This exploration of our northernmost islands is something that the people of the commonwealth knew little or nothing about.
The first trip was conducted in 2003 and an extensive swath mapping of the arc was completed. NOAA discovered 10 new submarine hydrothermal systems.
Here is a compilation of how many diving expeditions that took place in various parts of our islands to include dives outside of Rota: E Diamante before Anatahan (2 dives) Maug, (2 dives) beyond Farallon de Pajaros is Daikoko (1 dive) NW Eifuku (3 dives) Kasuga-2 (1 dive), North West Rota-1 (4 dives), and West Rota (1 dive).
Now, here are some serious questions that this Pew group or Friends of the Marianas are not talking about: Have there been lengthy discussions particularly as to what are HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS? Why are they being explored by the federal government? Are they worth anything?
Are the minerals being produced by such hydrothermal vents have value?
Well, here it is my fellow islanders. The oceans are 71 percent of our planet and the deep sea is about 80 percent of that, so there are a lot of secrets in the deep ocean that some scientists or professors are just beginning to understand.
One of these are the hot springs that are deep on the ocean floor, spewing out fluids whose temperatures may reach 420 degrees Centigrade.
Here is the interesting part. In these fluids are dissolved metals such as iron, COPPER, ZINC, LEAD, SILVER and GOLD. They are precipitating around these hot springs on the ocean floor and building up towering chimneys that can be 40 meters high.
The proposed national monument’s intent and purpose is nothing but to prevent or stop the indigenous Northern Marianas Descent TAOTAO TANOS from rightfully obtaining the full high standard of living in our homeland by way of retrieving our very own NATURAL RESOURCES from our ocean floors and to exercise our full rights as a SELF-GOVERNING COMMONWEALTH as intended in our COVENANT with the United States.
TAOTAO TANO further states that the findings and explorations of HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS have been in the works way before the Covenant negotiations but the federal government deceptively applied PARAMOUNTCY DOCTRINES (Defense matters) to fully control our NATURAL RESOURCES especially our OCEAN surrounding our homelands.
We must all fight to regain control of our submerged lands and ocean for we have all been deceived by the United States government and its Department of the Interior.
GREGORIO CRUZ JR.
Taotao Tano
