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To: shubi
>Midway is a secure government facility

... Midway Atoll was a naval base under the juristiction of Pacific Division, Naval Facilities Engineering command (PACNAVFACENGCOM).

The Department of the Navy (DoN) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on May 22, 1996, concerning the transfer of NAF Midway to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The Executive Order transferring legal enforcment authority to the USFWS was signed on October 31, 1996. The USFWS assumed custody of Midway Island when the transfer of MOU was signed, but operation of Midway did not change until the current Navy Base Operating Services (BOS) contract was completed on June 30, 1997, and the Navy left Midway.

Midway Atoll, formerly known as Naval Air Facility (NAF), Midway, is located 1,100 miles northwest of Oahu, Hawaii at the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago but is not part of the state of Hawaii. Midway Atoll consists of two main islands, Sand and Eastern, with several smaller islets. The operational facilities were located on Sand Island, which has an area of 1,201 acres. Eastern Island comprises 334 acres and has been uninhabited since 1970, although it was used extensively by the Navy prior to 1970.

...In 1999, in recognition of the atoll’s historical significance, Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to develop Midway as a National Memorial and establish a preservation program for its historic military buildings and gun emplacements. This was to include interpretative displays and promotion of tourist visits.

Midway was closed to visitors in January, 2002. The abundant wildlife, sparkling white beaches and historical sites were just beginning to attract significant numbers of tourists when the USFWS closed the island to visitors. “The Fish and Wildlife Service appears to be doing a good job of protecting the atoll’s wildlife, but it is failing in its responsibility to develop the island as a National Memorial.”


60 posted on 12/30/2004 11:07:50 AM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: theFIRMbss

Oh. It was a secure Naval base the last time I was there.


62 posted on 12/30/2004 11:28:29 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: theFIRMbss

Hmmmm, I wonder what the Navy is building there.


75 posted on 12/30/2004 6:55:18 PM PST by jpsb
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