A Message from Ron: Nichol and Fred

Photo credit: Ron Hirschi

When I was on Midway, I learned that our daughter, Nichol, had been hospitalized with a serious condition......This was not easy as a Father. But home now, Nichol is doing better and has been sent many kind words from PAA Ohana. Here she is on Marrowstone Island with Fred. Fred is a monkey who kinda stole everyone's heart on our journey. He messed up a Kindergarten Classroom last year and will continue to travel with me to share our work with kids in a fun and postive way. Fred wears a band from a Papahanaumokuakea Albatross and talks story with the best of monkeys. Look for him and his sister, Coco wherever you travel.
Ron Hirschi, Marrowstone Island, Washington

PAA Last Will poem: by Carlie Wiener

To the PAA group on your final day
This last will and testament will be my final say.
This trip has been amazing and oh so much fun,
And we’re all going back 20 pounds heavier, our gluttony is done.
Where will we go at 4:30 next week?
Captain Brooks will be far away and the boluses with squid beaks.
So with this farewell, here we go,
What I leave to you based on what I have gotten to know...

To Annie a song for the world to hear,
And to Terry some fish nets making traditional Hawaiian gear.

To Darius, well um what can I say?
Dessert perhaps, with your plate of whip cream everyday.

To Jeff we wish we could leave you here,
To become one with the albatrosses and soar far and near.

And to your partner in crime, yes Ron that is you.
Swimming with the fish and then we will ID you too.
And while you’re at sea being one with the fish,
We will send you a postcard with our environmental wish.

A ray of sunshine our Sunny is,
And for you dear Sunny we leave you a green harvest biz.
With all the room on the Hilo side,
We will take the profits sand make you our monk seal guide.

And Karen, wow have you stopped smiling yet?
Your positive energy is not easily met.
And for you, well what do we give?
A journal for your amazing work and a marine debris sieve.

And Miriam our triathlon champ,
A jar of peanut butter for snacks while at camp.

Kathy my roommate with your energy and heart,
To you I give an alarm clock that never really starts.

Trevor kept the kokua the whole trip through,
And we should leave him a life jacket for when he goes overboard too.

Now Meg how about a pair of walking shoes?
Your falling fate would not make the Midway news.

And now for the facilitators, where would we be without you?
Well how about lets start with the biggest mahalo for all that you do.

To Dani, we leave your interviews done,
So you can get on with it and have some fun.
We also leave you any Midway sport,
From darts to bowling she’s the best in the court.

To Linda we leave you a funny hat,
And an official schedule with no changes, how about that?

To Anne we leave lots of string to perfect your braiding arts,
And find your wow moment in tiny sand dollar parts.

Walter Bea is next with her patience and smile,
I promise one day our E Ho Mai will get some real style.

And last but not least Tracy our faithful guide,
To you we leave a day off to enjoy the outside.

And so this concludes the PAA Last Will.
I can't believe its over, I really have the chills.
I will miss this group and the inspiration they provide,
We are now connected tested, trued and tried.
So please remember each other in the projects that you do,
And our time at Midway this special place and our friends here too.
Although you won't get to sort through carcasses everyday,
The messages you bring home will be the inspiring way.
And to you all I bid a safe trip home,
To release your environmental ethics under the education dome.
And once more a mahalo to the Midway staff team,
For you really all made our whole group beam.

Midway Day 7 - Culture and Science: by Karen Matsumoto

Ron started off with a “Guess how many spines on an urchin” guessing game, based on a question asked by one of his Ohio Kindergarten students. Terry came closest with 275! Ron reminded us that the total number of spines really depends on the species of urchin.

We continued to learn about the cultural connections of first peoples in Hawai’i and the places we live. Ron specifically pointed out the traditional hunting and fishing grounds of Olympic Peninsula in Washington that were guaranteed by the Point-No-Point Treaty of 1856. The traditional subsistence fishing and hunting areas went from the coastline to the sea, similar to the Ahupua’a land divisions in Hawaii that were based on sustainable units that include fresh water, beach access, and ocean waters.

Terry helped us to learn traditional learning pedagogies that included the use of riddles and song! We all tried our hand at composing riddles about the things we have seen and experienced on Midway. Here’s a sample from Walterbea:

Here and there
we’re everywhere.
Without a care in the world.

Answer: marine debris

Terry also facilitated a traditional way of learning navigation without GPS or a compass. Hawaiians found their way to their destinations by making songs about the various waypoints along the way, using landmarks and stories. These were called traveling songs. We broke into groups and each made a traveling song about Midway Island.

Photo credits: Karen Matsumoto