Well, folks, this is it, the last chance to offer mana'o on the future of an amazingly fragile and uniquely Hawaiian place.

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is the largest no-take marine managed area in the world. More than 1,200 miles in length, it's approximately the driving distance between Las Vegas and New Orleans or the total area of all our national parks put together.

The last of 10 public meetings on a proposed draft management plan for the monument, held throughout Hawai'i and in Washington D.C., wrapped up June 24.

Based on the state's briefing before the Department of Land and Natural Resources June 27, only 250 people attended these meetings in total, with only about 70 testifying. I can confirm these small numbers, as I was the only person to testify in Washington, D.C.

Compared to the 100,000 comments submitted just two years ago to spur the creation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, this is alarmingly low and a reason for great concern.

After two years of closed-door meetings, the Monument Management Board — comprised of representatives from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA and the state of Hawai'i, together the co-trustees — produced the 1,200-page draft plan.

Despite a well-intentioned effort to create a comprehensive management plan, there are major flaws that need to be addressed. Many of those flaws could have been resolved if the public was included in the drafting process.

Regardless, after a two-year multi-agency effort, the public had only 75 days to muster up comments on the four-volume draft. Tomorrow is the deadline; thus far, we have simply not heard from the people.

Among the greatest concerns in the current draft is the abandonment of the "precautionary principle," which requires biological, cultural and historic resource protection and integrity to be favored when there is a lack of information regarding the potential impacts of any activity.

After the public spoke clearly about their desire to maintain this fragile ocean wilderness as a pu'uhonua (forever sanctuary), this principle was firmly embedded into the presidential proclamation that established the monument.

Instead, this "do no harm" mandate was watered down and replaced with research plans of a questionable nature and vamped-up visitor plans. Even more important, the people have been stripped from the process.

The draft plan fails to mention retaining a public oversight committee. The Reserve Advisory Council played a pivotal role in providing public oversight in the creation of the monument, yet any similar entity has been eliminated.

Other areas where notable improvements can be made include: the need for Native Hawaiian involvement in the leadership and management of the monument; revisions to the permitting process, including renewal and enforcement; prioritizing research around critical conservation needs; the absence of an effective cumulative impact analysis, excessive ecotourism and visitor plans on Midway; and an incomplete and largely unsubstantiated cultural impact assessment.

With time running out, I urge you to visit www.kahea.org to see some of the major concerns that have been outlined by citizens, scientists, environmental advocates and Native Hawaiians who have been diligently parsing the draft proposal.

To see a copy of the plan and submit written comments go to www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov. This could be your last chance to ensure that this amazing marine wilderness has the opportunity to recover and flourish as a truly protected place. With all the changes happening in Hawai'i, this is an opportunity to preserve the natural character of a special area. Your voice is needed. Papahanaumokuakea is counting on you.

Evan Silberstein is a law student at the University of Hawai'i, a summer fellow with the Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law and an intern at Kahea: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.