October 8, 1997

MIDWAY PHOENIX CORPORATION DONATES $120,000
TO MIDWAY ATOLL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Midway Phoenix Corporation has joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 12-18, by donating $120,000 to help support Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, one of the remote island refuges in the midst of the Pacific Ocean. Since entering into a long-term cooperative arrangement with the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1996, Midway Phoenix has invested significant funding to open the atoll to public visitation.

“This latest donation has allowed the Service to fund the salaries of several of our employees working on Midway Atoll,” says John Doebel, assistant regional director for refuges and wildlife for the Pacific Region. “Without the generosity of Midway Phoenix, we could not maintain an active wildlife management and public use program on the refuge. We talk about celebrating our refuge system during National Wildlife Refuge Week, but we also want to celebrate our partners, for they help keep the refuges running.”

During the past 14 months, Midway Phoenix has invested about $6 million in renovating the infrastructure of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Bachelor officers’ quarters have been upgraded into hotel rooms, roads repaved. buildings repainted, and offices renovated. In addition, Midway Phoenix has purchased and renovated a supply ship to service the refuge, constructed a new beach pavilion, and almost completed a new restaurant overlooking the beach.

“We see this as a very innovative way to improve the management of the refuge while at the same time offering the opportunity for the public to learn about and enjoy its remarkable wildlife resources,” says Doebel. “Jointly, we can offer people the chance to see about 2 million seabirds. threatened green sea turtles, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, and a unique coral reef ecosystem that supports hundreds of fish species. Thanks to Midway Phoenix and their subcontractors, our visitors leave Midway with a better appreciation for the importance of these isolated refuge units and the wildlife that depend upon them for their survival.”

Midway Phoenix Corporation is headquartered in Cartersville, Georgia. Information about visiting Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is available by calling their toll-free number at 888-574-9000.

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