NW Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve

[Jim Hendee]

In a ceremony at the National Geographic Society's headquarters in
Washington, DC, President William Jefferson Clinton today announced in an
Executive Order the creation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral
Reef Ecosystem Reserve, setting aside 3.5 million acres for preservation.  
This is the largest area of conservation in U.S. history and the second
largest marine protected area on earth, second only to the Great Barrier
Reef in Australia.  Approximately 70 percent of U.S. coral reefs are in
the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

More information will be announced by NOAA personnel later, but for now,
please review this site for more information:

	http://hawaiireef.noaa.gov/

	Cheers,
	Jim