Phone Briefing: President Bush's Major Ocean Conservation Proclamation

On a conference call with reporters at 4 pm EST today, the Bush administration is expected to announce the designation of three new marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean.  This follows the 2006 designation of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Immediately following the administration's call, the Pew Environment Group will host a press conference call to discuss these designations. 

The three new marine national monuments include the Mariana Trench and Islands which boasts the deepest canyon on the globe at 36,000 feet, the Central Pacific Islands which harbor some of the most pristine coral reefs in the world and the Rose Atoll in American Samoa, the world's smallest coral atoll, and one of the most remote.

WHO:
Diane Regas, Managing Director of the Oceans Program at the Environmental Defense Fund  
William Chandler, Vice President for Government Affairs at the Marine Conservation Biology Institute  
Joshua S. Reichert, Managing Director of the Pew Environment Group   

WHAT:
Phone press briefing on the Bush administration's plans to designate three new marine national monuments

WHEN:
Monday, January 5, 2009 – Immediately following the White House conference call at 4 pm EST (Estimated start time for the Pew call is 5 pm EST.)

WHERE:
Dial: (U.S. domestic) 800-311-9401   
(Non-U.S.) 334-323-7224   
Password: CNMI

An MP3 of this news event will be available at www.globaloceanlegacy.org approximately an hour after the call ends.

For background information about the Mariana Trench, including high quality photos, please visit the Global Ocean Legacy Web site at www.globaloceanlegacy.org.

Broadcast quality footage is available now at the following FTP address: 70.86.53.74
Username: mariana
Password: monument

Briefing for credentialed press only, please.