Firm proposes Marpi zip lines

Saipan Zip Lines, LLC is proposing to build a three-stage zip line in Marpi that will cater not just to tourists but also to the Saipan community.

According to Ron Hodges, one of the co-owners of Saipan Zip Lines, this activity is both eco-friendly and will hopefully help Saipan get branded as an adventure destination as well.

Hodges said the project went through months of deliberation on what kind of activity would help increase tourism on Saipan and would be a world-class activity for tourists to enjoy.

According to a Saipan Zip Lines representative, the activity does not require any machinery, fuel, or electricity. “We are a small impact project and we’re not building pretty big structures and cutting down trees,” he said. Construction will also have very low impact.

“That is why the Division of Fish and Wildlife has no issue because we are not doing anything to the conservation areas,” the representative said.

Hodges assured that the project would protect the pristine nature of Marpi.

“We are not going through areas where it will hurt the public. We are going through public lands and we tried to stay away from conservation lands and stay eco-friendly as much as possible,” he said.

Saipan Zip Lines eyes three destinations for the zip lines. The first zip line will be from Suicide Cliff at about 1,500 feet high and will go down toward the road leading up to Suicide Cliff. There will then be a 10-minute walk to the second zip line, which will head down about 500 feet downhill. The last segment will be from the exit point of the second zip line and will head down to the Kan Pacific area.

“We would like to have it running from the first of November or first of December and hope that it will be a great success for Saipan,” Hodges said.

The Saipan Zoning Office will hold a public hearing on the project this Thursday, July 10, at the Zoning conference room in the Joeten Dandan building.

According to Saipan Zip Lines, the project took about nine months to prepare and they have already met with DFW and the Department of Public Lands. DPL gave the project a conditional approval but it still has to go through additional permits.

Hodges noted that tourism increased in Maui by 10 percent due to zip lines and that the growing tourism numbers of the CNMI means “we need more activities.”

Marianas Visitors Authority marketing manager Bruce Bateman said it is always a good thing for Saipan to have new attractions.