Hawaii? Or Heaven?
Established through a generous anonymous donation and managed directly by our faculty, the AIS Summer Travel Study and Research Grant Program supports the professional development of teachers each summer. One of this year’s recipients shares her story in this issue.
After leaving rainy England five years ago it may seem strange that I might have wanted to explore an area that boasts 444 inches of rainfall each year and is the wettest place on earth. However, the 5,148 foot summit of Mount Waialeale stands at the center of the Island of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago. Hawaiian folklore hails it as the birthplace of the rainbow and it is so extravagantly covered with dense rainforest vegetation and flowers that, to a scientist, it seems like a large botanical garden. With the help of the Travel, Research and Study Grant, I joined an eight day ecological seminar on Kauai last summer.
As the oldest of the large islands of Hawaii, Kauai “…has had the longest time to develop distinct environmental systems such as lush rainforests, huge erosional valleys, sun-baked coastal areas, diverse reefs, sandy beaches and rocky inter-tidal zones” (The Edge of Kauai Investigations). Kauai represents a closed, internally complex ecosystem. Few such closed ecosystems exist on earth in areas of such low urbanization and subsequently it is ideal for a scientist wishing to study the fragile interactions between organisms and the environment. Our work on the seminar included clearing alien ginger plants with University of Hawaii students and assessing coral and calcareous algal reef coverage. In addition we measured beach erosion caused by manmade structures that are springing up on the still largely pristine coastline. Over 90% of Hawaii’s flora is endemic (found nowhere else on earth) although it is estimated that only 58% of the original endemic species now remain since man has colonized the islands.
With three weeks until my return flight to Atlanta after the seminar, armed with nothing but my tent, snorkeling gear and my trusty glued-together hiking boots, I set out to explore the island further. Na Pali means many cliffs and the Northern coast of Kauai exhibits wondrous river-fluted, lush green cliffs that rise steeply out of the ocean. Flanked by blue waters abundant with green sea turtles and spinner dolphins, it is rated by Outside Magazine as one of the ten adventures you should be sure to take before you die. Un-navigable by car, I first experienced the inaccessible beaches and caves via a one day seventeen mile sea kayak trip. Gripped by terrible seasickness in the morning, I cursed my bobbing craft until lunchtime turned the water a calm azure and I had been coaxed into drinking Canada Dry by a sympathetic fellow who had had the misfortune of following me since I had set out at dawn. Hooked, nevertheless, by Na Pali’s beauty, I later came back and hiked the eleven mile world class trail into its most famous white beach, Kalalau, a deserted area where a few who have chosen to leave modern society reside permanently and illegally. On days between adventures I grilled fresh marlin in the deserted state park beaches where I camped and looked out to sea between the pages of Hawaiian geology and ecology books, muttering incorrect pronunciations of the endemic Hawaiian flowers under my breath. The seminar had armed me with much information and when I interpreted something that I saw based on the work we had done, I readily imparted my wisdom to my boots.
With the wonders of Kauai less than exhausted, I took an internal flight to the big and actively volcanic island of Hawaii. Current active flows from a relatively small vent on the South Eastern flank of Kilahuea pour lava into the sea and the plumes of steam that rise from the ocean are most impressive after dark. A treacherous walk across the hardened crust of the flow takes you to a vantage point that offers a firsthand look at the awesome power of igneous land building. Older adjacent flows proved fascinating displays of the hardiness of organisms, whose succession on the older flows was evident and culminated in large numbers of beautiful red blossomed ‘Ohi’a lehua trees. One day Hawaii will look like Kauai, will be on the same latitude as Kauai and will be covered in similar vegetation. That’s if the alien species introduced by man don’t take it over. The Hawaiian islands boast only two native mammals, the Spinner Dolphin and the Hoary Bat. Maui is already a salad garden for non-native rabbits and ferrets that threaten the bird populations of the other islands.
In the shadow of Mauna Loa and in the light of another sensational sunset I duct taped my boots for their final hike of the trip and prepared to star watch from a fly-less tent one more time before returning to share the wonders of this other world with my students. Humans have divided the study of nature amongst the disciplines somewhat arbitrarily. As an earth science graduate, an ecological seminar on an extinct volcanic island allowed me to study up-to-date thoughts about the integrated aspects of environmental ecosystems. More importantly it allowed me to reflect on both our long term insignificance and our contrastingly powerful ability to influence, in a terribly short period of time, what has taken millions of years to evolve.
Rachel will be swimming, biking and running in her first ever Team in Training triathlon to raise money for blood cancers like leukemia. She chose leukemia because it is the most common childhood cancer and it accounts for about a third of all cancer cases in kids. To help her reach her fundraising goal, contact her directly at rhovington@aischool.org.