HI HCR225

Recognizes and reaffirms support for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Refuge on its ten-year anniversary of establishment by the State of Hawaii on October 10, 2015.

Reaffirms the refuge's original purposes including management, preservation, protection, and conservation of unique marine resources using best available science and precautionary approaches.

Acknowledges the northwest Hawaiian islands as a sacred area significant to native Hawaiian cultural, subsistence, and religious practices, and notes recent native Hawaiian voyages to the islands to honor ancestors and access traditional knowledge.

Notes that the reef systems comprise approximately seventy percent of coral reefs under U.S. jurisdiction and are recognized as some of the richest and healthiest ocean environments remaining, now designated as the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (2006) and a UNESCO World Heritage site (2010).

Directs transmission of a certified copy of the resolution to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.