Debate on Sablan’s bill, H.R. 4686, the Rota Cultural and Natural Resources Study Act, is scheduled on the House suspension calendar for mid-afternoon Eastern Standard Time and can be watched on C-Span or on the internet at http://clerk.house.gov/.
“This is a very good way to return to legislative business after the July 4th district work period,” says Sablan. “We’re hitting the ground running.”
Sablan’s bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the pre- and post-Western contact archaeological sites on Rota and of the island’s unique plant and animal life to determine whether these resources have national significance. If they do, and if it would be suitable and feasible, the study may recommend establishment of a National Park on Rota to preserve and protect these resources.
“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.”
Sablan introduced the bill in February and the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a hearing in April.
“Rota Rep. Teresita A. Santos came to Washington at my invitation and testified in favor of the bill at the hearing,” Sablan recalled. “She showed slides of the ancient Chamorro village sites and of the landscape of Rota and did a great job convincing the Parks Subcommittee of the value of the natural and cultural resources on Rota.
“After listening to Representative Santos’ presentation, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, D-Ca., summed it up perfectly. She called Rota ‘a jewel.’ And I think that is what the National Park Service study will conclude, too.”
In addition to the assessment of the national significance of Rota, the study authorized by Sablan’s bill will include extensive public comment and opportunities for the people of Rota to discuss the advantages of having a National Park.
“I believe that designating a Park could potentially ease some of the restrictions on land development on Rota,” said Kilili, “and could have a great benefit to Rota’s economic development strategy of being an eco-tourism destination.
“But ultimately it is the people of Rota who will have to decide. I just want to give Rota the opportunity to have a National Park, because it could bring significant environmental and economic benefits to the island.”
The Obama administration has also backed Kilili’s Park study legislation. At the Parks Subcommittee hearing, Katherine Stevenson, representing the Interior Department, told the Subcommittee “the natural and cultural resources of the island of Rota are significant to island residents, the CNMI, and the entire nation and merit protection.”
But, Stevenson warned, “the people of Rota and their political leaders find themselves at a crossroads regarding the uses to which their lands are being put. Major land use changes are continuing to take place,” referring to the transfer of public land to private ownership.
Subcommittee Chairman Raúl Grijalva, D-Az., responded by asking Stevenson whether this means it’s a good time or a bad time to go ahead with a study. Answered Stevenson: “I believe it’s a good time.”
Some of the sites on Rota that have been suggested for National Park status are the Mochan Latte Stone Village, Chugai Pictorial Cave, Alaguan Bay Village, and the Taga Latte Stone Quarry. In addition to assessing the national significance of these ancient Latte Stone Culture locations, the Park study would look at the remnants of Japanese-era colonialism, and the unique limestone forests that survive on Rota.
“I am very grateful to Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall and to Parks Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva for keeping this bill moving,” Kilili says. “They understand the importance of protecting the environment and helping the economy of Rota. They have been very supportive.”
