In late 2007/early 2008, the goal was to extend conservation status to the waters surrounding Asuncion, Maug, and Uracus. In 2005, the Commonwealth Constitution designated these islands as wildlife refuges in perpetuity, but the protections stop at the shoreline. In our proposal, we asked President George W. Bush to protect the marine ecosystems surrounding the three northernmost islands of Uracus, Maug, and Asuncion as a marine national monument sanctuary, in accordance with the Antiquities Act of 1906 and that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through its National Marine Sanctuaries Program, be the federal agency that administers, co-manages, and enforces the monument, along with the (Commonwealth). As the eastern corner of our proposed area included a large portion of the Mariana Trench, we began referring to our proposal as the Mariana Trench Monument.
When the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument (MTMNM) was created in 2009, it established protection for protect 95,000 square miles of seafloor and waters in the Mariana Archipelago. This area—which is under federal jurisdiction—consists of three units: the Islands Unit, which protects the seafloor and waters around the three northernmost Mariana Islands, Farallon de Pajaros or Uracas, Maug, and Asuncion; the Volcanic Unit, which protects the seafloor surrounding 21 volcanic sites of exceptional scientific and conservation value; and the Trench Unit, which protects the seafloor east of the archipelago inside the US Exclusive Economic Zone from north of Uracas to south of Guam.
While the FOMT’s original proposal suggested the monument be administered by the US Department of Commerce’s National Marine Sanctuary program, the Bush administration’s presidential order placed the Department of Interior’s US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Department of Commerce’s NOAA Fisheries program in charge of MTMNM’s management in coordination with the CNMI. Fortunately, the FOMT have a developed a strong working relationship with the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge Service, who are tasked with enforcement and public outreach. The MTMNM is managed out of the NWRS complex located in Guam and by the NOAA and NWRS offices in Honolulu, HI.
Partners: Office of the Governor, Department of Interior’s US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Department of Commerce’s NOAA Fisheries program.
Fall 2017 – Secretary Zinke’s provided a monuments review report to The White House in September 2017. While the MTMNM was subject to the review, the report makes no comments or recommendations regarding the monument.
Spring 2017 – Completion of Executive Order 13792, President Trump’s request for Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to review all 27 national monuments created under Executive Orders in the last two decades and make recommendations to maintain, decrease or increase the size of the monuments.
April 2017 – President Trump issues Executive Order 13792 requesting a review of past presidential designations of national monuments made under the Antiquities Act, with special consideration to “whether designated lands are appropriately classified under the Act as ‘historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, [or] other objects of historic or scientific interest,” “the effects of a designation on the available uses of designated Federal lands,” and “the availability of Federal resources to properly manage designated areas…”
September 2016 – Governor Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres and Delegate Kilili write to President Obama requesting designation of a marine sanctuary [see more here].
April 2009 – Friends of the Mariana Trench write to Delegate Gregorio Camacho “Kilili” Sablan asking him to introduce legislation that would: “(1) transfer the monument to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, (2) extend the existing boundaries to include the northern waters, and (3) close the entire monument to sustenance, commercial and recreational fishing (continuing to allow traditional indigenous fishing) as outlined in our Vision Statement.” The letter also addresses submerged lands issues and offers a solution that was eventually accepted as a compromise between the federal and CNMI governments.
January 2009 – The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument is officially declared by the Bush administration, protecting 96,000 square miles of seafloors and water in the Marianas under federal jurisdiction.
November 2008 – The Friends of the Mariana Trench deliver 6,000 signatures in support of the monument to the White House.
October 2008 – Bush Administration officials visit Guam and Saipan to hold public hearings regarding the possible monument. The Friends of the Mariana Trench publish their Vision Statement, with six goals regarding Management and Enforcement, Culture and Tradition, Conservation, Education, Research and Exploration, and Economic Development.
March 2008 – Pew Charitable Trusts collaborates with the Friends of the Mariana Trench to present a proposal for the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument at the Office of the Governor.
August 2007 – Various CNMI leadership and other interested community members learn about an opportunity to take advantage of support to add additional protections to the CNMI Constitutional protected northern most islands; and to help keep Pagan out of the hands of the military.
