AT RISK: The 8 Ocean Parks Threatened by Trump’s Executive Orders

In his first 100 days, President Trump announced two separate Executive Orders that put at risk special places on land and in the sea.

On April 28, 2017, he announced the Executive Order Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, which takes aim at America’s marine monuments and sanctuaries.

All marine monuments and sanctuaries established or expanded in the last 10 years are under review:

Greater Farallones (California) and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (California) are two distinct sanctuaries but adjoin each other and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

  • They were established more than 10 years ago and were expanded westward and northward  in 2015. Under President Trump’s Executive Order, the sizeable expansion of both of these monuments in 2015 could be at risk. The expansions were not small. Gulf of Farallones went from approximately 1,282 square miles to approximately 3,295 square miles. Cordell Bank went from approximately 529 square miles to approximately 1,286 square miles.

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Hawaii)

  • Under two separate Executive Orders from this week, both the original creation in 2006 and a significant expansion from 2016 are both under threat.Originally covering 140,000 square miles when first created by President George W. Bush, President Obama later “more than quadrupled Papahānaumokuākea’s size, to 582,578 square miles, an area larger than all the national parks combined.”

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve (Michigan)

Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (Northeast)

  • Established in September 2016 and the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mariana Trench Marine National Monument (Mariana Islands)

  • Created in January 2009 just before President Bush left office.

Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (US minor Outlying Islands)

Rose Atoll Marine National Monument (South Pacific, Samoa)

Americans care deeply about public lands and water. Conserving the special places in our ocean is not about a political party, it is about what we value as Americans. Please join us in speaking up for the ocean and taking action today.

 

Our work is focused on solving some of the greatest threats facing our ocean today. We bring people, science and policy together to champion innovative solutions and fight for a sustainable ocean.
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