Welcome to the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument! The Monument encompasses approximately 490,000 square miles of open ocean, coral reef, and island habitats, making the total area of the Monument nearly five times the size of all the U.S. National Parks combined and nearly twice the size of the state of Texas. Within the boundaries of the Monument rest seven national wildlife refuges: Howland, Baker, and Jarvis Islands, Johnston, Wake and Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef.
Udall Foundation's Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Renaming and Cultural Recognition Report

After receiving a request from the Pacific Remote Islands Coalition to consider renaming the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland made a commitment to consider renaming at the Our Oceans Conference in Palau in April 2022.

On March 24, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden issued the Memorandum on Conserving the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Pacific Remote Islands (PRI Memo), which directed the Secretaries of the DOI and the Department of Commerce to develop a process to collaborate with Indigenous experts, Native Hawaiian organizations, and other representatives from Indigenous communities with ancestral, historical, and cultural connections to the area to develop names and naming conventions for the PRIMNM, National Wildlife Refuges, and any National Marine Sanctuary designated in the area of the PRIMNM.

An assessment (link below) was conducted to gather input from a broad range of individuals and groups who are interested in renaming and cultural recognition for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.  The outcomes of the assessment will advise and inform any processes to rename the Monument, the seven National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges) that rest within the Monument boundary, and place-based areas including geographic features, islands, and ocean areas in and adjacent to the Monument. Input was received from 66 individuals.

To view the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Renaming and Cultural Recognition Assessment Report link HERE 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is inviting the public to attend a webinar on the results of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Renaming and Cultural Recognition Assessment.  During this webinar, we will share the results of the report, answer any questions about the report, and share information on upcoming engagement events. 

To view the PRIMNM Renaming Assessment Presentation from May 14, link here

To view the PRIMNM Renaming Presentation from FesPAC 2024 by Narrissa Spies (Brown) link here

To view the August 19th Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) Renaming Effort Update Webinar link here

To view the Addendum to the March 2024 PRIMNM Renaming and Cultural Recognition Assessment Report link here

Visit Us

Due to its remote location, the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument is not easily accessible to the general public. Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is the only refuge that allows recreational access with a visiting vessel Special Use Permit. Access to all other refuges within the Monument are primarily limited to management activities or research through the use of a Special Use Permit.

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument was established on January 6, 2009, by President George W. Bush under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906, but expanded to its current size on September 25, 2014, by President Barack Obama. The Monument represents one of the last frontiers of scientific discovery in the world and is a safe haven for Central Pacific biodiversity. The Monument and the national wildlife refuges within it protect entire ecosystems – from coral reefs to deep seamounts, abyssal plain, and volcanic features.

      The national wildlife refuges within the Monument are:

      Map of Pacific Ocean highlights marine national monuments with yellow markings
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      What We Do

      Managed in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Service is dedicated to protecting and conserving the biodiversity that enriches the areas that make up the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. The PRIMNM is one of five Marine National Monuments co-managed by the Service. 

      Our Organization

      The PRIMNM Community Group

      The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA have a continued partnership with the Udall Foundation to enlist selected members of the community to form the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Community Group. This group provides consultation to our agencies on Monument management, care, and effective stewardship, while also providing a forum to discuss ideas and opportunities regarding the management of the Monument, represented in the Monument Management Plan.

      Our Species

      The Monument is home to one of the largest and most pristine collections of tropical islands, coral reef, seamounts and deep sea protected areas on the planet. Species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, whales, sharks, and manta rays have large migration and foraging ranges that exist throughout the expanded Monument.    

      Home to  seabirds, shorebirds, rare plants, land crabs, vibrant coral reefs, sea turtles, whales and dolphins, sharks, manta rays and even the plankton that are the basis of ocean food-web; thousands of species - some that have large migration and foraging ranges - exist throughout the expanded Monument.    

      Our Library

      Here you will find library collections containing a variety of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publications, reports, fact sheets, media and documents along with other reference material.

      Jarvis Island NWR Amateur Radio draft CD September 23 2023.pdf
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      Jarvis Island NWR Amateur Radio draft CD September 23 2023.pdf

      Amateur radio operation is an existing use at Jarvis Island NWR; however, it is not a common use. The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, and its predecessor, the Pacific Reefs National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Complex) receive sporadic requests (every few years) for amateur radio...

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      Get Involved

      You can support your the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument or the national wildlife refuges within it by joining organizations such as the National Wildlife Refuge Association that actively supports and advocates for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Volunteer opportunities can also be found at volunteer.gov. 

      Projects and Research

      Since the establishment of the Monument, the Service has worked with partner agencies in maintaining some of the most protected and biodiverse areas of the Pacific Ocean. The Monument contains significant objects of scientific interest and was designated to protect and sustain many endemic species, including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation. These areas also contain pristine deep sea and open ocean ecosystems with unique biodiversity, and approximately 348 seamounts that provide habitat for colonies of deepwater corals that are many thousands of years old.