Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 8, 1 August 2010 — Papahānaumokuākea -- place of outstanding universal value [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Papahānaumokuākea -- place of outstanding universal value

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands eneompasses two-thirds of the Hawaiian archipelago. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) are a ehain of 10 islands, atolls, submerged banks, shoals and reefs that stretch more than 1,200 miles northwest of the main populated Hawaiian islands (about the distance from Chicago, Illinois, to Miami,

Florida.) Early Polynesian voyagers were the first humans to arrive by double-hulled eanoe in these NWHI as early as 1,000 A.D. Early Hawaiians lived on Nihoa for an estimated 700 years; temporary settlement sites and cultural sites have been found on Mokumanamana. The 18th and 19th centuries brought increased international commercial activities to NWHI and increased exploitation of marine and terrestrial environments. Entire

island ecosystems were completely destroyed. In 1909 President Roosevelt established the Hawaiian Islands Reservation, whieh heeame the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, whieh led up to establishing the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 1988, Kure Atoll State Wildlife Sanctuary in 1993 and the NWHI Coral Reef System Reserve in 2000, trigger-

ing a process for recognition as the nation's 14th national marine sanctuary. In 2005 Gov. Linda Lingle established it as a State Marine Refuge. On Jan. 15, 2006, using authority of the Antiquities Act, President George W. Bush signed Presidential Proclamation 803 1 creating the largest fully protected marine conservation area on the planet in the NWHI, Papahānaumokuākea. Protections immediately included: access for Native Hawaiian cultural

activities, phasing out commercial fishing over a five-year period, prohibition of unauthorized access to the monument, careful regulation of educational and scientific activities, enhanced visitation in a special area around Midway Atoll, prohibition of other types of resource extraction and dumping of waste, and banning eommercial and recreational harvest of precious coral, crustaceans and coral reef species and oil, gas, mineral exploration and extraction anywhere in the monument. In September 2006, OHA Trustees were briefed on the site's status of transition from a State Marine Refuge to a Marine Nahonal Monument and the expected lead role of the State of Hawai'i with the co-Trustees of the monument to seek designation of the NWHI as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under both categories of natural and cultural significance. For the first time in 15 years, the U.S. is nominating a site for World Heritage consideration at UNESCO's meeting, in Brazil, July 2010.

In November of 2006 the OHA BOT "authorized the Administrator on behalf of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to negotiate with the Governor of the State of Hawai'i, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce and their representatives, for OHA to have a meaningful role in the coordinated management of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument (NWHI Monument); and further authorizing the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of OHA to execute binding agreements that flow from said negotiations." On July 8, 2010, the following action was taken by the OHA BOT: "based on discussions with beneficiaries, clearly there are concems relating to pursuing the World Heritage designation for Papahānaumokuākea. The staff has reviewed these concerns closely and have identified the advantages and disadvantages of requesting deferral of the decision to designate SEE AP0LI0NA ON PAGE 30

V LEO 'ELELE V > TRUSTEE MESSSAGES "

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Haunani Apnlinna, MSW ChairpErsūn, Trustee, At-largE

APOLIONA Continued from page 28

the site as a World Heritage Site. Based on thestaffs' analysis they are recommending

that the Trustees continue to support the nomination and moving forward with the World Heritage Site designation. Further the staff recommends that the Trustees continue to urge the current Papahānaumokuākea co-Trustees to support including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as a fourth co-Trustee and that the current Administration in Washington, D.C., address concerns and issues raised by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on behalf of the Hawaiian community." Trustees Apoliona, Machado, Mossman, Stender and Waihe'e IV voted yes. Trustees Heen and Lindsey abstained. Trustee Akana voted no. Mililani Trask, the Koani Foundation and OHA Trustee Akana seek deferral of or oppose the World Heritage designation. In direct contradiction to the official OHA BOT position, Trustee Akana has written in STRONG OPPOSITION to the U.S. Ambassador and all international delegates of the World Heritage committee who will vote, asking themto oppose the designation of Papahānaumokuākea. Auwē. 20/48 ■