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Quotes
Bruce Babbitt, Former Secretary of the Interior
"Palmyra is a jewel of America's Pacific coral reefs. It should be protected from exploitation and be a place where future generations can, for all time, marvel at the pristine natural wonders of the nation's tropical seas."
J.E. Maragos, PhD, Coral Reef Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
"Today Palmyra represents the most important unprotected marine wilderness area left in the U.S. tropics. In terms of biodiversity, Palmyra Atoll is situated in the humid equatorial tropics, supporting three times as many coral species as found in all of Hawaii, five times as many as found in the Florida Keys, and three times the species reported for the entire Caribbean...Particularly unique to Palmyra are its large, diverse and unharvested stocks of reef and nearshore fisheries, its unusual submerged reefs jutting seaward for many miles beyond the atoll islets, and its beautiful shallow reef pools and coral gardens off the east end in which are found many diverse and colorful fish and other marine life. These pools are easily snorkeled and are the most spectacular that I have ever seen, after having dived on thousands of Pacific reefs over the past 30 years."
Carl Safina, PhD, Vice President for Marine Conservation, National Audubon Society
"Palmyra is probably the only remaining uninhabited atoll of its type. Protection of Palmyra Atoll would result in protecting a much larger area than just Palmyra and its surrounding reefs. Because Palmyra's nesting seabirds (hundreds of thousands of terns, boobies, frigatebirds, and tropicbirds), migratory fishes, and threatened turtles travel to inhabit vast areas of the Pacific, the ecological 'footprint' of Palmyra is quite large. Thus, one might say that the atoll represents concentrated biological value; its ecological importance reaches far beyond the incessantly pounding breakers of the surrounding reef and, indeed, well beyond U.S. territory."
Charles Kennel, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
"Palmyra Island, with its pristine coral reefs and central Pacific location, is a virtual treasure chest of science that has never been fully explored. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography value Palmyra for its unique, exciting opportunities for scientific research, including a current project that monitors global climate change using Palmyra corals."
John Berry, Former Assistant Secretary of the Interior
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife's highest priority is acquisition of Palmyra Atoll...there is no project more worthy of support than this one. The 54 islets and huge coral reefs that comprise Palmyra offer an untouched sanctuary to numerous endangered species, including birds and sea turtles. The Services' independent Land Acquisition Priority System has compared this acquisition with all others and determined it to be the highest priority.
"Palmyra, though far away, is part of America and is one of the most unique and wonderful places in our entire country. Coral reefs today are already yielding potential cures and new medicines and scientists believe that they hold great promise for future discoveries. As such, this island may be the seed corn for cures to diseases or discoveries we cannot even name today. I believe it is not exaggeration to refer to Palmyra as the 'Yellowstone of the future.'"
"I truly believe that future generations will look back with great respect at the wisdom and foresight of those... (who) took action to preserve such a marvelous place."
