NOAA wants public input on endangered corals

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is holding public meetings in the Northern Marianas this month to get input on a report on the condition of eighty-two species of coral that have been proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act.  Forty of the corals are known to exist in the NMI. NOAA issued a Status Review Report in September 2011 that looks at natural phenomena and man-made stresses, such as ocean warming, disease, and ocean acidification, that could lead to extinction of the corals.  The meetings are scheduled for Saipan on Monday, June 11, from 6 - 9 p.m. at the Multipurpose Center; for Tinian on Tuesday, June 12, from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Fleming Hotel; and for Rota on Thursday, June 14, from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Rota Mayor’s Office.  Doors will open for speaker registration one hour before the meetings.  The public is also encouraged to submit written comments at the listening sessions.