The National Park Service in January launched the Rota Special Resource Study to determine if Rota should become a national park. The project will study the natural and cultural resources of the island and evaluate the national significance of the area.

The study includes Rota’s prehistoric and historic resources and limestone forests. From February to March, NPS was scheduled to host public meetings on Rota and Guam and virtual meetings to introduce the study, answer questions and solicit public ideas and interest.

The study is expected to take two to three years to complete. Once completed, the findings will be submitted to the secretary of the Department of the Interior for consideration for a recommendation to Congress to designate the area as a unit of the national park system.

If Congress does not designate the area as a national park, other outcomes of the study include no change from the existing management structure, local public and/or private management options and additional technical assistance from the NPS or other local, national or international designations.

Online meetings will be held at 9 a.m. on March 9 and 6 a.m. on March 10 at www.gotomeeting.com. The webinar ID numbers for the meetings are 210-509-451 and 879-835-067, respectively.

More information can be found at parkplanning.nps.gov/rotastudy, by emailing the team at rota_study@nps.gov or calling (415) 623-2312.