Midway Day 3 - Fish Hooks: by Sunny Seal-LaPlante

Terry Riviera from the Big Island had wooden fish hook shapes and kukui nuts for us to work with as a craft, to learn about how fish hooks were made, some of the uses for the kukui, and the story of Maui.

Some of the fish hooks were made in two pieces so that if the fish was so strong to take the hook only half of it would break off. For opelu fish hooks were made from shiny shells as they are attracted to that. The kukui tree is a common plant brought by the Polynesians as the nuts are used for lighting. Strung on a midrib the nuts are so oily they burn like mini-torches. Kukui also has the word meaning of “enlightenment.”

So we as a group spent a good hour using coral and sandpaper to smooth our fishhooks or kukui nuts, then using Kukui nutmeat to oil up our wood and braiding or twisting cordage to make the part that goes around our necks. Each one of us had some success.

Meanwhile we heard about Maui the demi-god whose fish hook still hangs in the night sky- the constellation of Scorpius, and how his Grandmother told him a chant for his fishhook so that it could catch anything. Then he and his brothers went out fishing and snagged the islands. He told his brothers “Don’t look back!” and “keep paddling, paddle harder!” He was pulling up the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, but then one of the brothers looked back and then the islands couldn’t be pulled up any higher. Stories about Maui are known through out the Pacific. There is one about how he tricked the Alae bird into giving fire to man. On the Waianae side of Oahu there is a silhouette of Maui most visible in the early morning.

And so went that part of our afternoon with arts and culture, storytelling and hands-on activities.

Photo credit: Dani Carter

Midway Day 3 - Sustainability: by Kathy Knoeppel

It’s Monday on Sand Island in the Midway Atoll. As part of learning about the Hawaiian culture we have been learning Hawaiian words. Two words that we learned today are malama – to take care of and kuleana – responsibility. I thought about these words as we visited the islands hydroponics greenhouse, the power plant and the water purification plant.

As Tracy and Matt, our U.S. Fish & Wildlife guides, talked they impressed upon us the importance of the island being self-sustaining. For instance, at the hydroponics greenhouse, we were told that the amount of vegetables grown using this system saved the cost of one transport flight to the island. This was equivalent to the salary of the hydroponics person’s for a year—not to mention the bonus of the fresh veggies we have been able to enjoy.

The idea of sustainability is lived every day at Midway. I like the quote that we learned about earlier this week where an 8th grader defined sustainability as “enough for everyone, everywhere; forever”. Sustainability as I saw from the hydroponics greenhouse does not come from want but from abundance.

photo credit: Dani Carter

Midway Day 3 - Albatross: by Jeff Manker

Call of the Albatross

Besides being surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean, the most significant natural phenomenon on this island are the albatross. You cannot go anywhere or even look out a window without encountering them. The sleek, smooth-feathered adults with their smoky eyes and regal posture to the gawky, fuzzy-headed or Mohawked youngsters scattered across acres and acres as they patiently await the next incoming flight of food.

Today John Klavitter, the refuge biologist, gave us a primer on the three species of albatross. An unfortunate side of his talk had to do with marine debris. Twenty tons of plastic accidentally arrives on the island every year. Twenty tons! Twenty-two percent of that is identifiable as coming from land sources, eighteen percent from ocean sources and the remaining sixty percent’s source is unidentifiable. He told us that fifty-five percent of the terrestrial plastic was bottle caps. With a few quick calculations I came up with 4850 lbs of bottle caps coming to this island per year! I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that at least half of those (probably more than a ton) are being fed to albatross chicks.

I am committed to make a difference in stopping this unnecessary deluge.

photo credits: Carlie Wiener and Miriam Sutton

Midway Day 2: by Miriam Sutton

Midway History Tour

A home isn’t a home until you know its history; whether that history be happy, sad, trivial, or monumental. We headed out on our bikes for a historical island tour of the island, led by Tracy Ammerman (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). In 1903, the Commercial Pacific Cable Company (building shown at left) became the first guardians of the island after President Roosevelt placed the US Navy in charge to prevent poachers from devastating the wildlife for eggs and feathers. (The eggs were harvested for their albumen, used in photography).

PanAm Airlines brought the first visitors to Midway in 1935 to enjoy 4-star accommodations (built by PanAm). The historical event Midway is most noted for is the Battle of Midway which took place June 4 - 6, 1942. Midway’s first encounter with war actually occurred on December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor Day) when Japanese ships opened fire on the island about 12 hours after attacking Pearl Harbor. The Command Post and other Midway facilities, were hit. Six months later, the Battle of Midway became a critical battle in the Pacific and provided a turning point for the war. At one time, 5000 residents called Midway their home.

Most of the buildings constructed in 1903 lie in ruin today. Many of the buildings constructed during the military occupation in 1941 are still standing and have been renovated for use by the current residents (70 people) of Midway. The wildlife of Midway continues to utilize the abandoned buildings and grounds for nesting areas. It amazes me to observe how many of the birds have adapted to the anthropogenic impacts on the island. Some of them have even managed to find a use for marine debris that has washed ashore.

photo credits: Miriam Sutton