You are here

News & Announcements » UOG’s Guam Green Growth and Yoña mayor’s office team up for cliff side tree planting project

UOG’s Guam Green Growth and Yoña mayor’s office team up for cliff side tree planting project

UOG’s Guam Green Growth and Yoña mayor’s office team up for cliff side tree planting project

UOG’s Guam Green Growth and Yoña mayor’s office team up for cliff side tree planting project


9/4/2025
UOG YONA 1
Austin Shelton Ph.D. and Mayor BJ Terlaje work together to plant a plumeria along the cliff side of Yoña.  This special tree planting project was a part of the Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps’ island beautification program.  Every week, the Corps hosts a beautification project in a different village including cleanups, restorations, paintings and more. 
UOG YONA 2
Members of the Guam Green Growth GROW Corps and Conservation Corps along with community volunteers and staff members of the Yoña Mayor’s Office prepared holes and planted over 30 plumeria trees along the cliff side.  The plumeria trees will sprout fragrant flowers that are favorites for arrangements and leis.
❮
❯

In the spirit of community collaboration, the University of Guam’s (UOG) Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative and the Yoña mayor’s office planted 34 plumeria trees along the Yona cliff line as part of ongoing island beautification efforts.

Members of the G3 Conservation Corps, the G3 GROW Corps, community volunteers along with Mayor BJ Terlaje and his team, aimed to enhance the natural beauty of the area with the planting.

"I've always dreamed of Yona being the gateway to the South, where you'll see all these plumeria trees blossoming,” Terlaje explained to volunteers. “What you're doing is a positive thing. We're opening up the eyes and ears of our community that has been stagnant for a very, very long time."

Participants carefully selected and planted each of the plumeria trees, a species known for its fragrant blossoms and resilience, which are well-suited for Guam's climate.

Austin Shelton Ph.D., the co-chair of the G3 steering committee and the director of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant reflected on the lasting impression and impact the planting will have for the community.

“A sustainable future is a beautiful future. We’re grateful to the hardworking volunteers who planted these trees as a stunning and fragrant legacy for our community and visitors to enjoy," said Shelton.

The newly planted plumeria are expected to grow and flourish, providing a lasting, fragrant landscape.

Over the course of the G3 Conservation Corps’ six-month program, they will have hosted island beautification events in every village on Guam.  Successful events have included roadside and beachside trash cleanups, illegal dumpsite restoration, bus stop and facility paintings, tree plantings and more.

More information on the Corps and other G3 implementation projects can be found on www.guamgreengrowth.org and via @guamgreengrowth on social media.