Council: 52 give input on proposed marine monument’s visitors center

The Marianas Trench Monument Advisory Council’s public meetings on a planned visitors center ended Monday on Rota, with a total of 52 participating in three meetings each on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota over the last week.

According to Heidi Hirsch, natural resource management specialist for NOAA’s National Marine Monument program, a final report combining both public comments and the initial recommendations prepared by MTMAC should be ready by Dec. 19 for review.

John Parks of Marine Management Solutions, who is being contracted by Hawaii International Environmental Services, will prepare the report.

Hirsch noted that participants on Rota suggested that their island be the site of the center, as the island could be a “hub for travel” between the larger islands of Saipan and Rota; other participants thought Rota is too small.

She said Rota participants emphasized that the center should have an educational component for the younger generation to learn about the uniqueness of the trench and their islands so that “home-grown” experts can be trained.

One recommendation that stuck out for Hirsch during the three meetings was for the visitors center to reflect the uniqueness of Maug, Uracas, Asuncion, the Pacific rim, and the hydrothermal vents and biodiversity found within the monument.

A recommendation Hirsch heard on Tinian was that the Department of Defense should be involved with the center’s funding, noting their military involvement on the island.

One participant on Saipan believes the White House should fund the center since “they took it away from us.”

“A general consensus of people liked the idea of joint management,” Hirsch said on the question of who should manage the visitor’s center.

The meetings, according to Hirsch, were to hear the “goals and visions” of the community in regards to the monument.

Hirsch said she enjoyed the participation and level of interest from people at the meetings, noting that NOAA and all involved are committed to fulfilling the provisions for the marine monument when President Bush declared it in 2009.

There will be another round of public input in the spring next year, as a draft management plan will be ready by then, Hirsch said.

Parks, along with representatives from the CNMI government, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and NOAA, led the discussion during the three meetings, with the Saipan Tribune observing an interactive approach of sticky-notes, back and forths, and bulletin at last Wednesday’s meeting at the American Memorial Park, as audience insight flowed freely and participants were encouraged to share their thoughts on how the center would be funded, who would manage it, and where it would be located.