Former Reserve Advisory Council member profile


Portrait of a man.

Dave Raney
2000 – 2002

"Being a member of the Reserve Advisory Council was one of the most significant experiences of my more than fifty years as an environmentalist. "
– Dave Raney

Q: What drew you to participate in the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council?
A: I have been interested in coral reef conservation since my days diving on coral reefs in Southeast Florida and the Keys in the 1960's. I was Chair of Sierra Club's Coral Reef Subcommittee when President Clinton issued his Coral Reef Protection Executive Order in 1998, and was designated Pacific Islands NGO representative to the Coral Reef Task Force established by the EO. I was also one of the small group that helped promote Uncle Buzzy Agard's concept of a NWHI Pu'uhonua.

Q: What are your personal thoughts on the place and why it deserves such dedicated protection?
A: It is a very special place deserving protection for cultural as well as environmental reasons. It provides the major nesting sites for green sea turtles and habitat for the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal. It is vulnerable to direct and indirect impacts of fishing and other human activities.

Q: What do you see as the council's greatest achievement during the time you were directly involved?
A: Laying the foundation for President Bush's designation of the area as a Marine National Monument. Proponents of the Pu'u Honua always preferred that the area be managed as a national monument under the Department of the Interior, rather than a national marine sanctuary under the Department of Commerce. All extractive activities in a monument are banned except those allowed by permit, whereas extractive activities in national marine sanctuaries are allowed unless specifically banned.

Q: As a member of the council, what is one of your most memorable experiences?
A: Seeing Uncle Buzzy Agard sharing the stage with President Clinton in Washington, D.C. while the President read his proclamation establishing the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the council and/or monument today?
A: Climate change impacts, especially sea level rise and global warming. Overcoming those challenges may require interventions to establish green sea turtle nesting sites and Hawaiian monk seal habitats in the Main Hawaiian Islands.

Q: Why should people care about protecting the monument?
A: Because of its national and international importance as a UNESCO World Heritage site.


Dave Raney is a retired healthcare professional who served as the original secretary of the Reserve Advisory Council and was a conservation representative.


Past and present council member profiles