Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Ind.-MP, introduced the bill on Feb. 24. It authorizes the secretary of Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating certain prehistoric and historic sites and limestone forests on Rota as part of the National Park System. The study is a required first step before any area can be considered as a National Park.
Rep. Teresita A. Santos, Ind.-Rota, has been invited by Sablan to testify before the subcommittee.
Santos chairs the CNMI House Standing Committee on Natural Resources.
“I am very glad that Chairman Raúl Grijalva agreed to my request to get my bill moving,” said Sablan. “And I am also very glad that Representative Santos was willing to come all this way to talk to the subcommittee about what makes Rota such a special place and why consideration should be given to creating a national park there.”
In addition to assessing the national significance of ancient Latte Stone Culture locations on Rota, the remnants of Japanese-era colonialism, and the unique limestone forests that survive on Rota, the National Park Service will also conduct public hearings as part of the study process.
This will give the people of Rota a direct opportunity to say whether they want a park and what parts of their island should be included.
“I was asked by people on Rota to look into the possibility of a national park,” Sablan said. “And this study is the necessary first step.
In addition to preserving the past and the environment, Sablan said a park makes sense for Rota because of the island’s efforts to market itself as an eco-tourism destination. “Having a National Park would certainly boost this form of economic development for Rota.”
Another important consideration is that with the U.S. military poised to begin development on Guam there will likely be the need for environmental mitigation elsewhere in the Marianas. The creation of protected areas on Rota could provide that.
