Allen Tom at Saipan Rotary Club

Allen Tom, Regional Director of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, was one of the guest speakers at the Saipan Rotary Club today. He is on island to do a preliminary assessment of the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

He was introduced by Friends of the Monument Vice Chair Agnes McPhetres, who is one of the two first women to serve in the Rotary Club on Saipan.

He told Rotary that he was here to gather information on the public sentiment surrounding the monument. He is meeting with government officials in both the Executive and Legislative branches.

This morning he told us he spent three hours meeting with the Governor's office. He is meeting with the Senate tomorrow and on Thursday he will be meeting with the full House of Representatives at the House Chamber at 1:30 PM.

This evening Allen will give a presentation on the Pacific Sanctuaries program to the Friends of the Monument. We have reserved the Chamolinian Room at the Hyatt Hotel for his presentation. The presentation starts at 5 PM tonight and we welcome all supporters to attend.

After the Rotary meeting he spoke with the press, so if you are reading this before tonight's evening news, check out Channel 2 KSPN at 6:00, 8:00, or 10:00. Keep an eye out for Friends of the Monument members Uncle Dave Sablan, Ignacio Cabrera, and Agnes McPhetres.