Comments

The proposed national marine monument located in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will encompass over 1/3 of the entire CNMI Exclusive Economic Zone (>115,000 square miles). Its one thing to "protect" large expanses of ocean for valid, science-based conservation purposes, but quite another to establish large "no-take" MPA's under the guise of conservation and then to solicit the blind loyalty of enviro-extremist groups to bolster the credibility of the action. There was absolutely no science used in determining the boundaries of the proposed monument in the Northern Mariana Islands, nor has there been any biological justification for setting aside this much ocean as a ‘no-take’ MPA. Additionally, the legal vehicle that would be used to designate the national monuments – the Antiquities Act of 1906 – is favored by the enviro-extremists because it completely bypasses the public involvement and review process – it is unilateral federal action. Designation of a Mariana national monument is easily supported by those who live in the US mainland because it doesn’t directly affect you. However, those of us who live in the Marianas feel that we are being used to further the agenda of US mainland politics. If the Mariana monument is designated, the Pew Environmental Group will be closer to meeting their Ocean Legacy goal of establishing 3 to 5 large ‘no-take’ marine protected areas, President Bush will have his ‘blue legacy’, and the US Government will be able to show US sovereignty in the Western Pacific. In return, the people of the Marianas will ‘pay’ for everything. As previously inferred, this issue has become highly controversial in the CNMI with the Pew Environment Group pushing the national monument issue on the people. Most of us are offended by the arrogant and culturally insensitive monument campaign being run by Pew, and do not support their monument proposal. Even the majority of the CNMI and Guam Government officials DO NOT SUPPORT the monument proposal. See www.marianasconservation.org for the level of opposition to this monumental travesty. The monument proposal is nothing more than US mainland politics directed at a member of the US family that has no political clout in order to permanently take away over 115,000 square miles of our oceans to create a “blue legacy” for President Bush and further the anti-fishing agenda of Pew. Pew dressed it up as a conservation project in an attempt to deceive the people of the CNMI in giving up their CHOICE for the responsible and sustainable use of the natural resources found in their EEZ. The proposed monument issue is an example of political environmentalism at its worse. John Gourley, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands