On Jan. 6, 2009, former President George W. Bush used the authority granted to him by the 1906 Antiquities Act and signed an executive order creating three marine monuments, including the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

In doing so, the president protected wildlife in more than 195,280 square miles of the Pacific Ocean from commercial fishing and undersea development.

While many celebrated the declaration as a milestone for environmental conservation, some complained the monuments fell short of protection goals, while others charged it infringed upon their indigenous rights.

[The Process]

The wheels for the Marianas Trench Marine Monument were set in motion three years ago when President Bush barred fishing and energy extraction from a huge swath of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Bush’s creation of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was at that time the world’s largest conservation area, setting the stage for something even greater in the future.

As Bush’s final term began to wind down, word circulated that the president was interested in the creation of additional protected areas to leave an environmental “blue legacy” before he left office.

With the clock ticking, the Pew Charitable Trust began researching possible locations for conservation in the Marianas. Other organizations looked at areas in American Samoa and coastal areas of the U.S. Mainland.

[The Proposal]

Environmentalists sought the protection of the waters surrounding the islands of Maug, Uracus and Asuncion because of their pristine already existing constitutional protections.

The uninhabited islands lie at the top of the Marianas chain and the lands are protected under local conservation laws, but the Commonwealth lacked the resources and jurisdiction to administer control over the surrounding waters.

Local fishermen thought that the federal government was using the monument as a mask to gain control over indigenous waters, but the water was already being administered by National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

[Education Campaign]

Organizers of both sides of the monument issue began education campaigns throughout the CNMI in hopes of gaining support from its constituents.

After collecting more than 6,000 signatures from residents and visitors as well as letters from students, island leaders and businesses, the Friends of the Monument petitioned Bush to designate a large area where fishing and mining would be banned.

Soon thereafter, the White House ordered an assessment of several sites in U.S. territorial waters in the Pacific for increased conservation and protection.

[The Visit]

In the fall of 2008, the Bush administration sent its environmental adviser to the Commonwealth to assess the political waters surrounding the monuments issue.

Upon his arrival on Saipan, James L. Connaughton was greeted at the airport and at his hotel by a crowd of monument supporters. His whirlwind tour of the CNMI included several interviews with the public, local media and government officials.

[The Outcome]

President Bush officially declared the monument’s existence, but he did so after making several concessions. The adjusted monumental protections extend 50 miles from the coastal areas within the Marianas Marine National Monument, but that’s a far cry from the 200 miles sought by activists.

In addition to the reduced areas of protections, commercial fishing continued to be permitted portions of the monument.

[No Further Progress]

Bush’s Executive Order called for the creation of an Advisory Council consisting of three officials from the CNMI, one representative from the Department of Defense and one from the United States Coast Guard.

Nearly six months later, there is no council in place. There are however provisions in the declaration provide for special considerations and recommendations from the CNMI Governor, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

In the meantime, monument proponents are pushing for greater protections through Representative Gregorio “Kilili” Sablan while opponents search for ways to water down those in place.