The draft of a plan to manage the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was released today by Gov. Linda Lingle, Deputy U.S. Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett and Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., NOAA administrator.

The four-volume, 1,200-page draft plan is available at http://papahanaumokuakea.gov.

A 75-day public comment period on the documents begins tomorrow and ends July 8.

A series of public meetings is scheduled on all major islands in June.

"It is fitting to release the draft management plan for the nation's largest conservation area on Earth Day," Lingle said at a ceremony at Washington Place. The event was attended by dozens of people who were involved in developing the management plan.

"This vast area has a great deal of significance not only for those concerned with protecting our environment but also for the Native Hawaiians who share such a strong cultural tie to the Northwestern Hawaiian islands."

The state of Hawai'i, U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce are responsible for managing the monument in accordance with the presidential proclamation that established it.