Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich in a letter to President Bush called attention to “a marvelous opportunity to leave a historic mark on U.S. and world conservation history.” In the letter sent earlier this year, Gingrich urged the President to provide permanent protection to the remote chain of uninhabited islands, atolls, submerged banks and surrounding waters known as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The proposed protected area stretches from the main Hawaiian Islands to Midway Atoll. Gingrich notes that it is specifically within the President’s power to designate this area as a fully-protected coral reef ecosystem. It would be the largest such protected area in the world.

Underwater Times | President Bush Urged to Create World’s Largest Marine Sanctuary; ‘Marine Equivalent of Yellowstone National Park’