In April 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order that calls for a review of all national monuments created or expanded in the past two decades. This includes five important marine monuments.
Turtle Island strongly opposes the Executive Order.
Sign our petition today to help defend our marine monuments.
This week we are highlighting second of these five monuments to help people understand the value and importance of these national treasures.
Today we will focus on the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
Encompassing nearly 87,000 square miles, the Marine National Monument protects Howland, Baker, and Jarvis Islands; Johnston, Wake, and Palmyra Atolls; and Kingman Reef.
Red Footed Booby – courtesy of the USFWS
Some of the interesting facts about the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument include:
- It is farther from human population centers than any other U.S. area.
- The world’s largest terrestrial arthropod, the coconut crab, inhabits the marine national monument. These amazing creatures can grow more than 3 feet across!
- Hawksbill sea turtles forage off Baker Island, Howland Island, and other islands.
- The world’s second largest red-footed booby colony is found on Palmyra Atoll.
Coconut crab – courtesy of USFWS
To help defend this marine monument, please add your name to our online petition.
