Tourist sites eyed as protected areas
Two popular tourist sites are being eyed as protected areas for wildlife and marine resources under a bill that lawmakers hope will be their legacy to the next generation of the Northern Marianas people.
Both the Bird Island and Forbidden Island north of Saipan will be designated as sanctuaries for the conservation of plants, birds, turtles, fish and other marine species as well as wildlife found abundant in those sites.
Passed last Friday by the House of Representatives, the proposal is contained in HB 12-165 offered by Rep. Thomas B. Pangelinan, which is exactly similar to an earlier measure that cleared the lower house in 1998. The bill again heads to the Senate for action.
“Our action [last Friday] will be highly appreciated by our children and their grandkids if they see these areas protected,” he said after the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of his legislation.
Violations, such as destruction, harassment and removal of the marine and wildlife from within those sites, will carry maximum penalties of up to one year imprisonment and a fine of $500, according to the bill.
Fishing in any form, operation of jet skis, walking on exposed sections of the reef, harvesting or removal of fish, shellfish or marine life in any form are among the activities prohibited within the designated conservation area.
Bird Island, located in Marpi, is popular among tourists who visit the lookout by the busload. The proposed sanctuary will cover the area beginning from Lichin Point and extending south inclusive of the Grotto, Bird Island, Bird Island Bay to and inclusive of Bird Island Lookout. It extends 1,000 ft. from the shoreline and 500 ft. from the cliff line.
Designated sanctuary in Forbidden Island, which is accessible by foot only through a 30-minute hike from the nearest clearing area in Kagman III, will have boundaries beginning from the cliff line of Lau Lau Bay Golf Course, Chikeru, encompassing all of Forbidden Island and extending to and inclusive of Tank Beach. It extends 1,000 ft. from the low tide line seaward.
Natural laboratory
“These sanctuaries will serve as a natural laboratory for continued propagation of wildlife and marine species, which gradually and naturally can re-populate depopulated areas of our lagoon and island,” the bill stated.
It added that they will also become a tool for students, teachers and research groups to study wildlife and marine species of the Marianas Islands.
In a report by the House Natural Resources Committee that endorsed the proposal, members believed such measure is necessary to protect what is left of the island and to ensure visitors will enjoy its natural beauty.
“Our wildlife and marine life are in the initial stages of jeopardy, making the intent of this bill a compelling one,” read the report, adding that “[m]aintaining our natural beauty is necessary for the influx of [revenues] generated by our visitors and tourists.”
If it becomes a law, the Division of Fish and Wildlife will be responsible for the management and monitoring of the sanctuaries, in collaboration with other government agencies like the Coastal Resources Management, Division of Public Lands and the Marianas Visitors Authority.
Activities allowed within these protected areas will include educational field trips, documentary filming, hiking, picnics and others that do not detrimentally affect the wildlife, the bill said.
The two sites’ designation as sanctuaries followed similar move in Managaha Island and its surrounding waters — a proposal that was nixed by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio last February due to technical deficiencies in the legislation. A corrected draft of that bill is again pending in the lower house.
