NOTED WITH INTEREST
Historic Island May Be Vacation Destination
Monday, November 27, 2006; Page A17
HONOLULU -- Looking for an out-of the-way vacation spot? You might want to consider Midway Atoll.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on a draft plan and might start a regularly scheduled visitor program as early as mid-2007, said Barbara Maxfield, spokeswoman for the agency's Pacific Islands office. The tentative plan would probably accommodate fewer than 30 visitors at a time to the remote U.S. island, a historic World War II military site, she said.
  Midway Atoll could be open to visitors in mid-2007 on a limited basis. (By Ronen Zilberman -- Associated Press) 
 Which President signed the bill establishing the Smithsonian Institution? A. James K. Polk B. Zachary Taylor C. Franklin Pierce D. James Buchanan  
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Midway, 1,250 miles northwest of Honolulu, is at the tip of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, which was established in June.
Known for the 1942 Battle of Midway that turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific, Midway is home to spinner dolphins, pristine beaches and hundreds of thousands of seabirds.
The public can get to the island only by boarding a cruise from Asia, hitching a ride with resident government workers, or volunteering for three months of environmental duty.
"We would very much like to welcome visitors back on a more regular basis . . . to share all of the wildlife and the historic features of not only Midway but certainly as a window to the marine national monument, as well," Maxfield said.
Access was largely cut off in 2002 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's sole tourist operator pulled out, citing difficulties making a profit on trips to the atoll's remote islands.
The draft plan, which includes an environmental assessment, is expected to be released for public review and comment early next year, Maxfield said. If public comments are supportive, officials would issue the plan for approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's regional director.
The wildlife service uses a small charter aircraft to transport its employees and has been looking into other air transportation, Maxfield said.
"We have always known that there is substantial interest in bringing more people out to Midway," she said. "We certainly have always wanted to welcome visitors back there."
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will carefully review any visiting proposals before giving them the go-ahead, said Peter Young, the department director.
"Let's not jump into anything . . . it is a special place and as such, we need to make sure that our decisions are not made for today but really made for tomorrow," he said.
-- Associated Press
