Midway Day 6 - Laysan Ducks: by Trevor Atkins

Birds don’t interest me. I’m not sure why, but I suppose that for every passion we have, there is something else to which we are ambivalent. My passion is plants. I was raised to love them. I grew up growing them up. I think our loves often develop when we are very young. My ambivalence is birds. I can appreciate the big ones, because I grew up with them: pueo (owl) and `io (hawk). But the rest are all the same to me: feathers, beaks, brittle bones, and little legs. I can’t see them the way Jeff sees them, the way Ron and Karen see them.

But after hearing the story of Laysan ducks from the one and only John Klavitter (Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), I can appreciate their presence here. They are one of only three native ducks/geese left in Hawai`i, along with koloa and nene. Eight other species have gone extinct and the Laysan duck was casted to be the ninth. It came one animal away from extinction!

Once found throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago, the ducks were reduced to a single colony on Laysan island: 10 males, 1 female. Huge efforts went in to habitat restoration, monitoring, and medical intervention. The population quickly flourished and Laysan was soon full to capacity with them. So, in order to diversify their distribution, researchers created new habitats on Midway. They dug a few feet down through the concrete and coral to the water table, creating wetlands from freshwater seeps, landscaped with makaloa and native bunch grass. Eventually, 21 ducks were brought in and all survived the translocation. To everyone’s surprise, the one-year old ducks reproduced offspring that spring. Each year since then, the population has doubled.

Now they face a new challenge. Avian botulism, a disease caused by toxins from warm-water bacteria, broke out in the hot summer of 2008. The disease attacks the nervous system and causes an inability for the ducks to lift their heads. Many drown. Nearly half the Midway population was lost last summer. Then, this past Saturday, as summer temperatures rose, the first case in 2009 was reported.

This afternoon, John Klavitter treated one duck with a vaccine. Meanwhile, the “dead albatross undertaker” and others are collecting albatross fledgling corpses across the island to prevent the possibility of maggots carrying the now isolated disease around the island.

I still can’t tell the difference between all these terns and noddies and shearwaters, but the Laysan duck has captured my heart.

Photo credit: Dani Carter

Midway Day 6 - Eastern Island: by Ron Hirschi

Okay. It was a day of dolphins streaming past our boats, Sooty Terns, Iwa and Redfooted Boobies, and life-listing birds for Jeff….Christmas Shearwaters glistening black just above the rubble where a huge school of Aholehole linger. Gray-backed Terns at their “nests” – a simple drop upon the ground. Noddies as if painted by chocolate bars.

We were treated by Matt Brown, to the most hopeful of sites --- Short tailed Albatross decoys standing in wait. This past year a mated pair scooped out a nest bowl. Matt’s positive smile confirms: They will come back to lay eggs and raise young next year; this, one of the rarest of the rare. Then too, Matt shared with deserved pride, how the Laysan Ducks have rebounded here thanks to habitat restoration. Their pond was alive with ducks when we were honored to visit.

But now that we are back on the “Big Island of Sand”, all hearts go out to our friend and partner in this adventure, Meg who cut her knee in a fall! The entire town came out to help and wish her well when she fell. Carlie quick with the flush of water, Jeff with a first aid kit handy, and Darius the cobbler repairing the blown out flip flop. Then off island and to stitchery quick. All hands deserve many thanks and all hands give Meg a big Aloha.

We can only wish that Meg will get to take a ride with John Miller out to see the dolphins.

Photo credits: Dani Carter

Midway Day 5 - Marine Research: by Trevor Atkins

I’m warm and I’m home. Captain Charlie Barracks is my residence. Jeff, Ron, Carlie, and Dani are my family. My body is worn from adventure today. I awoke at 5:30 am and went southeast to wake the sun. I bumped along the southern shore and across the vast runway to the most desolate point on the island. The terns and shearwaters, guarding their eggs, attacked me, the ignorant intruder. I pedaled home hard and found Radio Hill as the sun peaked over the many ironwoods in Midway town. In the Radio Hill ruins I found Laysan ducks and again I felt invasive. We men are nothing but destruction. We leave no rock unturned. My bike to them is an F-16 fighter jet flying low over a small town. I’m sorry. Humans don’t deserve to see this. We only ruin it. Can anything exist without us interrogating? Can a tree fall in a forest unquestioned? Silly humans. We’ll be gone soon and the albatross will live on.

I’m still saturated in salt from this morning. My hair is deliciously knotted into bunches from today’s perfect sequence of events. We motored out to the far side of the emergent reef and snorkeled around Reef Hotel. The corals were purple, the fishes were blue, and the rusty rubbish was everywhere as always. I wanted to stay longer. I wanted to wander the whole atoll, circumnavigate it with my eyes underwater. But we had work to do. Or Kate did anyway. She’s a researcher from Santa Cruz looking at how marine life responds to different levels of sedimentation in various locations around the atoll.

We found our GPS location to within a few meters. The sea was choppy, even inside the atoll. Darius, Terry, and Ann jumped in with Kate and dove down to sample the sea floor. Karen and I stayed onboard and got a little seasick in the rough swells. Our anchor got stuck as we tried to leave, but we survived. Then we motored out of Wells’ Harbor, the atoll’s natural opening. Outside the reef, the waves were 3-5 feet swells, crashing hard into the emergent reef. We must have been going 30 knots, slapping the water with our bow. It was rough and wet. We came back past Sand Island and zoomed out the artificial south channel to see Eastern Island, the rusty barge and more birds feeding on the water. When our spines were sufficiently compressed, we returned for lunch.

photo credit: Dani Carter

Midway Day 5 - Snorkeling: by Carlie Wiener

The Many Shades of Midway

The many shades of Midway awaken the senses, never before have you seen so many hues of blue. Underwater the vibrant colors jump out at the eyes, flashes of greens, oranges and pinks swim by as fish dart between the corals. Crystal clear waters gently lap the reef crests displaying the pristine reefs. Lace coral decorates the ocean floor along with huge sea cucumbers and bright red pencil urchins. The eager faces of the participants show the excitement which they can not contain.

Today, the group was treated with the unique opportunity to swim in one of the last predator dominated ecosystems. Awestruck and intimidated by the vastness of turquoise blue waters, participants rode the U.S. Fish and Wildlife boat to our snorkel destination, Hotel Reef. The group could not wait to enter the water, excited by the chance to swim in the middle of an old volcano. Swimming in the surprisingly cool Monument waters the group swam the perimeter of the reef watching brightly colored uhu (parrot fish), mimicking the swift movements of the giant ulua (blue fin trevally) and admiring the healthy coral. Excited to share their snorkeling experiences, the group exchanged stories back on the boat and looked up the fish they saw in the ID books. Today’s snorkel excursion was just one of the many amazing activities offered this week. Teresia Teaiwa in Epeli Hau̒ofa ‘s We Are The Ocean quotes “We sweat and cry salt water, so we know that the ocean is really in our blood”.










photo credits: Carlie Wiener

Midway Day 4 - Invasive Plants: by Terry Reveira

Today we met Greg Schubert and he talked to us about invasive plant species and how they are trying to control them here. The one we learned about and will be doing a project with is the Verbacina. It is has a pretty yellow flower like a daisy and looks like a bush. It grows very quickly and takes over an area in a few months. The good thing is it can be removed easily because it has a shallow root system so you just yank it out of the ground. A problem that occurs is after you remove it the seeds in the ground begin to grow as soon as there is rain, so you have to remove it before it seeds or during and then continue to weed the area for regrowth. You also have to plant another plant to take over the area. We planted a native grass - about 400 plants! It was great. Everyone was pulling up plants, piling them up, then planting the new grass plant. We could really see a big difference in the area!

photo credit: Dani Carter

Midway Day 4 - Monk Seals: by Meghan Marrero

On Saturday, while taking in the Midway sights—pristine azure water, fine white sand, impossibly blue sky—a Hawaiian Monk Seal and her pup came cruising toward us, parallel to the shoreline. As the pair got closer, they lifted up their heads, curiously spying on us, and then began swimming closer and closer. Eventually, they got so near to us that we had to scurry up the beach to keep the requisite distance of 150 ft!

Unfortunately, not all seal encounters are this friendly. Hawaiian Monk Seals are one of the most endangered seals in the world, with approximately 1100-1200 individuals remaining, and a declining population. Their Hawaiian name, “’Ilio holoi ka uaua,” literally means, “the dog that runs in the rough (seas).” Most of the threats to these beautiful native animals are human, including entanglement in ghost nets, hooking by fish hooks, and habitat disturbance. When humans encounter these animals, they may not realize the importance of keeping their distance so that the seals can get their much needed rest on the beach.

During today’s seal module, PAA participants met with scientists Brenda Becker and Krista Graham, who introduced us to Hawaiian Monk Seal life history and some of the important research projects that they and other scientists are conducting. We then got to watch the team place a flipper tag on a newly weaned Monk Seal pup. These tags, along with photographs, allow scientists to identify individual seals and track them through adulthood, at least 25-30 years.

If you do happen to encounter these or other seals on your local beach, be sure to keep the following ‘rules’ in mind:
• Enjoy them from a distance, at least 150 feet
• Do not disturb them
• Keep dogs and other animals away from them
• Clean up after your pets—feces can carry disease
• Pick up your garbage and do not litter—most marine debris comes from land!

Photo credits: Meghan Marrero

Kaneloa

The Voyager’s Dream
By Walterbea Aldeguer
June 16, 2009, 2:23 A.M.
Charlie Barracks, Midway

Look where the dream has taken me, oh sweet kupuna kane
Westward to the far reaches of the sun to Pihe Manu
Your head touched the sky
The horizon only knee deep
You said follow me and
I replied, “But I am not a strong swimmer.”
You smiled and said to me,
“Overcome the fear and you will understand. Follow me.”
O sweet kupuna kane, how I love your teachings of the night
O sweet Kaneloa, the voyager and revealer of dreams.

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

Reflections on the first day at Midway: Saturday, June 13th

Activities for the first day on Midway included a Scavenger Hunt to allow participants to explore and get oriented on Midway, as well as an evening session, led by participant Karen Matsumoto, on Nature Journaling. The following are everyone's favorite (or "wow") moments of the day:

Anne – seeing the Fairy Terns hover close overhead

Sunny – seeing all the sea turtles

Meg and Carlie – having to move off the beach when a Hawaiian Monk Seal and her pup came ashore nearby

Darius – swimming/snorkeling at the Pier and overcoming many stereotypes of animal-human interaction (i.e. not fearing the sharks that he saw)

Karen and Ron – having the plastics issue really sink in when seeing a dead Albatross chick full of plastics; and being awed watching Jeff make a lesson of it on video for his school kids

Kathy – breaking the dead Albatross chick’s wishbone with Ron and both wishing for “no more plastics”

Miriam – being wowed by not having the words to describe her experiences so far

Terry – seeing a line of Black-footed Albatross stretching and flapping their wings

Trevor – being surprised to learn about and see the amount of human impact and development on the island, and thus appreciating the restoration efforts that have occurred here (and witnessing the results of those efforts) all the more

Jeff – seeing the beauty of the Red-tailed Tropicbird

Dani – having the unexpected joy of getting lost in the forest during the scavenger hunt with her teammates (it is also a wow moment, as in “wow, how are we all this bad at reading a map?”)

Ann – seeing two Laysan Ducks trying to get into the Visitors Center (she would have never imagined, 10 yrs ago, not having to search for them!)

Walterbea – having several special encounters with a Fairy Tern, including singing Aloha Moki Hana and Lei Mamo to it.

photo credit: Darius Kalvaitis

Midway Day 1: by Darius Kalvaitis

As the sun came over the lagoon, the majority of PAA participants were dreaming while a few were out and taking in the morning rays and the joy they bring from being in a magical place. When I did finally emerge from the comfort of Charlie Barracks, I found a sight before unseen by my open eyes. Got birds? The numerous birds that I had seen by headlight the previous night were now in plain view! Not just a dozen or so albatross, but more like a hundred dozen on a small lawn outside the barracks. What a sight! All the background information and photos of the Island simply had not made an impact on me like seeing, smelling and hearing firsthand.

After a marvelous breakfast the group headed to the visitors center for greetings from the park manager and basic information for our safety and comfort. It was obvious that we were amongst a community of people that both cared about us and strove to make our stay as wonderful as possible. The ground team on Midway is simply fabulous.

Having come from a more transportation-oriented background many of us were missing our “wheels”. Well, here on Midway we then received our own wheels. Except rather than the four-wheeled variety of transport that thrives on fossil fuel we received the two-wheel type that not only get us there cleanly but also help our health and happiness. Beach Cruisers in blue, silver, black and of course pink were checked out and we were off on a scavenger hunt for the larger part of the rest of the day.

As the scavenger hunt teams (groups of 3-4) departed in exploring the island from tip to tip the atmosphere of freedom ran through our veins. Some groups choose to spend some time underwater and look at fish as large as themselves while other groups investigated the marine debris inside birds that had perished and others even sang love songs to the birds. When we all did return together as a larger group the magic of the day was celebrated and shared.

Then after an evening filled with more action and nature journaling we laid down our tired bodies and stimulated minds to rest anew and prepare for the adventure and learning which we would face as the sun rose again.
photo credits: Darius Kalvaitis

Looking back on Oahu: by Miriam Sutton

Before arriving at Midway Atoll, the PAA participants spent 3 days on Oahu getting to know each other, learning about Papahānaumokuākea, and preparing for the trip. The following are excerpts from participant Miriam Sutton's blog for her school kids back in North Carolina. (http://web.me.com/msutt/AdventuresbytheSea/Blog/Blog.html ) Photo credits for the posting below: Miriam Sutton

Aia ka mo’olelo i ka ‘aina (The story is in the land)

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Papahānaumokuākea ‘Ahahui Alaka’i (PAA) workshop began today with a trip to the windward side of Oahu where all the PAA participants finally got a chance to meet each other and start forming our bonds for our upcoming adventure to Midway. After a brief orientation at Windward Community College, we were shuttled to Coconut Island, and the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). If you’ve seen an episode of Gilligan’s Island, you’ve seen Coconut Island. (It’s the island shown in the background during the opening credits of the show.) When we left the island today, we asked our boat captain to take us for a spin around the island. He agreed and proceeded to circumnavigate the island in about 3 minutes. Don’t let the size of this little island fool you... it is jam-packed with science and some of the highest technological equipment I’ve ever seen.

The photo of the day goes to Dr. Chuck Burrows (age 76), a retired educator who is spear-heading efforts to restore Hawai’i’s largest wetlands to its original status. Chuck introduced us to the 450-acre wetlands site with a hike and a stewardship activity designed to familiarize us with his restoration efforts to remove invasive plant species and reintroduce indigenous species.


Final Day of Preparation and Departure for Midway

Friday, June 12, 2009

Our last day in Honolulu focused on final preparations for our voyage to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. As this week has progressed, there has been an absorption of the culture and heritage associated with the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and today I truly began to feel what the locals refer to as the “Aloha” spirit. Each day of the workshop began with a Hawaiian pule (prayer) asking for guidance and knowledge as we prepared for our journey to the monument. Each day, we met with policy officials and Native Hawaiians to learn about proper protocols and beliefs. Each day, we were surrounded by wise stewards who are passionate about their research and their contributions for sustaining Hawaiian history and culture for generations to come. We have been charged with their honor, challenged with their commitment, and blessed by their guidance for this journey. We are humbled to have this privilege granted to us that we might learn from Papahānaumokuākea and transfer this knowledge back to our own communities.

Before leaving for the airport, we had an opportunity to meet another group of voyagers and help them to load their vessel for a journey to one of the neighboring islands. The Hokule’a (shown in the today’s photo) is a two-masted outrigger canoe used in education/outreach programs and has played a pivotal role in bringing ancient Hawaiian culture back to a new generation of Hawaiians. The canoe’s design is based on the original voyaging canoe design used by the early Polynesians who traveled to these islands centuries ago... before GPS... before satellite navigation systems... before radar. These brilliant voyagers traversed the oceans using celestial navigation and interpreting wave deflections and local bird knowledge to infer the location of islands in the sea. In 2012, the crew plans to circumnavigate the globe with Hokule’a while providing education

We departed Oahu around 5:00PM with all the well-wishes our hearts could hold and arrived at Midway after 9:00PM. As we touched down on the runway, our heads were pressed into the windows hoping to penetrate the darkness that shrouded the island and all of its inhabitants. As we were shuttled to our rooms via golf carts, albatross chicks and their parents flanked our pathway as if honoring our arrival with their presence. After a quick stroll to the beach by flashlight, we headed for our beds and some much needed rest. It seems so much like Christmas eve, as we anxiously await the morning light to see all the surprises laid out before us. I have never seen 12 educators so excited to be in the same place.

Introductions: Trevor Atkins

June 8, 2009

E kū i ka māna! Mālama kuleana. E hana ana au i ka ha`awi aku ka `ike i ko`u `opio.

I question my privilege. I stare at the Mahealani moon in the early night sky over Honolulu. Tonight, the moon is a mirror. I can see the eyes of Hawaiians from several generations peering through time. Their eyes transcend time to meet mine on the surface of the moon. They see me, surrounded by this glowing city on this polluted `aina. I do not escape their disgust. Their eyes interrogate:

Why is it me, a haole, and a son of sugar plantation owners, who shall set eyes on Papahanaumokuakea, while my students suffer the pangs of hunger, rape, and loneliness this summer on polluted `aina? Why is it me who is allowed to escape to see the turquoise waters that once formed a lei around these islands before my ancestors arrived? Why is it us that get to gaze as tourists at those old islands when it is us who are still erasing the beauty of the newer ones?

I have no answers. I am going. We are going. It is our kuleana to absorb this experience to the point of saturation and to let our `opio squeeze it all out when we return. We take the `ike, chew it into community stewardship projects, and spit it in their mouths. This is not about me. This is about creating systemic change. E pule au i hiki ia`u.

June 9, 2009

I am humbled and inspired by the first reflections of my fellow PAA participants. They have done so many great things and are doing so many more. I hope their energy rubs off on me and mixes with my creativity and initiative to become transformative for the students and communities of Hawai`i.

When I come home I’d like to build a stronger network between the many stewardship projects happening right now. Conservation work is intimidating and it is imperative that we do not feel alone in our efforts. I pulled weeds all day today and my sweat would have been futile if it were not for the 19 fellow teachers beside me. In that sense, I think the most important thing I can bring home is a more comprehensive awareness of what each of you are doing to move our world in the same direction. 'A'ohe hana nui ke alu 'ia.