Many of those who spoke at yesterday\u2019s virtual public meeting by the U.S. National Park Service opposed the findings and recommendations of the Rota Special Resource Study to include some Rota sites in the national park system, describing it as a naked land grab.<\/p>\n
One of the meeting\u2019s speakers, Catherine Flores McCallum, said she believes that if NPS is going to come in, they\u2019re taking land on Rota. \u201cFirst of all, this is a land taking,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s an outright land taking. Our lives matter. Get off my land. I\u2019ve been saying that for years. I don\u2019t want to see my children have to fight for their land.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCallum said she\u2019s already 65 years old now and that she\u2019s been protecting CNMI lands since she was in her 20\u2019s and that she\u2019s tired. \u201cI\u2019m getting really tired but I don\u2019t want to see my children have to fight for their land, because this is an outright unjust taking of our property. This whole thing boils down to the militarization of our whole island of the Marianas,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A former police officer, Joel Charfauros said he noticed in one of the slides in the NPS presentation of the study that indicates that 52% of the limestone forests would cover the island of Rota. Charfauros asked how NPS would deal with this with land owners who have property within 52% of the limestone forests. <\/p>\n
National Park Service project manager Jonathan Gervais, who led the discussion and presented the preliminary findings of the Rota Special Resource Study, explained that NPS developed three alternative concepts for these sites: Option 1 is to continue the current\u00a0management by the Commonwealth and Rota municipal government agencies; while Options 2 and 3 are for the CNMI and the Rota municipal governments to enter into a management agreement with NPS for a Chamorro National Historical Park (about 526 hectares), or for a Chamorro, limestone forest, and World War II sites National Historic Park (about 1,780 hectares).<\/p>\n
All lands would remain in Commonwealth ownership consistent with Article 12.<\/p>\n
Gervais said the total amount of limestone forests and archeological sites on Rota covers almost 11,000 acres but \u201cwe\u2019re not proposing 52%. That\u2019s too much.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said and that, in one proposal, they\u2019re proposing just 4,400 acres and the other alternative is just 1,300 acres. He pointed out that their biggest proposal covers about 4,400 acres. The number 52%, he explained, was meant to signify the full amount of limestone forests on the island.<\/p>\n
Gervais said they tried to concentrate on public lands and did their best to identify areas that are public lands. \u201cThere are some areas that are a little tricky on Rota in terms of what\u2019s public and what\u2019s private,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gervais said they were required by law to do this study. He said the law told them to look at the prehistoric, historic sites, and the limestone forests. <\/p>\n
War in the Pacific and National Historical Park and American Memorial Park superintendent Barbara Alberti said that yesterday\u2019s meeting had a great turnout. She thanked Rota Mayor Efraim M. Atalig and Mayor\u2019s Office public information officer Ivan Mereb for setting up the location at a social hall on Rota, where people came in and voiced their concerns. <\/p>\n
\u201cI really think that this conversation has opened up a lot of good questions and ideas that the National Park Service will take into consideration. It\u2019s been interesting to hear the viewpoints,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Alberti echoed Crispin Ogo in stating that the best way to get people\u2019s voices heard is to write comments. She also encouraged the people to work with Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) on legislation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will try to capture as many of the comments and questions from the chat, but also we\u2019ve been recording this so that we can capture comments as best as we can, for what people said, but still providing them in writing is even much better,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The next meeting will be tomorrow, Saturday. <\/p>\n
Justin Manglona, a former Rota casino commissioner, cited two private lands where latte stones are located. Manglona asked if NPS is going to pay the landowners based on the appraised value or they just going to take it without paying.<\/p>\n
He said when the U.S. military wanted the 83-hectare Farallon de Medinilla for target practice, and they paid 2 cents per square meter of the island, or $20,600 for 100 years. \u201cThat\u2019s the price of Farallon de Medinilla,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Manglona said he is wondering how much the family on Rota who owns that private property is going to get. \u201cThe going rate for a beachfront property, in my opinion, is at least $250 per square meter. I don\u2019t want a repeat of 2 cents per square meter,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
Manglona said there are five areas that NPS designated that they want to manage and control. \u201cSo I wonder how much you are going to lease it from the CNMI government? If you are not going to lease it, are you\u2026just going to provide some kind of assistance to manage the area?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Since NPS\u2019 options 2 and 3 mean that NPS will be in control, Manglona said he prefers option 1, which is basically says, \u201cLeave us alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing okay. We don\u2019t need any more feds\u2019 interference in our area,\u201d Manglona said. <\/p>\n
Estanislao Taisakan said that securing 10,000 hectares or acres of land is too much, that this will impact their traditional practices such as accessing fishing ground to the bay and other areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can they perpetuate the practice of fishing and hunting and taking medicines in the area?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n
Taisakan said he supports the No. 1 option. \u201cWe\u2019re not moving anywhere,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Taisakan said the CNMI has to find a way where they can turn these natural resources into tourism. <\/p>\n
Thomas Songsong said he has not heard of any support at the meeting so he will be the \u201cLone Ranger and support the establishment of a national park on Rota. He pointed out that Rota has been trying to improve these parks for many years, but has no financial capacity to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve created overlooks in the savanna overlooking the Marianas Trench, overlooking Guam. We built it. But we can\u2019t go back and maintain it because we lack funds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Songsong said this national park opens up opportunities for Rota and the CNMI. It\u2019s not just the influx of tourists, he said, but there\u2019s also entrepreneurial and job opportunities.<\/p>\n
Sablan earlier stated that over 200 people took part in the initial public meetings when the park study began in 2017. With these meetings, Sablan said the public has an opportunity to look at specific proposals and decide how the CNMI can best preserve ancient ancestral Chamorro sites for future generations.<\/p>\n
The delegate said Rota\u2019s limestone forests will make a unique and excellent addition to the 57 existing national parks in the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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