Website on N. Islands to be launched

The islands themselves may be difficult to access, but the northernmost islands in the Marianas chain are about to be open for “virtual tours” from anywhere in the world as the new website of The Northern Islands is launched August 11.

The site is a project co-sponsored by Northern Islands Mayor Joseph T. Ogumoro and Saipan Rep. William S. Torres, and was developed with the help of Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Lynn A. Knight as part of their efforts to assist displaced residents who wish to return and resettle in their homelands.

The Northern Islands site, which will be located at www.northernislands.gov.mp when it goes on line was developed by Sunset Advertising Group, Inc. and is the most complete library of information on the islands ever compiled all in one location, according to Mayor Ogumoro.

Links from the home page include:  Fast Facts, Scientific Studies, Fish & Wildlife, Volcanic Activity, Photo Gallery, Current Issues, Ecotourism and CNMI Links.

The site features fast facts about each island’s geography, including land mass and elevation, as well as the Chamorro and Carolinian names for each island.  The home page opens with a “click-able” map that allows viewers to access a photo gallery by island. 
It also includes detailed information on the environment, from fish and wildlife to volcanic activity reports also for each island.

“The Northern Islands are a part of the CNMI, but yet most people never get to see them or learn much about them.  I am pleased to help the mayor be the first of all CNMI mayors to have such a website promoting our islands and making them more accessible for a variety of potential reasons, including education, resettlement and hopefully some business investment in the future,” said Rep. Torres. 
“This website is should prove to be an invaluable tool for the mayor’s office to use for a wide variety of educational and promotional purposes.”

In an effort to help encourage ecotourism, there is also a description of things to do and see in the Northern Islands, which was written for potential visitors by Ms. Knight.

“Accessible only by private boat, helicopter or small plane charter from Saipan, the Northern Islands are well worth the extra effort for the adventurous traveler who loves nature and wishes to enjoy the ultimate in ecotourism.  The islands are incredibly beautiful, with smoking volcanoes, black sand beaches, striking rock formations and an abundance of wildlife.  It is truly a special and unique experience to visit an island that is uninhabited, as most of the Northern Islands are,” said Ms. Knight, who visited and photographed each of the islands in the chain via Macaw Helicopters in 1994.

The website focuses on the current issues of homesteads and investment opportunities as well.  “It has long been my position that residents should be permitted to co-exist with nature and live with the volcanoes just like the residents of the Big Island in Hawaii,” said Mr. Ogumoro. “The Northern Islands can’t be properly developed without access to reliable transportation systems and basic infrastructure to support the community.”

While their population is small, residents of the Northern Islands have yearned for a sense of identity and physical connection with their ancestral lands, a desire that has been denied from them in the absence of the housing program.  Such a program would serve as an assurance that the residents will not become squatters on their own islands.