Midway: A place of Healing

Midway: A Place of Healing
By:George Hanks

Today Tracy Ammerman with the US Fish and Wildlife Service led us on a tour of the historical buildings on Sand Island from World War II. Many people think of WWII in the Pacific only as a series of battles and dates that they had to to remember in grade school. Since none of the major battles were fought on the US mainland we rarely, if ever, have daily contact with relics from this war. Things are very different here on Midway. Everywhere you turn you see places, buildings, and relics connected to the two battles of Midway, on December 7, 1941 and six months later on June 4-6, 1942. During our tour we learned the personal stories of the young men who lived, fought and often died here. We saw the mess hall where they ate, the chapel where they prayed, and the beaches where they played before the start of the war. Sitting inside now empty pill boxes overlooking the lagoon where sentries once stood waiting for the coming Japanese invasion and inside 5 inch gun emplacments where the shells from enemy ships once rained down, you are instantly transported back to the tense early months of the war. You can sense the raw emotions of the young seventeen year old sailor, armed with a surplus rifle from World War I, after being told by his superior officer to do what you can, because if the Japanese take Midway, they will take Hawaii; to do what you can because if the Japanese take Hawaii, the coast of California will be defenseless; to do what you can, because the Japanese will not take you prisoner. Young men facing the very real possibility that they would die alone, in unmarked graves, in a far away place never to see their families again. Everywhere you turn you sense the power of place.

I did not expect the feeling of peace that I also experienced during the tour at each site.The sites are still. Despite the ravages of war everywhere you look the island is slowly returning to the way it was long before we arrived. On runways where fighters once turned into the wind and flew into into the sky to defend Midway, there are now thousands of albatross chicks turned into the wind flapping their wings in unison and learning how to fly to far off seas. On beaches where Seabees dug entrenchments, there are now little sand crabs digging out their burrow homes. On the shores were once pickets stood to stop Japanese troops, a mother monk seal and her pup roll around in the surf. In pillboxes where young marines once stood guard, fairy terns and tropic birds have now made their homes. In the skies above the ironwood trees where planes off to battle in formation, fairy terns dart and swoop in pairs and then soar up hundreds of feet into the sky on the incoming wind from the lagoon. Looking at what each site has now become you get the sense that the island is healing itself from the physical trauma it has suffered. It is shaking off the effects of war like unwanted dust and once again returning the island to the home that it once was for all of its true inhabitants. At the end of the tour, I walked past a Japanese war memorial near the Clipper House with offerings from both Japanese and American veterans who attended the 68th anniversary ceremony of the Battle of Midway just a few short weeks ago. During the tour Tracy told us that you cannot heal unless you know your history. After coming to Midway, I now know what she means.

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

Albatross Stroll Module

Day 2- Albatross Module by R. Brennon

Can’t believe its Wednesday already! We’ve been on Midway now for two whole days. It’s my job to blog about our adventures this morning.

We were very fortunate to have John Klavitter, of FWS, talk to us about the albatross (or moli). He’s extremely knowledgeable, and he’s also extremely approachable – a wonderful combination. John has years of experience with the albatross and he happily answered all of our questions. It was good planning to meet with John on our second day on island, in that it gave us a deeper understanding of these amazing creatures we’re all conscientiously weaving around all day (everyone moves for the albatross – the golf carts, the bikes, the walkers –everyone). We learned a bunch of things from his talk. There’s too much to put into a blog, but here's just a couple of the facts that I thought were interesting:
There are 1.5 million albatross on Midway
There’s a chemical in the albatross’s eyes that gives them the ability to see at night
There are four common threads between the courting dances of different species of albatross: spreading wings, standing up on tippy toes, making some sort of call, and clacking their bills
Albatross chicks don’t produce their first bolus until they are about 4 months old…so that means that they collect a LOT of plastic in their gut through feeding

We've been learning about the albatross on our own, as well. We can't help but observe them as we move around the island. They are scattered everywhere, chicks sitting within a beaks reach, juveniles strutting about looking for love, hard working adults landing like jet planes in the middle of a block party. Juveniles erupt in spontaneous dances in groups of two or three or four. An earthen sea of endless somber chicks stretches to the horizon. The chicks look as if they've started getting dressed up in feather boas and wacky wigs, but quit halfway through their preparations. It would be impossible to go anywhere on the island and not look at the albatross.

They are amazingly big birds. Here's a picture to give some sense of scale...and remember, this is a fledgling, not an adult. The chicks sit back on their haunches, raising their feet up like they're lounging in reclining chairs no one else can see. They sit and patiently wait for their parents to bring their next meal. The adults move both through the air and on the ground. They are ungainly on land, waddling around on their big spatulas of feet, but once they hit the air they soar. Sometimes the chicks and adults seem to cuddle, sitting close to each other and touching each other gently.

All day long and into the night, the albatross make me laugh...not at them, but with joy. Their beauty and grace and clumsiness and goofy looks and lack of fear and novel voice all combine to create a creature impossible to ignore. They deserve our respect, and they deserve our efforts to stop impacting them negatively. One small choice by each person who reads this to change their habits in using and buying plastic can make a difference. It WILL make a difference. My choice is never to buy another plastic lighter. I've seen too many here on this island, and I know the path those lighters took to get here.

Cargo Pier Photo Shoot

Cargo Pier by J. Barrett

PAA Blog Post - Day 2: Cargo Pier (J.Barrett)

Wednesday afternoon we had some time to explore the nearshore waters surrounding the Cargo Pier. Aside from the mind-blowing blue hues, the most dramatic feature is the sudden drop-off. Long ago, the area just offshore was blasted and dredged to create a large dock for barges and ships. When NOAA vessels such as the Hi‘ialakai and the Oscar Sette arrive at Midway, this is where they dock.

We donned our snorkel gear and swam out over the sandy bottom, quickly reaching the drop-off. Not more than 30 yards from shore, clear warm water turned to a chilly blue abyss. Due to the depth and poor visibility from brisk winds, we headed for the shelter of the pier. The first piling we encountered was covered with small coral heads overgrown with algae and tangled with marine debris; a sad reminder of the long and complicated history of human impact on this seemingly pristine environment.

Looking deeper, we started to notice the fish. Large schools of goatfish and several species of ulua (a.k.a. Jacks) were the first to catch our attention. Then, further below, the faint silhouette of a large honu (Green sea turtle) headed in the direction of Turtle Beach where half a dozen other turtles were already hauled-out, basking on the beach. As we lingered, more fish began to emerge; nenue (a.k.a. chubs), Moorish Idol, needlefish, whitespotted toby, cornetfish and even a Hawaiian cleaner wrasse station.

This first taste of Midway marine life has everyone eager for our chance to explore part of the atoll’s reef of Friday afternoon!

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.