In an effort to save the coral reefs and other wildlife surrounding the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, President Clinton has set aside an 84-million-acre area that is now America's largest nature preserve.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve covers 99,500 square nautical miles –- an area roughly the size of both Florida and Georgia -– and is home to 70 percent of the coral reefs found in the U.S. It also encompasses the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge established by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Associated Press reports.

Clinton said that coral reefs protect coastal communities from pounding waves and storms, generate millions of dollars from tourism and fishing, and are home to thousands of different species, the news agency reports.

Members of the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council oppose the new reserve, however, saying it gives Washington more control over Hawaiian resources. The group claims all local commercial fisheries will be forced to close as a result of the preserve, the AP reports.

On the other hand, some environmentalists say that Clinton didn't do enough in creating the preserve. The Center for Marine Conservation wants the area to be declared a national monument. That designation would entirely prohibit fishing within the preserve, the AP reports.

Full text of the article is currently found at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/
05/politics/05CORA.html