This past Saturday, the Micronesian Climate Change Alliance gathered the community at Litekyan – also known as the Ritidian National Wildlife Refuge – for its annual Walk for Water. Held under the theme “Lina’la I Hanom,” meaning “Water Is Life,” the event came at a time of escalating environmental concern for Guam, highlighting the intersection of environmental health, cultural survival, and climate justice.

Organizers say the walk was a call to collective action – raising awareness about growing threats to Guam’s water resources and the continued survival of the indigenous CHamoru culture, while affirming access to clean drinking water as a fundamental human right.

Participants voiced opposition to the construction of a live-firing range above the Northern Lens Aquifer and stood in solidarity with the ancestral landowners of Litekyan.

The gathering additionally launched a new campaign opposing deep-sea mining in the Marianas, citing serious risks to ocean ecosystems and Pacific Island fishing cultures.

The one-mile walk through Litekyan was led by fishers, cultural practitioners, and community leaders, and was marked by CHamoru chants and songs led by Guma’ Matan Gi and students from Maga’låhen Hurao Academy Charter School.

Educational activities rooted in indigenous environmental teachings, demonstrations of traditional medicine, keynote remarks on water contamination and indigenous rights, and performances by local musicians and Litekyan family members rounded out the day – honoring the land, the water, and the ancestors.