Protected Statuses
On September 16, 1985, the World War II–related resources on Peale, Wilkes, and Wake Islands were designated a National Historic Landmark Preserving the remains of WWII items from the Battle of Wake Island was the goal of the designation. (and thereby also listed on the National Register of Historic Places).
On January 16, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne created Wake Island National Wildlife Refuge in consultation with the Air Force. The Refuge covers a total of 495,515 acres (2,005.28 km2), nearly all of which is submerged lands within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of the island. Under the Refuge a rare grass species, Lepturus gasparricensis, is protected and both the black footed and laysan albatrosses have been reintroduced. However the one species endemic to Wake Island, the Wake Island Rail, became extinct between 1942 and 1945 as a result of hunting for food by the large contingent of occupying Japanese troops. On January 6, 2009, President George W. Bush included the atoll as a part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
Read more about this topic: Wake Island
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