Discovering the remains of ancient cities hidden beneath the ocean is a rare event. Recently, a mysterious set of structures was found in the center of a lagoon on the remote island of Pohnpei, an independent nation in the western Pacific Ocean. According to the Science Channel’s series What on Earth?, a striking satellite image revealed the lost city of Nan Madol, often referred to as the "Venice of the Pacific" or "Atlantis."
Image Source: Pohnpei State Government
In the satellite image, there are a series of mysterious canals and various stone foundations and ruins of ancient architecture. According to the Pohnpei State Government, Polish ethnographer and oceanographer John Stanislaw Kubary made the first detailed description of Nan Madol in 1874. According to the video on the Science Channel, the half-submerged city appears to be over a millennia-old and thanks to modern technology, a satellite mapping of the region has been made possible.
Image Source: Pohnpei State Government
The satellite images have brought up a compiled 97 geometrical structures that are similar in shape and located along the island's coastline. No additional information about the inhabitants and the civilization of the Nan Madol has been disclosed yet. The local name of the area loosely translates to "the space in between" and it refers to the canals that joined the rectangular islets. "As amazing as this site appears from satellite imagery, coming down to ground level is even more astounding. There are walls which are 25 feet tall and 17 feet thick," archaeologist Karen Bellinger explained in the YouTube clip.
Image Source: Pohnpei State Government
"It now looks like Nan Madol represents a first in Pacific Island history," Mark McCoy, an associate professor at Southern Methodist University in Texas told Fox News in 2016. "The tomb of the first chiefs of Pohnpei is a century older than similar monumental burials of leaders on other islands. To me, in its prime, Nan Madol was a capital. It was the seat of political power, the center of the most important religious rituals, and the place where the former chiefs of the island were laid to rest." According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the island is a tad bit smaller in size compared to New York City. It is also a part of the Federated States of Micronesia and is practically built atop a strong network of coral reefs.
“Nan Madol is one of the most significant sites not yet on the World Heritage List,” Richard Engelhart, an archaeologist and former UNESCO adviser for Asia and the Pacific, said, per the outlet. Nan Madol is also home to mangrove trees that cover 200 acres of the area. Rufino Mauricio, Pohnpei’s only archaeologist, mentioned that building Nan Madol might have required more effort than building pyramids. The people who built the region had to move 750,000 metric tons of rocks and that was an average of 1,850 tons a year for four centuries. “Not bad for people who had no pulleys, no levers and no metal,” Mauricio remarked. “We need to clear all this out in at least some of the islands so we can appreciate the extraordinary effort that was put into this construction.”
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.