Highlights of June

Mālama Maunalua has been busy this month! Even with COVID-19 keeping many aspects of the island shut down, we have been hard at work studying our native environment, exploring the island, and starting our summer projects.

June 5th Limu Walk 

Mālama Maunalua started the month off strong with a limu walk on the windward side, bringing Alex, Emma, and the two interns who were out of quarantine, Davis and Lia. We were joined by Scott Van De Verg, and met at Wāwamalu Beach in the morning. We stayed there for a few hours, taking our time exploring the tidal pools and the natural geology and biology of the coast.

This trip was very valuable for our interns, who learned a lot about the local algae, and got the chance to practice distinguishing between native, invasive, and alien species. We were all excited to experience some hands-on interaction with our diverse limu!

After about two hours, we reconvened and returned to the office. We had spent the entire morning observing and analyzing the algae, and got some great identification practice! We also collected some samples to create a limu press library back home. We’re excited to introduce the rest of our interns to the wide range of algae that calls Maunalua Bay home!

 

June 12th Kuli‘ou‘ou Ridge hike 

On Friday the 12th, the team woke up bright and early for our first ridge hike. This time, a few more of the interns were out of quarantine, and only Sammie and Nick were missing (they are free tomorrow!). We hit the trail by 8 in the morning, and were joined by Scott, Jason Preble, and Dan Kinzer.

The hike up was hard, but so rewarding! Along the way, we learned all about the native versus alien versus invasive plants we saw, and even managed to find some strawberry guava. Some of the birds we saw included a beautiful red ‘apapane and a bright green ‘amakihi, two species endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago.

We eventually made it to the ridgeline (after almost losing Davis!) and settled in for a relaxing, but windy, lunch. Alex did some rain gauge recon for Nick’s project, and we hope to hike up here again later this month or in early July to install one! After we had eaten and spent enough time appreciating the beautiful views, we walked down and returned to the office. We’re stoked for our next hike in early July!

 

June 17th Keiki & Plow Visit

The Mālama Maunalua team embarked on our first farm visit today to visit friends at Keiki and Plow, in Hawai‘i Kai. This small, female-lead farm provides local produce for the community as well as education opportunities connecting local Hawaiians, especially young children, with their ‘āina.

We arrived after lunch and were greeted by Heather  and Alex, and first took a short tour of the Canoe Plant Garden. After this, we walked towards the main building and visited the chicken and goat pens, and learned about the many various educational programs offered there. Then we got our hands dirty! By the time we said goodbye, we had helped establish a brand-new plot of taro, cleaned the Canoe Garden of overgrown brush, and planted five new mango trees. We hope we come back soon!

 

June 19th Historical Transect Walk

Later that week, Mālama Maunalua spent the day in the water off of Kawaikui Beach Park recreating a historic algae transect first documented almost 50 years ago. Our group was joined by Elliot Meijer, Ralph Dykes, and Dr Catherine Unabia of HPA. Once Nick and Davis gave a short briefing, the group broke into three groups and, with their GPS units, quadrate, and data sheets, walked out along the transect line into the Bay.

For some, this activity was an introduction to the native and invasive algae of Maunalua Bay, and for others this was a chance to practice identification lessons learned on dry land. By the time we came out of that water, however, our entire team were experienced algae experts who could tell the invasive leathery mudweed from the native Halimeda with their eyes closed! Species found included many common native Maunalua Bay residents, such as Lyngbya majuscula, Halimeda discodea, and Chondria sp. However, a great deal of the algae recorded are invasive to Hawai’i and Maunalua Bay, such as prickly seaweed (Acanthophora spiritcifera) and leathery mudweed (Gracilaria salicornia). Many of the species seen in the 1970s study were found again, and some new species were sighted (such as Dictyota sp. and Laurencia nidifica). More importantly, there were many species noted in the historic study that were nowhere to be seen in 2020, such as Sargassum sp. and Ulva sp. (two types of green algae).

This transect walk served to highlight the changing environment of Maunalua Bay, and reminds us all that the Bay once was home to a wider diversity of marine life. We all left Kawaikui that morning with an even greater sense of environmental responsibility, and determination to protect and cherish the beautiful life found throughout the Bay.

 

June 24th Mini Huki by Paiko Lagoon

On Wednesday the 24th, the interns, Alex, and Emma met Ralph by Paiko Lagoon for a morning mini huki. Once we had all arrived on the beach overlooking Maunalua Bay, Ralph taught us about the detailed monitoring system he had created to keep track of various native and invasive algae populations in this small section of the Bay. He had already identified two algae-rich plots for us to practice our monitoring techniques, and with GPS locators and quadrate in hand, we split into teams and marched into the water.

Once the teams had located their respective plots by following the coordinates displayed through their GPS units, we were able to put our algae identification skills from last Friday’s historical transect to good use! Once we had surveyed these plots and updated Ralph’s database, the huki began. Together, we collected around 500 pounds of invasive and alien algae, or around 30 huki bags. There was still plenty more to pull by the time we left, so we know we’ll be returning soon!

 

June 24th Rain Gauge Installation at Wailupe Fire Station

While the majority of the interns were working with Ralph, Alex, and Emma by Paiko, Nick and Pam traveled to the Wailupe Fire Department to install the first rain gauge of the summer. There, we met Captain Dyron Ota, and after an hour or so of site recon, trial and error, and patience, the first rain gauge was installed! Nick fastened the device to a lamp post on the edge of the large driveway, and was able to document his method and a short purpose statement before departing. The gauge is now fully functional and transmitting data to the Rainfall Atlas of Hawai‘i servers—nine more to go!

Pictured here are Nick, Captain Dy, and an example of the rain gauge – telemetry devices Nick is installing. 

 

June 26th Seagrass Monitoring in the Bay

On the 26th, the team traveled to Paiko once more to undertake some seagrass monitoring for Davis’ summer project. We were joined again by Ralph, and after shooting a few short clips identifying the local native and invasive algae, our team waded once more into the Bay.

Today’s field excursion was focused primarily on identifying the location of existing beds of the native seagrass, H. hawaiiana. We started by pole 6, and Davis noted the coordinates the rest of the team would call out as they swam, paddled, or walked about the area. Our team was not disappointed by the abundance of seagrass we saw, and Davis was able to collect some valuable data for his summer project!

Once we had collected enough data points, we swapped GPS units and clipboards for snorkels and fins and spent another hour or so in the water touring the local reef. While out by the break, we saw turtles, coral, fish, and plenty of algae!

We’re so excited about what we’ve accomplished and learned this month, and can’t wait for an action-packed July!