This is a letter that a group of scientists wrote in collaboration with the Friends of the Mariana Trench to support the proper management of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.  It was submitted to the Federal Register on July 26, 2021. We, the undersigned, are scientists concerned with the proper protection and management of the Mariana Trench and the marine resources of the Pacific Ocean, and submit these comments on the Draft Monument Management Plan and Environmental Assessment. We submit these comments with the leadership and local expertise of the Friends of the Mariana Trench, a local NGO which represents the voice of the local community and consists of a cross-section of indigenous and resident people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and other interested parties who are dedicated to the conservation, preservation and protection of flora, fauna and geological features of the oceans; and the proper management of the Marianas Trench Marine Nation...

In 2018 my alma mater Rollins College recognized my career with an alumni achievement award . I received the award April 2018 and at the ceremony I got to meet the mayor of Oakland and the US Secretary of the Navy, who were also award recipients. A few months later they published a story about my career in our alumni magazine  (and dubbed me the Undersea Overseer) which made me sound way cooler than I actually am. After I won the award, I was asked to give a talk at an Alumni gathering in Washington, DC in November 2018. I've never written about The First and Last Pew Charitable Trusts Saipan Boonie Dog Show and the gentle ribbing I get for it at work.  I included it as part of my remarks at that alumni gathering and share it here for your enjoyment. In 2008 I led the community effort to build support for a marine protected area around the Mariana Trench, running a grassroots campaign to build and document support from the island communities, I won’t give you a full...