Hannan and nine staff from Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington arrived in Saipan for a two-day natural resources familiarization tour including the port’s Brown Tree Snake exclusion area, marina and the Saipan Upland Mitigation Bank that serves as a species reserve for the Federally and locally listed endangered Nightingale Reed-Warblers.
“This island has a fantastic heritage —both cultural and environmental — that we must ensure remains pristine,” Hannan stated.
Acting DLNR Secretary Arnold I. Palacios accompanied the U.S. delegation around the island as well as facilitated an introduction and courtesy discussion with Gov. Benigno Fitial on Capital Hill.
Current federal aid to CNMI’s Division of Fish & Wildlife amounted to more than $2.5 million last year, the lion’s share of which went to sport fishing and wildlife restoration projects.
Smaller funded programs include brown tree snake interdiction, coral reef conservation, fishery data collection and turtle monitoring programs.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior and “works to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.”
