Post date: May 4, 2020 7:41:29 PM
Aloha everyone!
Hayley here with another update. I hope this post finds everyone well. It’s definitely been quite an experience as we navigate through such uncertain times.
On April 14th, I participated in the first virtual West Loch Strategic Partnership Meeting via Zoom. This was the second strategic partnership progress get together. The meeting brought together a handful of stakeholders working in and around Puʻuloa in an effort to advance restoration and resource protection. It was really great to virtually meet a number of attendees from different organizations and state and federal agencies as well as see familiar faces from HOH808 and LCC.
One of the research topics that caught my attention focused on land-based marine pollution in Puʻuloa. One of the objectives of this research is to identify priority species at different sites in the Pearl Harbor area. Kapapapuhi Point Park was pinpointed as an area of interest due to heavy fishing activity by the community. Despite water quality warnings, residents continue to fish for and consume marine organisms from the area. Their health and well-being continues to be a concern. Collection of samples will help in developing an understanding of marine pollution in the low trophic level. This would be a great way for Leeward CC Kilo ʻĀina students to get more involved in restoration efforts – perhaps another research hui in the making!
I highly encourage everyone to make time to attend these meetings if possible. It really helped me gain a lot of insight into the collaborative effort it takes to make real-world collaborative projects like these happen. It also was a great way to gain some perspective as to how the research we do in Kilo ʻĀina contributes to overall restoration efforts. There’s definitely a lot of work left to be done but I’m excited to see where the partnership is headed.
- Hayley