Lately I spent a little bit of a Sunday afternoon at Ypao Seashore having fun with the inexperienced open area whereas households gathered in shelters and others loved the waters of Tumon Bay. My good secluded location was a commemorative shelter erected by the Rotary Golf equipment of Guam positioned exterior of the facet door to the Guam Guests Bureau. This shelter might definitely use some cleansing, minor repairs and portray. Maybe GVB might present curiosity in Ypao Seashore by adopting, bettering and sustaining this shelter.
The Tano’ I Famagu’on “Sensible Park” is a main instance of politicians trying to mesmerize the folks with grandiose plans that upon scrutiny merely lack any sound planning and relation to actuality. Now GVB proposes, after studying of the cultural assets at Ypao, to spend $500,000 for archaeology analysis with imprecise targets of “preserve-in-place” or “re-inter technique into our imaginative and prescient of a thriving atmosphere.”
Preservation
Preservation in place is the present standing and hopefully their “imaginative and prescient” just isn’t packing containers of artifacts and human stays to collect mud in a warehouse. A sensible and viable heritage preservation various can be to have an exhibit in cooperation with the Guam Museum to painting the previous of Ypao and Tumon.
Visions of the place Guam tourism ought to proceed don’t require a concrete Disneyland to litter up our open recreation area at Ypao Seashore, nor do they mirror our island’s heritage, and they need to to not be determined by a hand-picked committee in secret. We have to contain the folks of Guam and to construct upon what we declare are the points of interest of our island: Our tropical atmosphere of unpolluted seashores and waters, our tropical greenery and the wealthy CHamoru heritage of Guam.
Sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism begins with our communities and our already current native locations such because the Talo’fofo’ Valley of the Latte. The individuality of our southern villages must be the keys to our way forward for tourism, resembling Malesso’s Cocos Lagoon, the outdated architectural model of Inalåhan Village, and remnants of Spanish instances in Humåtak, together with different distinctive options of our island.
The Humåtak Revitalization Plan must be seen as a key instance to plan with our communities to assist information our tourism development by involving the folks and breaking the spell of Tumon and the huge concrete inns. Incentives for native villages to share in Guam tourism with such objects as non-intrusive visitor services resembling espresso retailers and bed-and-breakfasts must be key components, together with supporting visits to CHamoru locations resembling Fouha Rock for not solely our vacationers, however the folks of our island and the army at the moment stationed on Guam.
Historical past, tradition
The Guam Museum might set up distant reveals on the Valley of the Latte and the soon-to-be renovated Francisco Q. Sanchez Elementary College in Humåtak as an instance the historical past and tradition of these locations.
Previous to the pandemic shutdown, at the very least three trekking firms provided guided hikes to discover our island’s uniqueness to such locations as Pågat in Yigo and the caves, the keyhole, and scenic vistas overlooking Talo’fo’fo’( CHamoru for “between the cliffs”). Beneath the caves, Talo’fo’fo’ Bay is an instance of distinctive Guam that ought to have vacationers having fun with the seaside, browsing the waves, kayaking the river and scuba diving on the historic Japanese shipwreck, Aratama Maru.
Actions
How a couple of café throughout the road and a bed-and-breakfast up the hill with a view of the bay operated by the area people? These actions must be inspired as added actions on the island grow to be further days on the island with extra revenues generated whereas offering actual incentives for native companies. First we have to have the park at Talo’fo’fo’ Bay fastened up and cleaned up and even add some small shelters, tables and barbeques — and keep them, too.
Tourism and the folks of Guam will thrive once we appropriately enhance and keep our heritage assets and parks and contain the villages and other people of the island — not simply the inns in Tumon.
Dave Lotz is a vocal advocate for safeguarding Guam’s distinctive heritage; a educated and long-time mountaineering fanatic and environmental advocate; and critic of inept governments. He has been a resident of Guam since 1970 and retired from the Guam Division of Parks and Recreation, Andersen AFB Environmental Flight and the Nationwide Park Service. Editor’s be aware: This column has been edited for size. You’ll be able to learn it in its entirety on-line at guampdn.com.
