A Marianas Trench Marine Monument: The year is 2029

[B]By CHUCK SAYON[/B] [I]Special to the[/I] Saipan Tribune

In early June of this year, a presentation was given by Dr. Tom Iverson of the University of Guam regarding an economic study on the creation of a marine national monument. The projections and findings were model scenarios of what a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument would add to the local economy, so to make it more tacit and real, I pulled out an article that I wrote in 1999. It was about American Memorial Park. Appearing in the Saipan Tribune, it was about the socio-economic benefits and interests of AMP. The AMP was created as part of the Commonwealth Covenant agreement in 1978. In 1999, AMP was just over 20 years old; today in 2008 these figures are different. BUT, with that in mind, a hypothetical comparison letter follows in the year 2029.
[B] Business as usual for American Memorial Park[/B] (Originally published in 1999 in the Saipan Tribune)

America’s National Park Service system. The name conjures up images such as Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Hawaii Volcanoes, and the Statue of Liberty. Now think of the communities that surround these tourist destinations, businesses that support the tourist industries around these parks, such as lodging, tour guides, car rentals, and restaurants. These are high profile, but also in service to the Parks’ needs are construction, recycling, and trash pick-up. Well, American Memorial Park is no different.

Situated on 133 acres (54 hectares) of land along the western side of Saipan, the Park commemorates those who fought in the Marianas campaign of World War II. The Park’s concept of a “living memorial” offers activities enjoyed over half a century ago by American service men and women. Visitors to the Park can enjoy similar activities today, including water sports, tennis, softball, jogging and bicycling. Bordering the Park is Micro Beach, one of Saipan’s finest white sand beaches, beckoning windsurfers, snorkelers, sunbathers and picnickers. A photographer’s fancy, Micro Beach provides a breathtaking view of Managaha Island and dramatic evening sunsets. The park has a 1.5-mile walking path along its scenic and historic length. For the tennis enthusiast, the Park offers four tennis courts with night lighting for evening sets. The Park’s modern 1,200-seat Amphitheater is a popular stage for a wide variety of local events such as the annual Liberation Day Celebration, arts and craft festivals, concerts, and graduations. The local government operates a public marina, which is integrated within American Memorial Park.

At face value, the park is an important recreational facility for both the local population and an important gateway for tourists wanting to enjoy marine related activity. Recreation easily identifies the direct benefits to community, but does one realize the important indirect benefits to businesses and the local economy. With a projected Fiscal Year 2000 American Memorial Park budget of approximately _ million dollar budget, this translates into a staff payroll of approximately $200,000, and with the rest of the expenditures going to construction and maintenance projects. Federal salaries earned by Park staff are not earmarked for overseas remittance, but are spent locally for supporting the employees’ families and home infrastructure. With over _ million dollar expenditures for construction and maintenance, local businesses too benefit from having a National Park in their back yard. Let’s look at other indirect economic yet important benefits to the local business community. The Microbeach section of AMP is one of the few centrally, and easily accessible community beaches on the island of Saipan. Yearly, it is the sight of a major windsurfing regatta that draws international attention. For approximately one week a year in February, the hotels, the restaurants, the shops related to wind surfing, car rental companies – these service industries benefit from the 200 – 300 international and local participants. Also, we can mention the indirect benefit of international media coverage by ESPN for example that produce a multiplier effect on drawing attention to the CNMI. All this due to American Memorial Park being the venue for such an event. Focusing in on another American Memorial Park facility, the Tennis Court Complex. Visitor use surveys indicate that approximately 35,000 visitor “hits” or visitor use days occur per year. These free public courts are probably the main reason we have a small tennis related industry here on the island of Saipan. Tennis players spend money on tennis racquets and other related sports equipment like shoes, clothing, and refreshments. It would be safe to say that a majority of these expenditures are purchased locally. Another area to look at, the Outer Cove and Smiling Cove, the commercial and private/recreational marinas. Such facilities and their related support combine to make a large and significant impact on the CNMI economy. During the heyday of the CNMI tourist industry before the Asian economic crisis, it was estimated that there were over one million visitor use days in the marina area. One million people partaking in marine activities! These numbers include the tourists themselves as well as those employed in marine activities. Having an acceptable, functioning and well managed venue to be a gateway for tourism and the supporting industries are key to ongoing and survival of one of the key industries in the CNMI.

So in a nutshell, American Memorial Park acts as an anchor. Dependent on the Park are various recreational activities and the need for businesses to support those activities. In looking at the economic effects, the multiplier effect and those dependent on a well managed Park facility, just imagine if there were no American Memorial Park?

Now imagine if we created a Marianas Trench Marine Monument within the next year. Picture this, the year is 2029, could this be a letter you are reading in the paper?

[B]Business as usual for the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument
[/B] America’s Marine Monument Sanctuary Park system. The name conjures up images such as the Florida Keys, Hawai’i’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (the world’s largest) and the Monterey Bay off the California’s central coast. Now think of the communities that surround these tourist destinations. Businesses that support the tourist industries around these parks, such as lodging, tour guides, diving shops, car rentals, and restaurants. These are high profile, but also in service to the parks’ needs are construction work, recycling, marine enforcement, education, food delivery and waste management and transport. Well, for the Marianas Marine National Monument there is no difference.

Situated on 115,000 square miles (2.9 million square kilometers) of ocean surrounding the three most northern islands (Maug, Asuncion, and Uracas) of the Commonwealth, the monument (the second largest of the world) preserves a large marine ecosystem habitat of rare and endemic species only found there due its association of underwater of volcanic activity and over 5 miles of ocean depth. The marine park is also a habitat to many species that once were once plentiful and are now overfished throughout the western Pacific. Visitors to the park can enjoy submarine rides to view incredible underwater geological formations, while seeing weird ghost-like creatures never imagined. Nature lovers are easily satisfied seeing birds and other land marine creatures in their natural habitat. For the more athletic and adventurous, there is scuba diving and sea kayaking.

Gateway to the marine monument is the island community of Pagan (population about 320), about 80 miles south of the monument’s borders. Here you can visit with park monument’s field office and small ranger station. Take time to talk to the rangers to learn more about the monument and what hazards and precautions to take while on your visit. To get to Pagan Island you can take a small plane from Saipan that flies to Pagan’s short landing strip. The flight will take about an hour and is twice daily. For those with more time on their hands, you can take a boat ride that leaves two times weekly from Saipan. The park monument staff operates the boat, mainly to service monument operations in Pagan and the monument. Space on the boat is extremely limited, so call park monument headquarters in Saipan to make a reservation. The boat ride takes a full day from Saipan and rumors are that there will be a more comfortable commercial ferry operation soon. But until then, while on board enjoy your conversations with scientists, school education groups on a field trip or park staff. Also, make sure that you make a reservation at one of Pagan’s three small hotels too; if you are out of luck there is a place to camp on the island. Just visit the Pagan municipal office once you’re on island to get your permit. The travel up to Pagan (either by plane or boat) is a photographer’s dream of deep blue oceans, other picturesque islands and an active volcano on Anatahan island. Evening and early morning times on the boat are met with spectacular sunrises and sunsets or at night catch the red angry glow of Anatahan’s peak. For those who want to know more about the monument while on Saipan, visit the “state of the art” visitors center. This visitors center also serves as reservations center for lodging and boat passage to Pagan, park management headquarters, administration center and offices for visiting scientists conducting research in the monument.

At face value, the park monument is an important refuge for endangered fish species, scientific study and an exotic remote tourist destination. Ecosystem preservation and management easily identifies the direct benefits to community and Planet Earth, but does one realize the important indirect benefits to businesses and the local economy? With a projected Fiscal Year 2029 Marianas National Marine Monument budget of $12 million, this translates into a staff payroll of approximately $5 million, and with the rest of the expenditures going to construction and maintenance projects. Federal salaries earned by Park staff are spent locally for supporting the employees’ families and home infrastructure. With over $7 million expenditures for construction and maintenance, local businesses too benefit from having a National Marine Monument at their doorstep. Let’s look at other indirect economic yet important benefits to the local business community.

The monument’s harbor facilities (built for about $5 million about 10 years ago) managed in Saipan and Pagan are easily accessible to the community for boat loading and unloading. The marine monument’s plane used for patrolling by monument staff is certainly helpful in spotting illegal fishing by foreign vessels and is instrumental in any search/rescue and Pagan medical evacuation operations. The park monument went into a 50/50 cost share agreement to improve the airport runway at Pagan for a total cost of $9 million. The monument’s transportation services of boats and a plane have been a stable moneymaker for the maintenance mechanics on Saipan. The construction of the monument’s Saipan visitors center over 10 year’s ago added $8 million to the local construction economy; the expected remodel, scheduled next year, will be at a cost of $5 million.

Many new scientific discoveries of flora and fauna, never seen before, have drawn worldwide attention in many scientific journals. Just last year, the headline-making discovery of unique bacteria (that may help in the battle against cancer) was featured in CNN. Also, what a great benefit of having these internationally acclaimed scientists and researchers teach at our local college while they are here. Plus, they are recruiting local students for employment to help in their fieldwork.

Stocks of many fish species thrive and have healthy breeding populations within the marine monument, thanks to proper management and strict regulation. Fish populations within the marine monument have been used to re-populate areas that have been over fished or re-introduced back to areas where there has been ecosystem wide habitat destruction. The marine monument has become a breeding ground for many fish species in the western Pacific Ocean. We certainly have a thriving “live” fish export industry here helping restock and re-introduce fish species back into areas where they once thrived.

So in a nutshell, the Marianas Marine National Monument acts as an anchor to the scientific community, the Commonwealth’s marine education programs and the small but ever growing adventure tourist industry in Pagan. Dependent on the Park are various recreational activities, scientific companies, education programs and the need for businesses to support those activities. In looking at the economic effects, the multiplier effect and those dependent on a well managed marine park facility, just imagine if there were no Marianas Marine Monument Park?

So can the above imagined letter-writing scenario happen?
[I] Chuck Sayon is currently the interim executive director of the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (http://www.minapacific.org) and is a former American Memorial Park manager from 1996 to 2006.[/I]