Honoring Our U.S. Protectorates: Palmyra Atoll...

Palmyra Atoll territory is the most northern of the atolls in the Line Islands Archipelago, close to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. It is composed of around 50 separate islets, over a 4 square mile area, and goes up in elevation to a mere 6ft in height. Palmyra is one of the most isolated places on the Earth. It is warm year round, but also rains more than most every place on the planet. It is filled with beautiful beaches, dense vegetation, lovely lagoons, and a high concentration of marine life.

On November 7, 1802, Captain Sawle led his American vessel, Palmyra, to the island for shelter and named it after his ship. The Fourth King of Hawaii, His Majesty, Kamehameha IV, commissioned two Hawaiian citizens - Captain Zenas Bent and Mr. Johnson B. Wilkinson - to sail to Palmyra in order to take possession of it in his name. They landed there on April 15, 1862, and did just that. From 1888 to 1911, Palmyra changed private ownership many times. On July 7, 1898, Congress included it as one of the islands included in the Joint Resolution of Congress, which annexed the Republic of Hawaii to the US. In 1912, a judge suggested that the Governor of Hawaii ask the Secretary of the Interior to send a vessel there to make sure no other country had tried to claim sovereignty. So, on February 28, 1912, a Navy cruiser announced they took formal possession of Palmyra in the name of the US on February 21, 1912. During World War II (1939-1945), the central lagoon and joined islets were used as airplane landing strips for the US Navy. In 1974, Palmyra was the center of a murder of a wealthy San Diego couple that ended in a conviction. In 2000, Palmyra was purchased by The Nature Conservancy in order to protect the ecosystem for scientific research. In 2001, it was transfered to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It has been designated a National Wildlife Refuge and has been researched for climate change and marine life and ecosystems. Because of its diversity of life and its contribution to the wellness of all the oceans of the world, Palmyra Atoll has been declared a "Hope Spot". It is a protected island, and home to some of the largest groups of marine apex predators in the ocean.

Today, there are four ways the public is able to access this refuge. They can work, contract, or volunteer for The Nature Conservancy or Fish and Wildlife Service, conduct scientific research on a special use permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service, get invited through The Nature Conservancy sponsored donor trip, or visit by sail or motorboat. Only around 25 people currently live on the island for ecological research purposes.