By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
GOVERNOR David M. Apatang approved House Bill 24-42, authorizing the mayor of Rota to plan, construct, and maintain a pathway on Wedding Cake Mountain.
Authored by Rep. Julie Marie Ogo, House Bill 24-42 is now Rota Local Law 24-9. It amends R.L.L. 9-3, which designates the director of the then-Department of Natural Resources, in consultation with the chief of Fish and Wildlife and the department’s resident director, to enforce conservation rules.
The original local law also prohibited activities — including recreational, commercial, and agricultural — that were deemed detrimental to the scenic coastal environment adjacent to the Wedding Cake Mountain area.
The new law authorizes the Rota mayor to plan, design, construct, improve, and maintain pedestrian pathways and related improvements within the Wedding Cake Mountain Wildlife Conservation Area, including but not limited to:
• A pedestrian pathway, steps, railings, viewing platforms, and similar improvements within the Wedding Cake Mountain area; and
• Safe pedestrian access and pathway improvements to and from the Rota Grotto and any designated viewing or staging areas associated with the Wedding Cake Mountain Wildlife Conservation Area.
According to the new law, the mayor of Rota is the appropriate local executive authority to coordinate, plan, and implement pathway and access improvements within the conservation area in partnership with relevant Commonwealth and federal agencies.
Federal grants and cooperative agreements may be available to assist with planning, environmental compliance, construction, and maintenance of such improvements.
Ogo said it is in the public interest to clearly authorize the mayor to undertake all necessary steps to qualify for such funding.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
