Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 123.djvu/3614

 123STA T . 3 594PROCL A M AT I O N8 33 7—J AN. 6, 2 0 09 Proclam a ti o n83 3 7 o fJ an u ar y6,20 0 9Establi s hmen t of the R ose A toll M a r ine N ational Mon u ment BythePr e sid e n t of the U nited S t a tes of Am eri c a A Proc l amation InthePacif ic O cean a p p rox i m ate ly130 na u tical mile s east - southeast of Pa g o Pago H ar b or ,A merican S amoa, lies R ose Atoll — the easternmost Samoan islan d and the southernmost point of the U nited States .T his small atoll, w hich includes the Rose Atoll N ational W ildlife Refuge with about 2 0 acres of land and 1, 6 00 acres of lagoon, remains one of the most pristine atolls in the world. The lands, submerged lands, wa- ters, and marine en v ironment around Rose Atoll support a dynamic reef ecosystem that is home to a very diverse assemblage of terrestrial and marine species, many of which are threatened or endangered. One of the most stri k ing features of Rose Atoll is the pink hue of fring- ing reef caused by the dominance of coralline algae, which is the pri- mary reef-building species. Though there are roughly 100 species of stony corals, the shallow reefs are dominated by crustose coralline algae, making them distinctive and q uite different from those found at other Samoan islands. The marine area provides isolated, unmolested nesting grounds for green and hawksbill turtles and has the largest number of nesting turtles in American Samoa. Its waters are frequented by numerous large predators whitetip reef sharks, blacktip reef sharks, gray reef sharks, snappers, j acks, groupers, and barracudas. Species that have faced depletion elsewhere, some of which have declined worldwide by as much as 98 percent, are found in abundance at Rose Atoll, including giant clams, M aori wrasse, large parrotfishes, and blacktip, whitetip, and gray reef sharks. Humpback whales, pilot whales, and the porpoise genus Stenella have all been spotted at Rose Atoll. There are 2 7 2 species of reef fish, with seven species first de- scribed by scientists at Rose and do z ens more new species discovered on the first deep water dive to 200 meters. Recent submersible dives around Rose Atoll have revealed abundant marine life, deep sea coral forests, and several new fish and invertebrate species. Rose Atoll supports most of the seabird population of American Samoa, including 12 federally protected migratory seabirds, five spe- cies of federally protected shorebirds, and a migrant forest bird, the long-tailed cuckoo. Rare species of nesting petrels, shearwaters, and terns are thriving at Rose Atoll and increasing in number. The atoll is known to Samoans, who have periodically visited over the past millen- nium, as ‘ ‘Nu ’ u O Manu’’ ( ‘‘ V illage of seabirds’’ ) . It is believed that Polynesians have harvested at Rose Atoll for millennia and several spe- cies, such as the giant clam, were used for cultural celebrations and events. F ew relatively undisturbed islands remain in the world and Rose Atoll is one of the last remaining refuges for the seabird and tur- tle species of the C entral Pacific. Threatened Pisonia atoll forest trees are also found at Rose Atoll. WH E REAS the lands, submerged lands, and waters of and marine envi- ronment around Rose Atoll contain objects of historic or scientific in- terest that are situated upon lands owned or controlled by the G overn- ment of the United States