremonial, traditional, and cash crop grown throughout the Pacific. The evergreen shrub usually grows on hillsides or low-lying mountains, in damp and shady areas. Kava’s rhizomes (underground roots of the plant; Figure 1) are commonly harvested for ancient and modern herbal remedies. When most people refer to kava they are actually referring to either the root or the drink made from squeezing the root (Figure 2). Across the Pacific, kava root is enjoyed both recreationally and ceremonially.

Islands are more susceptible to invasive species than larger land masses because island ecosystems evolved in relative geographic isolation. In the distant past, vast mountains and oceans proved sufficient to prevent the migration of even the hardiest of species. Global commerce and travel enable people and cargo to cross these great distances on ships and planes, often taking hitchhikers on the journey.