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Park rangers to protect CNMI’s tourist sites
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Posted on Sep 24 2004
Tourists and residents promenading in parks may soon see park rangers who will be out to enforce rules to protect these areas from vandalism and other forms of degradation or destruction.
Public Law 14-27 creates the Park Rangers section with the Division of Parks and Recreation and allows park rangers to impose penalties of up to $500 on violators.
The law gives the division 120 days to come up and promulgate the regulations that may explicitly prohibit vandalism, graffiti, littering, building fire outside designated fireplaces, and destruction of monuments, structures, and other park properties.
Gov. Juan N. Babauta, who signed House Bill 14-85 to become Public Law 14-27, said the new law “facilitates the efficient and effective management…of Commonwealth parks…[to] prohibit any activity which may diminish, damage, or destroy the natural beauty of…parks and recreational facilities.”
The law authorizes the division to collect fees from concessionaires and vendors and charge reasonable user fees to recover the cost of managing and maintaining the CNMI’s parks.
The fees go to the respective senatorial district sub-accounts under a parks and recreation fund.
“A Commonwealth Parks and Recreation Fund shall be maintained by the Department of Finance separate and apart from other funds of the Commonwealth government,” the law states.
The law restricts the use of the funds to maintaining and beautifying parks and recreational facilities, which may not be used for travel and related expenses.
