White sand beaches with millions of nesting seabirds line a part of the Pacific Ocean that is crystal blue. Underneath, spectacular coral reefs provide refuge to diverse ocean life. The wildly varied creatures, ocean, and landscape seem like a fantasy world; but they are not only real, they have all become part of the new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument.

On June 15, 2006, President George W. Bush signed a proclamation creating the national monument. The departments of Interior and Commerce published regulations implementing the proclamation on August 29. At the June White House ceremony, which included Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, and dignitaries, the Bush stressed that the monument is "the largest single area dedicated to conservation in the history of our country."

On Nov. 14, 2006, USA Today and Good Morning America named the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument as one of the new "Seven Wonders of the World." 

To see more of the new monument, see the Good Morning America video at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/7Wonders/  or go to http://www.usatoday.com.

“Along with the two national wildlife refuges already in the area, this national monument provides permanent protection and conservation for the extraordinary natural resources and wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands," Kempthorne said. "Relatively untouched by human activities, these isolated waters and coral reefs provide vital habitat for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, the threatened Hawaiian green sea turtle and other rare marine species." 

The national monument covers roughly 140,000 square miles of reefs, atolls, and shallow sea in the Pacific Ocean. It encompasses the existing Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and the Battle of Midway National Memorial. The Fish and Wildlife Service has sole responsibility for management of the monument within refuge boundaries, in consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NOAA has primary responsibility regarding management of marine areas of the monument in consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service. The state of Hawaii’s jurisdiction within the area remains unchanged.

The regulations that FWS and NOAA published in the Federal Register on Aug. 29 codified the management measures and prohibitions outlined in the presidential proclamation — the phaseout of commercial fishing, the strict regulation of access to and activities within the monument area, the preservation of Native Hawaiian cultural activities, the careful regulation of educational and scientific activities, and the prohibition on oil, gas, and mineral exploration and extraction.

The two federal agencies and the state of Hawaii held nine informational meetings over the course of three weeks beginning Sept. 25, with the purpose of introducing the monument to the public. The meetings were held on the main Hawaiian Islands. In addition, a draft monument management plan and a draft Midway Atoll visitor plan are in development.

"The creation of the monument has given us a whole new set of opportunities to better care for the natural, historic, and cultural resources of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands,” said Barbara Maxfield, FWS Pacific Islands External Affairs and Visitor Services chief, who has been part of an interagency team working long hours to set up management of the monument. “As we work with our partners to align our various agency missions and authorities, we share a common goal: to provide the long-term protection of these islands, atolls, reefs, and waters that Teddy Roosevelt envisioned almost 100 years ago. It's exciting to be a part of this new chapter for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands."

"We are here to fulfill a legacy of conservation that was first begun by Theodore Roosevelt," Bush said in proclaiming the new national monument.  In 1909, President Roosevelt established the Hawaiian Islands Reservation to protect native seabirds from being hunted. His executive order was the first of many presidential efforts to protect the life and waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 2001 President Bill Clinton designated the waters around the islands as a coral reef reserve.

More information can be found at:

http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/monument.html

www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov