Mariana Trench Marine National Monument Designation

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.