While Kahuku normally has larger pieces of ocean borne plastic and commercial fishing related items, there was a large concentration of micro plastics this morning so I got a chance to use my home made sand sifter ('Hand Picker 3000') for the first time in a while.
This is painstaking work but is such a worthy effort since these smaller pieces are commonly mistaken by fish and other marine life as food. It's important to not worry about 'being perfect' and instead to just get as much of this as you can while leaving behind shells and other ecological artifacts. Mahalo and Malama 'Aina. Al Smith
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Finished up a great surf session on the North Shore, and to show gratitude, stopped off at Kahuku planning to do a small clean-up.
Came across a monk seal with nets and ropes caught in the rock and coral nearby and in interest of protecting this endangered animal gathered up what I could and hiked it all the way out to Turtle Bay. If you give back every time you can, however you can, as much as you can, you will live a life beyond your wildest dreams, I promise! Grab a friend and go on an adventurous beach clean up together soon! Went back up to Kahuku today after two months of roadtriping across the mainland and cleaning up in each National Park I visited (a grand adventure!)
Was able to make a significant dent today up on the North Shore which felt great. Per usual found a lot of ropes and nets, larger plastic containers, plastic bottles, a troubling number of plastic oil bottles, buoys, shoes, toothbrushes, and miscellaneous flotsam. Carried out as much as I could and safely deposited what I couldn't far out of the surf line for a future pick-up. Did a clean-up in Kahuku yesterday and managed to haul out a nice amount of rubbish including a tangled set of ropes we pulled out of the lava rock.
There were still piles collected weeks ago in their same positions, so took a series of trips to permanently remove a portion of the other items good samaritans were able to collect. For others wanting to lend a hand, park a Turtle Bay and head East to Kahuku Point. There are large blue fishing bins left full of plastics that need to be carried out. It's not easy work, but it sure is gratifying! Mahalo, Al Smith Tropical Storm Darby brought in quite a bit of trash to Windward Oahu shores. We had done a small clean-up during our bike around the island last week at Chinaman's Hat (Kualoa Regional Park) but didn't have much time so focused on larger items such as the 50 foot long, 5 inch diameter rope pictured below. Today I went back and cleaned from the north end all the way to the south end past the lifeguard tower. Several nice people saw what I was up to and lent a hand.
In all, we got four 60 gallon trash bags full and oddly a great deal of it was styrofoam which we don't often see in Kailua. I also hiked Crouching Lion and to my great disgust found a half dozen discarded water bottles right in the middle of the trail. One can assume a single bottle could be an accident, but 6?!? What on earth motivates someone to hike in nature (presumably because they enjoy the beauty) only to trash it? Do these people not feel guilt? At any rate, I was able to collect all of the bottles despite not having a backpack by continuously throwing them down the trail in front of me until reaching the road. Malama Aina people. Mahalo, Al Sometimes it takes packing out just one piece of trash to make you feel you've done your good deed for the day!...
We found this buoy approximately 2.5 miles east of Turtle Bay and without a better option decided to carry it all the way back. This thing was a trash picker's dream!!!... Polystyrene (aka styrofoam) that was going to break down into thousands of smaller pieces and work its way into the food chain after being mistaken by fish as food, it had nylon sheeting which would likely be mistaken for a jellyfish by a sea turtle which could lead to choking and death, and it had a synthetic net surrounding it which after the polystyrene broke down would have then been likely to snare, trap, and kill marine life of all kinds. It wasn't an easy (or necessarily fun) carry, but we can be sure we did our part for the day! Did you do yours? Get your 3 pieces every single time you go to the beach (or in this case, one massive and unwieldy one!) Mahalo nui loa and aloha! Al Spent the afternoon yesterday doing a clean-up along the secluded Kahuku coastline. Unlike Kailua with a huge build-up of micro-plastics in certain places, Kahuku sees a large amount of fishing nets and ropes, larger commercial fishing related plastics, dozens of plastic water bottles, buoys, and assorted plastic containers.
It is hard to realize the effects of using single-use water bottles or carelessly discarding something at sea until you spend time cleaning the beaches. It is tragic how much of this waste makes its way into the ocean and onto our shores. As there are no easy ways to haul out this trash I found creative ways to position it in hopes it would be picked up by neighbors, staff of James Campbell Wildlife Refuge, DLNR, etc. Whether on access roads where I had seen state owned trucks drive past or in the rough of the nearby golf course, fingers crossed that this rubbish is picked up soon. Either way, all items were moved far from the beach so it will be very unlikely that these items will be back in the sea any time soon. If looking for an adventurous clean-up day, its hard to beat the raw beauty or seclusion of Kahuku. Grab a buddy or loved one, several bags to carry out as much as you can, and go have a wonderful day! Mahalo, Al Smith Ambassador Hans Heinz went out on the morning of July 5th and was able to collect five 50 lb bags of trash following the crowded July 4th spectacle at Kailua Beach Park. While collecting a great deal of the trash that was carelessly left behind and discarded by beach goers, he was disheartened to report that the recent wind swell hitting windward shores had deposited the largest concentration of micro plastics he'd ever seen at Kalama Beach Park. Armed with his description of the location (approximately 100 yards north of the main entrance to Kailua Beach Park and stretching north towards Castles), sifter sticks, net sifters, a wheel barrow, two rakes, a shovel, and the screen door which we removed from my house for the purpose, Hans and I returned the next morning and spent several hours focused solely on sifting and collecting these micro plastics, finishing with 7 full buckets of nothing but smaller plastics. There is still work to be done in that area, so anyone who makes ocean plastic art or wants to test out a sifter design, now is the time!!! Yesterday, several HOA Ambassadors traveled up to the North Shore to visit Three Tables, Shark's Cove, and Kuilima Cove to compare signage regarding not stepping on, touching, or otherwise damaging the coral reefs; to take note of the agencies and civics groups responsible for placing and preserving each sign; to investigate signage at Laniakea regarding not touching sea turtles; and finally, to visit a nearby area where there are often Hawaiian monk seals to document any efforts at protection and education being made by volunteers or government on behalf of these highly endangered mammals. We began our day with a quick stop at Laniakea which is a perhaps the best beach in the world to see the 'threatened' green sea turtle, which frequently come ashore here at the south western end of the '7 Mile Miracle.' It is illegal to touch or otherwise disturb green sea turtles, and we were curious to see what kind of signage was in place to educate the throngs of visitors who stop here each day. We were impressed with the signage as it was centrally located and included not only words, but images to help instruct both English speaking and non-English speaking visitors as to the proper way to view these incredible animals. From there, the next stop was Three Tables which is located in Pupukea less than a mile north of world famous big wave surfing spot - Waimea Bay. Three Tables is part of the Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District which was established in 1983 and stretches from the Wananapaoa Islets at the southwestern end of Waimea Bay to Kulalua Point at the northern end of Shark's Cove. As a result of its official designation, this ocean area enjoys special protections against the removal of sand, rocks, corals, certain types of fishing, and limits on seaweed harvesting. Also, due to the efforts of the DLNR's Division of Aquatic Resources and Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea - a volunteer-based NS nonprofit that was formed in 2005 as part of the State's Makai Watch program - this area has excellent signage regarding not damaging or disturbing the fragile coral reefs and marine ecosystem found in this jewel of a location. We went out for a brief swim and encountered beautiful corals, schools of Convict Tangs (Acanthurus tristegus), Parrotfish, Picasso Triggerfish, and even a honu ('honu' means green sea turtle in Hawaiian)! When encountering the honu on the Makai (or 'Ocean' side) of the blocks of coral (the 'tables' in 'Three Tables') we - like all who encounter these beautiful creatures - felt the pull to swim up to get a closer look, but fought back the urge, did the right thing, and kept our distance. We joyfully observed the turtle for several moments, snapped a photo, and swam off leaving her undisturbed. From there we headed several hundred yards up the coast to popular snorkel and dive site, Shark's Cove. We noted similar signs to the one pictured above along the entire stretch of coastline in this area and were thrilled to see no instances of visitors standing on or otherwise disturbing the reef environment (with the exception perhaps of the ocean's edge where those entering and exiting the water have to navigate a rocky and shallow shoreline.) We did some nice deep dives, holding our breaths as long as we could and marveling at this underwater paradise, before moving along to Kuilima Cove which is situated just to the east of the famed and only North Shore resort, Turtle Bay. We arrived at Turtle Bay and took some photos of the current signage at the beach. We knew from staying at the hotel recently that the signage is not up to par with the signage at the Marine Life Conservation area in Pupukea, as Kuilima Cove does not hold the same officially recognized status, government support, or special protections. That said, we'd love to see the hotel place signs regarding not touching or disturbing turtles, coral, or other marine life. All too often at this magical place do we see guests of the hotel and visitors to the beach resting their feet on the shallow coral bottom, standing up on the exposed coral blocks, and scrambling to take selfies up-close-and-personal with sea turtles. A little education goes a long way, and in this case, Turtle Bay Resort - which has a tremendous record of sustainable practices - ought to consider placing better signage to protect the reef that is such a valuable asset and resource to their guests, the environment, and the community at large. We've written two separate letters in the past week as a follow-up to our recent stay requesting a dialogue regarding updating the signage at Kuilima Cove, but as yet have not heard back. We are hopeful that we will hear something soon. We'd encourage others to reach out to TB as well regarding this issue as such an inexpensive update to the signs could go a long way towards protecting what was once one of Queen Liliuokalani's favorite swimming locales in the 1800s. You can contact the Turtle Bay Foundation at info@turtlebayfoundation.com to do your part to request new signage be erected to protect Kuilima Cove from reef damage caused by under-informed visitors. Pictures of the current signage are below. They are fairly standard for the signage you'd see elsewhere on the island, but they could be so much better! Compare these two signs to the ones pictured above from Lanikea, Three Tables, and Shark's Cove. In the ones currently at Kuilima Cove it is noted that there is a 'sharp coral bottom' which seems to warn swimmers of the dangers to the swimmers themselves of touching down, but not of the dangers to the coral reef. Given the medium-to-high number of turtle sightings in the cove, it would also be nice to see some additional signage regarding not touching the turtles as well. Well a guy can dream anyway, can't he...? Continuing down the beach we encountered a Hawaiian Monk Seal. These creatures are an extremely endangered species and must be given a very wide berth. Disturbing a monk seal through loud noises, coming too close for pictures, or any other form of harassment is not only illegal, it can also cause the monk seal to dangerously alter their feeding, mating, and resting cycles. There are only an estimated 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals left in existence, so please do all you can to avoid disturbing these amazing animals. You'll note in the pictures below that some conscientious volunteers erected a crude ring of vertical sticks to create a ring of protection against this resting monk seal, as well as some nearby signage aimed at educating passersby about the need to respect these ocean mammals. And finally, on the way back to the car we did our part to express our gratitude for this amazing day and this beautiful place by doing a mini beach clean-up, making sure to get AT LEAST THREE PIECES of trash before leaving for the day. Did you get your 3 pieces today??? Mahalo nui loa and much aloha! Wondering what to do on a slow weeknight evening with your significant other?
Feel like bringing the kids out on a mini-adventure? Grab a stargazing chart (and possibly a telescope or set of high powered binoculars), a set of headlamps, a 'Hand Picker 3000', your reusable trash bucket, beach blanket, your camera, and something to eat and drink and head to your nearest or favorite beach on foot or by bicycle and gaze up at the stars, share a bottle of wine or a tea with your partner, and then - when you start feeling restless - do a mini beach clean-up! HOA went out last night and had a blast finding and capturing pictures of various creatures, staring up at the heavens and studying the constellations, and cleaning up a wide variety of rubbish: some left behind by beachgoers - including lost flip flops, food container waste, and miscellaneous paper and plastic - a wide variety of nets and ropes that washed up on shore, a large section of a broken boogie board, and some black rubber electrical tubing. Side note and offer: The use of the Hand Picker 3000 in combination with the bucket made cleaning up articles left on the beach easier, cleaner, safer, and more convenient than you could possibly imagine. Not having to bend over or dirty one's hands makes the experience exponentially more enjoyable and we also found it easy to travel by bicycle to and from the beach by putting the handle of the bucket over the handle bars and the HP 3000 across the top of the handle bars horizontally. IF ANYONE WANTS A HAND PICKER 3000, WE WILL MAKE IT FOR YOU AND DELIVER IT ANYWHERE IN KAILUA OR LANIKAI AT COST. Just let us know and we'd be happy to provide you with one. We realize that with many transplants on the island, not everyone has access to tools or the time to get to the hardware store. We are happy to do this for you. Just let us know, promise to use it, and share a pick of you putting it to good use on a star gazing and beach cleaning mission of your own!!! |
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