Photo's from the field

Group Write and Poetry

In the evening of our first day we were guided skillfully through journal writing by Sarah and Doug. This was the result of the day’s experience …

“Moli kite
Ka’upu sit
Iwa soar with the sun.
Hollow bones
That uplift life
Hollow bones that make permanent Po beneath skin.” Nai’a


“Plastic Bottle Caps
Small & bright colours
They look like they bring life
They bring only death.

Sand Island
Fields of dark grey down
A mother feeds her baby
Soon Moli will fly

Surprise
Waves break on the sand,
We approach the rusting steel
Back up, it’s a seal.” Al

“albatross
sitting stone still
on the white sand near the
high waters mark
ghostly
wind blows through grey down
clouds grey
sun hidden
nearing dusk
alone
it does not move
eyes not seeing” Norbert

“Manu O Ku
Balancing in mid-air
Never far from your friend
Your fragile toughness and friendly hover
Welcomed friend to the sea farer
Lead us Home.

Young albatross
Today’s my day
I’m gonna try
Those overhead entrance me
How do they do it?
Spread my wings face the wind
Stretch, hop, hop, hop, what now?
I need to watch some more
At least there are many of us.” Chris

“I hope I always remember the adventure of today. Adults handed bikes and freedom, wind, blue skies, fuzzy moli chicks watching our careering progress with somber patience. I loved handing over my usual bag of leadership as I pedaled behind PA’A backs, straight and strong. A rag tag procession through the moli maze.

bike
sand
scrub
bike
hat
backpack
somber fuzzy moli chick
bike
tarmac
carcass
bike
sunburn
smiles
somber buzzy moli check
bike
eyewater
breathless
bike
silence
family
somber fuzzy moli chick” Randi Kika Brennon

Discovering Po

Day 1

Discovering Po.

As sun broke we were able to have our first opportunity to see what lay before us in the land of Po. We were “handed our bikes and freedom” and so began our journey with Pihemanu and the opportunity to explore all that was presented before us. We all set off from the same place, but dispersed in different directions, paths crossing along the way.

Myself, Sarah & Jen cycled to the affectionately named “Bulky Dump” and left our bikes to weave around the nesting fledglings who reminded us of their stand on the island with powerful “claps” of their beaks. Here, on Midway nature has the right of way!

At the end of the spit there were beautiful vistas onto light turquoise water that progressively darkened as the reefs shelved away into the lagoon. You could see Hawaiian Monk seals in the distance and Red Tailed Tropic birds flying above with the soaring albatross. The image is one as you might of a small Atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – simply and overwhelmingly beautiful.

At the end of the spit there was a dead chick – I peeled back the feathers with a stick and the rib cage to find a carcass full of plastic – some large fishing floats and bottle lids. Nature’s genius creations of feathers and bones to protect was no protection for manmade materials. The impact of discovering this is so much more than seeing the photos – although hard to believe. Where did that bottle lid come from? Did the user ever realize it’s fate to our seas and oceans?

Do we ever stop in our daily lives and consider the journey of our latest toys, paintbrush, lighters or food packaging? The materials used to make it - the fuel needed for transportation and its eventual fate.

If one day we were all to consider the journey from the beginning of all the components of our purchases to their eventual fates and all the consequences in between – would we behave differently? We are in an era of convenience but convenience does not equate to better for us now or in the future. Life in all its forms takes time, care, and consideration to create fulfillment, health & happiness for the present and for our future and the legacy we leave behind us.

Sometimes we need to face the harsh realities of what we do to nature. The act of peeling away the feathers and breaking the rib cage and lifting the sternum – is like peeling away your consciousness. The contrast between this and the beauty of Midway does nothing but inspire and motivate change.

Consider this – in Johnstone Museum on the mainland we saw the beautiful cloak aha’ula – feathered cape of King Kamehamaha’s wife – originally. Sadly, after visiting England the King and his wife both died from measles and so the cloak was passed to his daughter. This large cloak showed the finest workmanship and was made from beautiful small golden yellow feathers from the “mamo” bird which covered the cloak. The bird catchers or “kia manu” would collect the feathers which there were only a few of on the wing and tail of each bird. The way this was done was to cover the branch with sticky sap and then once the bird landed they would carefully remove the molting feathers – clean the birds’ feet and return them to the cleaned tree. The work involved in this process alone showed how much time and care went into the making of that cloak. How happy the King’s daughter must have felt to wear such a beautiful cloak and proud the people who helped in its creation.

Do we feel the same way when we buy something that has had a questionable past and an uncertain future?

That is the magic of Pihemanu – the opportunity to let nature teach you, to consider our lives and journeys that will be influenced by Pihemanu but ultimately to think! While doing this we are so amazingly fortunate to be surrounded by the beautiful majestic creatures all around us – Albatross, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Fairy Tern and of course – all the people.

Introduction: Hugh Story

Hello,
My name is Hugh Story. I'm a part-time Global Studies teacher with the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council (www.paachawaii.org) at Aiea High School on Oahu.I work full-time as a sales analyst at the Hawaii Coffee Company (www.hicoffeeco.com).I'm a former Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan ('99-'01) and worked as a small and medium enterprise development contractor in Kazakhstan and Bulgaria.I recently completed my MBA from the University of Hawaii. I'm a member of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Hawaii and volunteer annually with the Great Aloha Run and Habitat for Humanity.Having grown up in Virginia Beach, I always had a connection with the ocean. Actually, my two years in the Peace Corps ended up giving me the most appreciation for the sea. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world. In the center of the country is a point of which you are the farthest from any ocean. My assignment was in the middle of this country. I loved my experience but pretty much vowed to never be that far from water again.I'll be working on studying elements of Midway that can serve as a blueprint for a basic educational Flash-based video game. On occasion I've used higher end 'serious games' to help educate students and engage them. The best example is the Food Force game developed for the United Nations World Food Programme. It's a free download which engages students in 6 missions which covers the core duties and obstacles faced by food aid workers. Students put themselves in the role of an aid worker. It's very engaging and students ask throughout the semester to play the game again and again. I'll be giving a short-presentation about educational gaming before the trip.Our lessons have a sustainability component and we teach kids about limits with linear systems inherent in a global Materials Economy. I'm trying to find new ways to educate on closed-loop systems and have young people care about the environment around them. If resources allow, I would be interested in creating a small documentary of the trip. I'm involved with 'Olelo community television by producing, filming and editing various programs. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and having an unforgettable experience.Aloha,Hugh

Introduction: Chris Baird

ALOHA EVERYONE,
MY NAME IS CHRIS BAIRD AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING ALL OF YOU. I AM BOTH VERY IMPRESSED AND A BIT INTIMIDATED WITH SOME OF YOUR BACKGROUNDS AND EXPERIENCES.
I AM A TEACHER AT OLOMANA SCHOOLS,WHERE FOR THE LAST 23 YEARSI HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO TEACH AT THE FAMILY COURTS JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITY.I AM A SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER, BUT WE END UP TEACHING ALOT OF EVERYTHING TO A WIDE RANGE OF LEVELS,AGES,GRADES AND ABILITIES.I TRY TO BRING AS MUCH LIFE SCIENCE AND OCEAN STUDIES INTO THE CLASSROOM AS I CAN. WE'VE CONSTRUCTED AQUARIUMS AND TERRARIUMS,GROWN VEGETABLE GARDENS,MAINTAINED TARO LOI'S,RAISED FISH AND FROGS AND JACKSON CHAMELEONS.
I ENJOY PADDLING,SAILING,GARDENING,PLAYING WITH MY DOGS AND SPENDING TIME WITH MY WIFE MICHELLE AND MY SON NANEA.I AM A LONG TIME PADDLER AND BOARD MEMBER OF HUI NALU CANOE CLUB. I AM ALSO A MEMBER OF THE POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY AND CREW MEMBER ON THE VOYAGING CANOE "HOKULE'A".
I SPENT MOST OF MY YOUTH GROWING UP ON KAUAI. I HAD A FANTASTIC CHILDHOOD LIVING IN WAIMEA. AS KIDS, WE COULD SURF AND DIVE IN THE OCEAN, SWIM AND FARM IN THE VALLEY AND HIKE AND CAMP UP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF KOKE'E. ALL THESE ACTIVITIES KEPT US OUTSIDE ENJOYING NATURE AT HER BEST..I STILL ENJOY GOING UP TO KOKE'E AND PICKING MAILE AND MOKIHANA.
AS KIDS ,WE PRACTICED CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT. WE WERE TAUGHT TO TAKE ONLY WHAT WE NEEDED AND TO SHARE ANY EXTRAS WHETHER IT WAS FISH OR TARO OR MANGOS.
AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, I ATTENDED WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIV. WHERE I MAJORED IN PARKS AND RECREATION. ONCE AGAIN, I FOUND MYSELF INVOLVED IN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS.
I LATER RETURNED TO SCHOOL AT THE UNIV. OF HAWAII WHERE I GOT MY TEACHING DEGREE WITH THE INTENT ON RETURNING TO TEACH AT WAIMEA HIGH SCHOOL.WELL..........THAT WAS 25 YEARS AGO AND I AM STILL HERE IN HONOLULU.IT'S ALL GOOD!!!!!
MY MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL INTEREST THESE DAYS FOCUSES ON THE REMOVAL OF INVAISIVE ALGAE FROM MAUNALUA BAY IN EAST OAHU. A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DR.ISABELLA ABBOTT,CELIA SMITH AND DR.KIM PEYTON, MY WIFE SPEARHEADED THE REMOVAL OF INVASIVE ALIEN ALGAE PROJECT. WE WORK WITH AND TRAIN HER STUDENTS WHO THEN TRAIN COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS IN THE REMOVAL OF ALIEN ALGAE. MY WIFE HAS ADDED THIS PROJECT INTO HER CURRICULM AT KAISER HIGH SCHOOL.IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS NEVER ENDING PROJECT.
WE HAVE ALSO TAKEN MY WIFE'S STUDENTS TO THE ISLAND OF KAHO'OLAWE WHERE WE TOOK PART IN OPIHI MONITERING AND FISH (PAPIO)TAGGING.WE HAVE ALSO GONE TO THE BIG ISLAND TO PLANT KOA SEEDLINGS AND HELPED TO CLEAR INVASIVE MANGROVE FROM HE'EIA FISHPOND.
I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING BOTH THE ISLAND AND SEALIFE ON MIDWAY. A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO I WAS FORTUNATE TO SAIL ON THE HOKULE'A TO PALMYRA ATOLL. IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO COMPARING PALMYRA WITH MIDWAY.I AM ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE REMNANTS OF WWII ACTIVITY.I HAVE WATCHED ALOT OF THE HISTORY CHANNELS SHOWS ON MIDWAY.
TAKE CARE AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON,
CHRIS BAIRD

Introduction: Marion Ano

Aloha e nā hoa,

‘O au nō, Marion Ano. Welina mai iā kākou! I hope this message reaches all of you in good spirits. I can’t believe we are a week away from our trip to Midway Atoll. I look forward to meeting each of you in person this coming weekend. I know this lifetime opportunity to travel to Midway with all of you will deepen my knowledge and aloha for the ocean. Furthermore, this experience will strengthen my ability to advocate for the protection and rightful use of this amazing life-sustaining resource.
For me the ocean has been a great teacher and I’m continually humbled by its vastness, power, and greatness. It saddens me that our oceans have been incredibly depleted of its resources and polluted by humans. I look forward to discussing these issues with each of you and hopefully we can develop solutions to solve some of the challenges and problems we face.
In my current work, I am an intern at NOAA’s Pacific Services Center. As a geospatial processor, I’m working towards creating data visualizations or interactive visuals that utilize NOAA’s scientific data to help students, teachers, and the others understand the different processes, impacts, and dynamics that are occurring on a global, national, and local levels.
Mahalo for this opportunity! See you all soon!

Ke aloha no,Marion