Shells and Plastic

Shells and Plastic
below my feet
adorn my life
protection and function
life and death

-Marion Ano

Sustainability Module

Aloha mai kakou,


Welina mai ka aina e kapa ia 'O Pihemanu! O au no Marion Ano. Hello to all you of you from the land named Pihemanu. My name is Marion Ano. We have been on Pihemanu for three days now. On this little atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a normal given day the population here ranges from 70 to 80 people. Although the atoll spans nearly two miles long and one mile wide the history of a much larger population of 5,000 people can be seen everywhere you go. With the departure of the military in 1996 and its officiation into the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge the number of residents decreased dramatically. Under new mandate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible "to maintain and restore its natural biological diversity, provide conservation and management of the wildlife and habitats within refuge boundaries, provide opportunities for scientific research and environmental education, maintain the atoll's historical significance, and provide compatible wildlife-oriented activities to the visiting public". Taking a look around, I can see that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife works hard to fulfill it's mission. This is evidenced by the abundance of wildlife, the restorative work that has been done around the atoll, and the number of staff and volunteer hands that have come to Midway to give back to this aina. But, they have moved beyond their mission by embracing a sustainable future for Pihemanu. There is a strong sense of community here. If you've ever lived in a small place or spent time on a small atoll it's clear that people and their relationships to place, wildlife, and each other really matter. This afternoon, John Hanna, head of Chugach took our ohana, PAA (Papahanaumokuakea Ahahui Alakai) 2010, to show us steps they have taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the island. On our bikes with the wind in our hair we rode down to the transportation warehouse to meet our guide. From there we headed to the power plant. He showed us two generators that were in use during the military's occupation of the atoll. Today, these generators have been replaced by two modern day generators. The current daily power needs of Midway can be met by running one generator which uses 400 gallons of fuel per day. At our second stop we were greeted by Mr. Sak, the atoll's longest standing water maintenance supervisor. With 25 years of experience, John boasted that Mr. Sak could find and fix any water line on Midway. I was so amazed by his humility and year's of experience. To accommodate a smaller population and move towards a more sustainable and efficient water system, he adapted a "water pillow" system that runs off of two jacuzzi powered pumps in place of the larger and inefficient pump. Our last stop was the hydroponic garden. John shared that the garden produces 250 pounds of produce per week. Prior to this hydroponic production, the residents of Midway depended imported produce from the Honolulu. The power plant, water system and hydroponic garden clearly demonstrate that residents on the atoll show a strong commitment towards making the island a sustainable place to live for all life on the island. There are future plans to expand sustainability on the island by installing solar panels and perhaps harnessing wind energy that will not harm the wildlife and the birds that make midway atoll absolutely unforgettable and most inspirational. Most importantly, the minds and hearts of the residents here on Midway exude a sense of deep commitment to the wildlife, place, and their kuleana to do their part in creating a place that will be here for future generations to come. This place teaches us that we must all move towards creating a foundation that will live on.


Me ke aloha no,

Marion Ano

A Trip to Eas"tern" Island

A Trip to Eas”tern” Island

On the morning of our 3rd day, we were headed to Eastern Island. After breakfast we hopped on our bikes and headed for the boathouse. Once there, we sized our PFD’s (lifejacket) and headed for the boat. As we approached the boat, we stopped to see the Iwa (Frigate) birds resting in the Ironwood trees. I had never seen an Iwa bird that wasn’t flying.
We boarded the boat and were off to Eastern Island. The ride over was filled with excitement and wonder. What adventure would this magical place have in store for us?
As we approached the island you could see that there were no high level trees anywhere. The island was full of low shrubs and bushes. Tracy informed us that the Ironwood trees were cut down due to their negative navigational impact on the albatross.
Another noticeable feature was the sounds of the birds. They were much louder here then Midway. There was much more bird activity on Eastern. We listened to the many melodies and variations of the bird chorus. The albatross had their familiar shrills and beak claps, the terns had their high pitched whistles and screeches and the other birds filled in as background singers. The songs and bird activity became louder and stronger as we passed by tern nesting areas. The overhead hovering and midair dancing was very impressive. We walked single file with haste avoiding eggs, chicks and ground lying birds. There were so many eggs, that if it had been Easter we all could have easily filled our baskets.
The “Duck Seep” pond was a real oasis in the midst of nothing. The sighting of the ducks and ducklings was an added treat.
Everywhere you went you were engulfed by the growth of the invasive “Verbesina”.
Like most invasive species, it has spread everywhere. The tall “Verbesina” makes for a very difficult and dense habitat for the albatross and other birds. There were open areas where native “Bunch grass” and groundcovers “Nohu” and “Alena” were successfully growing.
It’s very hard to imagine this peaceful and serene place was once the setting for the hustling, bustling war effort and historical “Battle of Midway. I really enjoyed the talk Tracy gave about the war and the island.
As we waited on the pier to leave, we sat and cleaned our shoes of thorns and seeds.
We saw a big monk seal lumber by and a honu sunning on the shore but what really caught our eye were the 5 or 6 big ulua swimming in 2 feet of water only 4 feet from shore. We all laughed at the thought of telling our friends back home that we could “throw net” and catch big ulua. That would be awesome!
Our ride back to Midway was filled with new stories and lots of laughter. We all had feelings of appreciation and thanks, Mahalo for the chance to visit Eastern Island Tracy!

Aloha,
Chris Baird