Dear Friend,

Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. It's truly a national treasure: a UNESCO heritage site bigger than Alaska, home to an incredible 7,000 species of marine wildlife. A quarter of its species are found nowhere else on Earth.1

But industry lobbyists are urging the Trump administration to open it up to commercial fishing, a serious threat to life in a place that's remained largely untouched.2 The president has already removed protections for one marine monument this year, in the Atlantic. We can't assume he won't strip another one.3

Tell our senators: Stand up for our country's marine sanctuaries.

In a world where ocean wildlife are seriously threatened by fishing, climate change and other human impacts, places like Papahanaumokuakea, where species can thrive free of those pressures, are critical.

What's more, the monument's islands have been central to native Hawaiian culture for hundreds of years. And while the monument itself is just 14 years old, six different presidents have taken action to protect the special ecosystems within its current borders.

President Roosevelt first protected the Northwest Hawaiian Islands in 1909. After a century of incremental improvements, President Bush established the national monument; in 2016, President Obama expanded it by more than 400,000 square miles.4

We need protected areas like Papahanaumokuakea now more than ever. Scientists say that conserving at least 30 percent of our oceans will be critical to saving ecosystems from ruin.5

But if we don't speak up, the world's largest marine sanctuary could lose its protections soon, and the fragile web of life it protects could be seriously damaged by commercial fishing.

Send a message to our senators now.

It's obvious to anyone who looks why this monument has been so important for so long.

• Its depths are home to the highest levels of endemism -- that is, the presence of species found nowhere else -- of any marine ecosystem in the world.6
• Among the monument's residents: critically endangered monk seals, 24 species of whales and dolphins, sea turtles, and the world's oldest marine organism, a deep-sea black coral that can live up to 4,500 years.7
• Along with a staggering number of marine species, the monument is home to 14 million seabirds.8

Let's make sure that Papahanaumokuakea is protected forever. Take action.

Thanks for making it possible,

Hannah Collazo
State Director

1. "Papahanaumokuakea Expands, Now Largest Conservation Area on Earth," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, August 26, 2016.
2. Nick Grube, "Hawaii Fish Council Urges Trump To Open Marine Monuments To Fishing," Honolulu Civil Beat, May 22, 2020.
3. "Proclamation on Modifying The Northeast Canyons And Seamounts Marine National Monument," The White House, June 5, 2020.
4. "Fourteen Things You Should Celebrate About Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 15, 2020.
5. E. Dinerstein et al., "A Global Deal For Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets," Science Advances, April 3, 2019.
6. "Fourteen Things You Should Celebrate About Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 15, 2020.
7. "Fourteen Things You Should Celebrate About Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 15, 2020.
8. "Papahanaumokuakea Expands, Now Largest Conservation Area on Earth," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, August 26, 2016.