From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Midway Atoll's History and Habitat

Description: GAO reviews how the federal government manages Midway.

Related GAO Work: GAO-16-382: Midway Atoll: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Faces Many Competing Priorities

Released: June 2016


[Image: A Map] Over 5,000 miles separate Washington D.C. from the Midway
Atoll, a trio of small islands centrally located between North America
and Asia. [Image: Beach] Yet these islands are also at the center of a
debate in the nation's capital about how to protect Midway's history and
habitat. [Image: The U.S. Capitol Building] To help inform that debate,
members of Congress asked GAO to review how the government manages
Midway. 

[Image: Historical photo of Midway Atoll] In 1903, the Commercial
Pacific Cable Company laid cables on Midway that carried the first
around-the-world telegraph. [Images: Theodore Roosevelt, writing, and
the American Flag] The message sent by President Theodore Roosevelt
wished Americans a [Image: Fireworks] happy Independence Day. [Image:
Plane landing on water] Midway later served as a key stop over for
flights connecting North America and Asia. 

[Image: People standing on a beach] Midway became a crucial base of
operations for US forces before and during World War II. [Image: Smoke
rising from a burning building] It's perhaps best known for the 1942
Battle of Midway where the United States turned back a Japanese attack
[Image: People standing on a boat] and crippled the Imperial Navy. The
battle marked the turning point of the war in the Pacific. [Image: A
building] The battle cemented Midway's place in history but after the
Cold War, its strategic importance began to diminish. 

[Image: Birds sitting around amilitary weapon] In 1996, Midway traded
guns for [Video: Birds sitting and walking around] gooneys when it
changed hands from the Navy to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Today
Midway is a national wildlife refuge and part of the Papahanaumokuakea
Marine National Monument. [Image: Birds sitting and flying] It is home
to the world's largest population of albatrosses and [Image: Seal under
water] other endangered or threatened species including monk seals and
[Image: Sea Turtles on the beach] sea turtles. 

[Image: Birds and a bicycle in front of a building] Where 5,000 people
use to live and work for the Navy, 40 remain composed of Fish and
Wildlife Service employees, volunteers, and contractors who operate
utilities and the airport. [Image: Sign for the "Naval Air Facility
Midway Island" Building] The Federal Aviation Administration provides
funding to maintain the airport for emergency landings. It is also used
to fly people and supplies to and from Midway. [Image: Exterior of the
Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center] However, the
budget for operating Midway including funding for the Fish and Wildlife
Service and Federal Aviation Administration has fallen in recent years.
[Image: A plane] As a result the Fish and Wildlife Service ended tourism
to Midway in November 2012 [Image: Shoreline] due to a lack of
resources. 

[Image: A building] When it took responsibility for Midway, the Fish and
Wildlife Service also inherited 63 properties eligible for inclusion in
the National Register of [Image: Birds around a piece of military
equipment] Historic Places. However, officials say the agency lacks the
resources to maintain them. [Image: A building] Many buildings are
already beyond their expected lifespan--deteriorated from salt, erosion,
[Image: Debris in the sand] termites, and the tsunami that devastated
Japan in 2011. [Image: A building] Just one deteriorated cable station
building remains from the Commercial Pacific Cable Company's operations.
[Image: Birds in front of a building] The Fish and Wildlife Service
demolished the others because they were beyond repair and a threat to
the sea birds. 

Preservationists and other groups have raised concerns about the
demolition of a number of historic buildings. [Image: Birds in front of
a building] Midway Theater, built for seamen during World War II,
[Image: Interior of a building] has also fallen into disrepair. However,
the Fish and Wildlife Service was able to relocate [Image: Mural of
people, planes, and a boat] the murals from the theater to the Pacific
Aviation Museum in Honolulu. 

[Image: Plants on the beach] Today, Midway's isolation is a logistical
and costly problem. Transporting people and supplies is difficult and
expensive, compounding the challenges of preserving historic properties.
[Image: A building] In 2010, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated
that stabilizing the seaplane hangar, [Image: A building] which
supported the planes that warned of the Japanese attack, would cost $18
million, several times the agency's annual budget [Image: "Battle of
Midway National Memorial" Sign] for such projects in the Pacific region. 

The Fish and Wildlife Service faces many competing priorities on Midway.
[Image: GAO logo] While members of Congress and others consider Midway's
future, you can learn more by visiting gao.gov.