Bush does good: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands protected marine reserve

[Knorf]

As someone who has been on record with numerous strong criticisms of the Bush administration, I must acknowledge that Bush is about to do something right: he intends to create the largest protected marine reserve in the world. (Note, link requires registration.) Bravo!

The marine park encompasses a large swath of the Northwestern Hawaiian islands:

The roughly 100-mile-wide area encompasses a string of uninhabited islands that support more than 7,000 marine species, at least a fourth of which are found nowhere else on Earth. The islands include almost 70 percent of the nation’s tropical, shallow-water coral reefs, a rookery for 14 million seabirds, and the last refuge for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and the threatened green sea turtle. The area also has an abundance of large predatory fish at a time when 90 percent of such species have disappeared from the world’s oceans.

Encompassing nearly 140,000 square miles, an area nearly the size of Montana and larger than all the national parks combined, the reserve will just surpass Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as the largest protected marine area in the world. It will also, however, be one of the least accessible.

Very nice. A very rare commendation from me to the Bush administration.

[Revenant_Threshold]

“One of the least accessible”? I’m all for the environment, but the cynic in me points out that a) people aren’t going to go there anyway, b) there’s no resources to be harvested, and c) given Bush’s record it’s likely this is essentially a political stunt; “How can you say we hurt the environment? We’ve created the LARGEST marine reserve in the WORLD!”. No loss; potentially much gain.

I think Bush may be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

[Oakminster]

@Revenant Threshold

I think Bush may be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

I think Shrub may well be the Antichrist, but the new reserve still sounds like a good idea.

[Czarcasm]

Moving thread from IMHO to MPSIMS.

[What_Exit]

@Revenant Threshold

“One of the least accessible”? I’m all for the environment, but the cynic in me points out that a) people aren’t going to go there anyway, b) there’s no resources to be harvested, and c) given Bush’s record it’s likely this is essentially a political stunt; “How can you say we hurt the environment? We’ve created the LARGEST marine reserve in the WORLD!”. No loss; potentially much gain.

I think Bush may be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

I do not like Bush, I think his Administration has been an embarrassment to the nation, but check the facts on the region first.
Secretary Bruce Babbitt tried to make the area a National Monument back in 1999. The fishing industry fought it and stopped it. Though he did get it setup as a Marine Sanctuary.
What Bush did today is actually one of the most positive things he has done for the environment. The Region has some of the most pristine Coral beds in the world and they are now protected.
I do not like Bush, but I applaud him for this.

Jim

[What_Exit]

Meanwhile Japan, Norway & Iceland are preparing to take over the International Whaling commission and change the rules. The reports are they will change the voting to secrets ballots and they are buying the votes of third world nations that have no interest in whaling with Aid Dollars.

Jim

[scr4]

@What Exit?

Meanwhile Japan, Norway & Iceland are preparing to take over the International Whaling commission and change the rules.

What’s your point, and how is it related to the topic of this thread?

[What_Exit]

@scr4

What’s your point, and how is it related to the topic of this thread?

Just the other major environmental news of the day. I should have included a link however.

Jim

[Revenant_Threshold]

@What Exit?

I do not like Bush, but I applaud him for this.

I do agree it’s a good thing, I just think there may there may well be motives other than “this will be good for the environment” at play here. It’s certainly a good thing in and of itself.

[What_Exit]

@Revenant Threshold

I do agree it’s a good thing, I just think there may there may well be motives other than “this will be good for the environment” at play here. It’s certainly a good thing in and of itself.

Agreed. I am still quite please he did it. Probably under pressure from the more moderate part of the party to bolster their position a little for the Mid-Term elections. Sorry if I came across as snippy, I was disappointed when this failed the first time and shocked that seemingly out of nowhere it happened under Bush.

Jim

[Revenant_Threshold]

@What Exit?

Agreed. I am still quite please he did it. Probably under pressure from the more moderate part of the party to bolster their position a little for the Mid-Term elections. Sorry if I came across as snippy, I was disappointed when this failed the first time and shocked that seemingly out of nowhere it happened under Bush.

No worries. I hadn’t heard of this before, but it suprised me, too.

[Chefguy]

Too little and too late. He’s cut $100 million in National Parks funding, cut clean water funding by 22%, wants to sell of $1 billion in public lands (gotta pay for those bombs and bullets), including 300,000 acres of National Forest, and the list just goes on and on. He throws a bone to the left, and we’re supposed to be overjoyed?

[Fern_Forest]

@Revenant Threshold

“One of the least accessible”? I’m all for the environment, but the cynic in me points out that a) people aren’t going to go there anyway, b) there’s no resources to be harvested, and c) given Bush’s record it’s likely this is essentially a political stunt; “How can you say we hurt the environment? We’ve created the LARGEST marine reserve in the WORLD!”. No loss; potentially much gain.

I think Bush may be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

No people go there in boats to fish. The further north you go the more difficult but the closest atoll is only about 150 miles from Kauai. And the fish are plentiful and worth a mint. People with money wanted access bad, particularly tourist companies specializing in sports fishing. So this is a very good thing. Well, for those of us who’d prefer things be preserved then fished out like most local waters are.

As long as they make the efforts to keep unauthorized usage out.

[if6was9]

You’re all sure this is marine life? Fishes and other sea animals? Or is it marine like storming beaches, oooo-rah kind of marine?

[UncleBeer]

@Revenant Threshold

I do agree it’s a good thing, I just think there may there may well be motives other than “this will be good for the environment” at play here. It’s certainly a good thing in and of itself.

Wow! Politics from a politician. Who’da thunk it.

@Chefguy

Too little and too late. He’s cut $100 million in National Parks funding, cut clean water funding by 22%, wants to sell of $1 billion in public lands (gotta pay for those bombs and bullets), including 300,000 acres of National Forest, and the list just goes on and on. He throws a bone to the left, and we’re supposed to be overjoyed?

So, you disapprove?

[jsc1953]

My local paper also had the headline “Bush to create…” yada yada. Treading dangerously towards GD territory – but did Bush do anything for this besides sign it? Did he propose it? Fight for it?

[What_Exit]

@UncleBeer

Wow! Politics from a politician. Who’da thunk it.
So, you disapprove?

Personally, I’ll take the crumbs they’ll give us and hope the next Administration is friendlier to the Environment.
I never expected anything other than what I have seen from Bush & Cheney.
I’m confident any democrat will be better for the environment and I am hopeful that a moderate republican would be. I fear potential candidates like Jeb Bush.
Whatever the motives behind this latest act, I am still happy to see it happen.
It will probably become an invaluable resource for Marine Biologist.

Jim