hbep newsletter / 1

HBEP NEWSLETTER / 1

HBEP Newsletter Vol. 2, Issue 1, January 2001

“Sharing pieces of news...”

2 / HBEP NEWSLETTER HBEP NEWSLETTER / 3

Aloha Volunteers!

The holidays are always filled with surprises and the Educa-tion Program has its own share of big news to spread. As someof you have already learned, Jennifer Barrett is our newVolunteer Coordinator. Jenn relieves Jeff Kuwabara of manyof his previous duties. As Volunteer Coordinator, Jenn will bein charge of managing the volunteer corps as well as volunteertraining, recruitment and events. She will also continue toproduce the program’s bi-monthly newsletter. So if you haveany volunteer questions, Jenn Barrett is now your woman.Help us to welcome Jenn in her new duties!

Jeff Kuwarbara will now focus solely on his job as the Educa-tion Program’s Marine Park Program Specialist. He will be incharge of community outreach, the education center andeducational tours. Previously, Jeff juggled both the volunteerand program positions, which was quite a handful. This changeshould prove to make HBEP even better.

For a recap of the other staff members, Elizabeth Kumabe isthe program’s Education Specialist and is working to developcurriculum for local schools who visit the Bay. Peter Rappa isour Principle Investigator, managing the program and acting asa liaison between the Education Program and the University ofHawaii Sea Grant Extension Staff.

Finally, we are sad to announce the departure of JenniferBethel. Jenn has been an integral part of the EducationProgram over the past year and a half. She will be greatlymissed when she leaves in January to accept a position withthe planning department at the University of Hawaii. Con-gratulations Jen, we will miss you!

-- HBEP Staff

Did YOU Miss Out on these Great Events?

The findings of the Hanauma Bay Carrying Capacity Study have been ahot topic for many people interested in the future use and health of theBay. Friends and volunteers of HBEP had a unique opportunity to learnabout the study directly from Sea Grant researcher Dr. Richard Brock.The October 18th turn out at Paki Halewas impressive. After a thoroughpresentation introducing participants tothe concepts and issues involved, Dr.Brock outlined his initial results and tooktime to answer volunteer questions. Afew VIPs in attendance included, Rich-ard Baker, President of the Friends ofHanauma Bay; Bruce Miller, Sea GrantExtension Service Director; and JohnCulliney, former HBEP Director. Any-one who was unable to attend the talk iswelcome to peruse our office copy of Dick’s study. Stop by any time!

Volunteers Willy Ching, Rose Meece, Elaine Soulanille,Brock Lawes, Annie Thompson, Bob Gee, Sylvia Wild,and Julia Morgan got the inside scoop on November 15thwhen they turned out to hear Jolie Wanger talk about herevaluation of the Education Program.

Monk Seals and Dolphins and Whales...Oh My! On October 28th, HBEPcelebrated its first Marine Mammal Day. The event coincided with Makea Difference Day and the 28th Anniversary of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act. Marine Mammal Day was developed aspart of an ongoing effort by HBEP to offer more publicoutreach activities. Joining the Education Program in thefestivities were, Sea Life Park, Hawaii Institute ofMarine Biology, Waikiki Aquarium, National MarineFisheries Service, Dolphin Institute and the HawaiianIslands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.Turn the page for a peek at the action...

Something was sure fishy in the Education Centeron the night of November 25...Patrice Federspiel,Chris Takahashi, Scott Godwin, A.J. Jaeger,Lori Auhll, and Barbara Bamford were amongthe volunteers, friends & family who got down and dirty learning the art ofJapanese fish printing, Gyotaku. If you missed out this year...don’tworry, this is an annual event!


Marine Mammal Day 2000

Mahalo again to all of the HBEP volunteers who turned out to staff theevent...Jenny Garmedia, Roy Gritter, Chris Hironaga, Chris Takahashi, KaipoPerez, Rose Meece and Patricia Ayers. Your participation was a big part ofMarine Mammal Day’s success. We hope to see everyone again next yearfor an even bigger and better celebration!

Local organizations par-ticipated in Marine Mam-mal Day by staffing infor-mation booths in the up-per park area and present-ing informational talks onthe beach.

Visitors were treated tocrafts and activities for thekids, dolphin sounds, andthe opportunity to checkout current research be-ing conducted here in theislands.

photos clockwise from topleft: Cindy Hunter of theWaikiki Aquarium answersquestions from park users;‘Ranger’ Cisco and ActingSanctuary Manager for theHawaiian Islands Hump-back Whale National Ma-rine Sanctuary, NaomiMcIntosh; SusieRodenkirchen of the Dol-phin Institute and Tara Idenof Sea Life Park present-ing their talk “DiscoveringDolphins” on the beach;Staff and volunteers fromthe Sea Life Park Educa-tion Center.


As HBEP Volunteers, you are in the Education Center everyweek logging your volunteered hours in the Sign-in Book...buthave you looked at the displays lately? Many volunteers aresurprised at the information that the education center offers.Over the past year we have worked hard to update and changedisplays to make the education center better. When you are working the line or staffing the beach desk,don’t hesitate to promote the education center. Many of ourvisitors frequently asked questions can be answered in detailby reading the displays. A visitor may have a question aboutsea turtles and how big they get. After giving them the informa-tion you know, why not let them know that the education centerhas a display on sea turtles and suggest that they take a lookon their way out? We really want to utilize the education center as a resourcefor our visitors and volunteers alike. We are currently workingon some new displays on marine mammals, marine debris,and Hanauma Bay’s history. Since you are the ones interact-ing with the visitors, let us know what will help you to make yourjob easier. We would love volunteer input!

Utilizing the Education Center...

-- J. Bethel

It’s that time of year again...Whale season! Our firstofficial sighting here at the Bay was by ‘Ranger’Jack on Sunday, December 10 at about 1:00pm.

Many people are curious about the relationship betweenwhales and early Hawaiians. According to MargaretTitcomb’s Native Use of Fish in Hawaii (1972), theHawaiian word for Humpback is Kohola, which meanshump dorsal. There is no record that Hawaiians huntedKohola before modern times or used them for food. Ifthe carcass (palaoa) of any whale drifted ashore, how-ever, it was kapu to commoners and became the prop-erty of the chief. The term palaoa also refers to theornament made of whale’s tooth, which was greatlyprized and sometimes hung from braided strands ofhuman hair. It is also recorded in some sources thatHawaiians believed that a whale leaping and blowingpresages a storm.

On Monday, December 11 park userswere shaken by a rockslide on the toiletbowl ledge around 9:15am in the morn-ing. The ledge will remain closed untilthe City is able to asses the situtationand determines that there is no dangerof additional slides.

-- J. Bethel


Echidna nebulosa

When most people in the northern hemisphere think of theholiday season, the first image to come to mind is snow. WhiteChristmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and It’s a Wonderful Lifeall paint pictures of a snowy holiday season. In celebration ofthe holidays, our critter of the month is the snowflake eel(Echidna nebulosa) whose common name describes thesnowflake-like patterns down the length of its body.

This moray eel may strike fear in passers by, however, thisspecies contains no finger piercing canine teeth, but rather, amouthful of molar-like teeth which it uses to feed primarily oncrabs. It is said to grow to about 28 inches and is one of themost likely to be seen swimming freely out of the reef.

So, while snorkeling in search of the ghost of christmaswrasse, do not fear the occasional snowflake eel that maycross your path. Happy Holidays.

-- Jeff Kuwabara

WoWould

Would YO

U like

to be a

Science F

air Judge

?

The Hawaii Academy of Science invites you toparticipate as a judge for their Science FairProgram. You may judge at the Hawaii StateScience and Engineering Fair and/or at aSchool or District Fair. Judging is a rewardingexperience that provides talented and moti-vated students with a unique opportunity tointeract with science and engineering profes-sionals.

If you would like more information about be-coming a judge, please contact the Science Fairoffice at 956-7930 or by e-mail [email protected].


Dec. 21 Winter SolsticeDec. 25 Christmas Day...BAY OPEN (Education Program Closed)Dec. 28 Endangered Species Act, signed 1973Jan. 1 New Year’s Day...BAY OPEN (Education Program Closed)Jan. 6 Night Snorkel (HBEP Volunteers ONLY)

HBEP Volunteer Training(If you know anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer, pleasehave them contact Jennifer Barrett at 397-5840. Current volunteers areencouraged to attend any of the training sessions as a refresher course.Please RSVP if you plan to attend any sessions)

Training consists of four weeknight lectures and two half-days at the bay:Jan. 23, 25, 30 & Feb. 1 (Tue/ Thu 6:00-8:00pm)Jan. 27 & Feb. 3 (Sat 9:00-Noon)

HBEP Lecture Series(The HBEP Lecture Series will take place at Hawaii Kai Public Library andis open to the public. Please call HBEP at 397-5840 for more information)

Dec. 16th Chad Yoshinaga: NMFS Monk Seal Program, 3:00-5:00pmJan. 20th Tim Fitzgerald: Sharks of Hawaii, 3:00-5:00pmFeb. 10th Brett Schumaker: Octopus Research, 3:00-5:00pm

Waikiki Aquarium Events(Please call the Aquarium at 923-9741 to register for these events)

Friday Dec. 22 Exploring the Reef at Night 6:00-8:30pmExplore a nearshore reef flat at night! Aquarium naturalists guideparticipants to discover the reef’s “night shift.” Class size is limited andreef tours are popular, so sign up early! Safety and conservation arecovered for the protection of both the reef and the participants. Mini-mum age 5 years, youngsters must be accompanied by an adult.Registration: $10/adult, $8/child ($8/$6 for Aquarium members).

Friday Dec. 29 Aquarium After Dark 7:00-9:00pmDo fish snooze? Do lobsters sleep? Join Waikiki Aquarium staff for anafter-dark, flashlight tour of the Waikiki Aquarium. An informative presenta-tion on the night ecology of the reef will be followed by a chance to explorethe darkened Aquarium galleries by flashlight. This is a relaxed andenjoyable activity with interesting discoveries for new and veteran oceanenthusiasts alike. Youngsters must be accompanied by an adult. Regis-tration: $7/adult, $6/child ($6/$5 for Aquarium members).

Announcements

The City has hired a new park attendant! Jeff Kim joined‘Rangers’ Jack and Cisco on Monday, December 4th.Please be on the look-out for Jeff and help welcome to thepark! (Lest he be confused with our own Jeff Kuwabara, pleasebe sure to specify which Jeff you are trying to reach when usingthe park radios)

University of Hawaii doctoral candidate, Sandy Zicus, will beworking with the Education Program and east Oahu schools todevelop curriculum for 4th and 5th grade classes who visitHanauma Bay. Our hope is that volunteers will lead these schoolprograms. Any volunteer who is interested in learning more aboutthis project should contact Jennifer Barrett at 397-5840 [email protected]

City Councilmember Duke Bainum has recognized the dedi-cation of Hanauma Bay’s Volunteers and presented the Educa-tion Program with Certificates of Appreciation for each of ourhard working volunteers. If you have not received your certifi-cate, stop by the Education Office.

Don’t miss this Website! www.cetaceanresearch.comHear whale vocalizations and other interesting sounds (scrolldown the page and click on the “recordings” link)

12 / HBEP NEWSLETTER

Hanaum

a Bay E

ducation ProgramSea G

rant Extension Service

2525 Correa R

oad, HIG

237H

onolulu, HI 96816 (808)397-5840

hanauma@

hawaii.edu

The Hanaum

a Bay Education Program is a non-profit, volunteer based organization w

hose mission is to enhance appreciation and

promote stew

ardship of Hanaum

a Bay through public education.

hbep newsletter / 1

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