Help Hawaii Win their Bid for the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Conference

Please Do All That You Can Personally To Reach Out To Your Contacts And Friends As We Need To Activate Your Networks To Help Us Get More Senators To Sign Onto The Letter. 

Aloha Friends,

Hawaii is currently in the running to host the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Conference. We believe we have an excellent chance of winning the bid but in order to qualify we need the support of the United States Government. To do so Hawaii Senators Schatz and Hirono are circulating a Dear Colleague letter asking their fellow senators to sign a letter to Secretary Kerry asking for his support.

Please help us by encouraging your senators to support the bid by signing on to the letter to Secretary Kerry.

To find your Senator click here or copy and paste the link below:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To read the Dear Colleague letter click here or copy and paste the link below: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8Vu5qiav9BudW5aRS1Ia3h1eEk/edit?usp=sharing

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network representing more than 160 countries. This body, which is essentially the “UN for the environment,” has never, in its 65 year history, met in the US.

The IUCN has provisionally allowed the Hawaii to begin the bid process; however, a formal bid must be submitted by the Department of State. The effort is truly a national one and we firmly believe that hosting the WCC is in our national interest as a world economic, social, and environmental leader.

For the U.S., and the State of Hawaii, to host this Congress would give strong and clear global voice to the President’s commitment to the environment and to positioning the U.S. as a world leader in finding creative solutions to these most pressing issues.

Thus far we have been unable to convince the Department of State to submit a formal bid by the September 12, 2013 deadline. Help us by encouraging your senators to sign on to the letter to Secretary Kerry.

Find your senator here

Read the letter here

Mahalo for your help!

Esther Kia'aina
First Deputy
Department of Land and Natural Resources

Rita Sablan

Rita Sablan is the Commissioer of Education. She was interviewed after she watched a presentation on the Pacific Sanctuary Program by Allen Tom.

Friends meet the Feds

Federal Official Allen Tom from NOAA gave a presentation to the Friends of the Monument last night on the Pacific Sanctuary Program. The group learned about the facilities and operations that could follow a monument designation.

During the question and answer period, former Attorney General Robert Torres asked Mr. Tom, "What took you so long to get here?"

Friends member Bryan Jones recorded the entire presentation. We are going to put it onto our Youtube account as soon as possible.

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.