Comment period extended on Northwestern Islands plan
Advertiser Staff
The federal public comment period on plans for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Management has been extended through Wednesday.
The previous deadline was July 8.
The draft plan was released April 22 by monument co-managers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. During a series of 10 public meetings in June, members of the public requested an extension of the comment period because of the size of the draft plan.
The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is the country's largest protected marine area, which spans nearly 140,000 square miles in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. President Bush designated the area a marine national monument two years ago.
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to more than 7,000 marine species, a quarter of which are found nowhere else. The islands are the primary habitat for critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles, and thousands of sea birds and plant species.
The Draft Monument Management Plan and associated environmental assessment are available on the Monument Web site at papahanaumokuakea.gov, at Hawai'i state libraries, or by calling the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 792-9530.
Written comments may be:
A notice of the new July 23 deadline will be published in the Federal Register. Although the official state comment period formally ended July 8 the state will review, consider, and address public comments received during the entire comment period.
All substantive public comments will be addressed in a Summary of Public Comments section of the final Monument Management Plan.
