President Obama to Designate Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument

Today, President Obama will sign a proclamation to increase the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, located southwest of Hawaii. The expansion will grow the monument to six times its original size, creating 370,000 square nautical miles of protection in the south-central Pacific Ocean.  Originally established by George W. Bush in 2009, the monument consists of seven uninhabited islands or atoll complexes: Wake, Jarvis, Howland and Baker Islands, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll.

In response Dan Chu, senior director of Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign issued the following statement.

“The Sierra Club applauds President Obama for protecting the largest nearly intact and near-pristine ocean ecosystem in the world.  The Pacific Remote Islands are home to an abundance of life, from deep ancient corals to endangered sea turtles, marine mammals, seabirds and fish.

”As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act this year, the new Monument designation for the Pacific Remote Islands is a reminder that there are still wild places in America that urgently need protection"

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About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters nationwide. In addition to creating opportunities for people of all ages, levels and locations to have meaningful outdoor experiences, the Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org.