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out SOS in Microsoft's Start Something Amazing Awards:
Community education using interactive Windows technology
"The Ocean is in TROUBLE... SOS"
From "The Kauai" November 2003.
We as a community are realizing that it’s up to us to set things in motion and become dedicated to taking care of our resources. Our lives depend upon a healthy ocean. The scientists of the world aren’t joking. The sea is in trouble, not just in one area, but an interconnected global ocean. Yes, we do have the power to control our destiny and the health of the planet. Let’s take control of our life giving resource the ocean.
On Friday, October 24th, Save Our Seas held its 2003 fundraiser and the north shore Premiere of “Step into Liquid,” at the Kilauea Theater/Lighthouse Bistro to raise funds and awareness about their various projects; most notable is a unique new Drug Free Marine Education program for the students in our community. Project Ocean Pulse and Ocean Pulse at Sea, allows interested students to learn about monitoring and preserving marine ecosystems, sailing, and safe boating techniques from local educators and community members in their classrooms and aboard Blue Dolphin Charters sailing vessel, the “Tropic Bird.” In taking personal responsibility for the reefs adjoining their communities, they become "reef keepers" and help preserve their reefs for future generations. Not only does the program educate, but also it instills pride in and respect for our oceans. The event featured the North Shore
SOS heard about Bethany Hamilton’s accident soon after it happened, being that Capt. Paul, President of SOS, is also the coordinator for Hamilton’s online high school, Myron B. Thompson Academy (MBTA). SOS has offered to train Hamilton in video and still photography, as well as helping her get certified as a scuba diver with a photo/video specialty course during the upcoming quarter of school since Ocean Pulse has been accepted as an elective class at MBTA. Bethany will have the opportunity to learn photography and videography as well as get school credit in the process. Hamilton will learn all aspects of photo and video editing with some of the most high tech equipment available.
Three community appreciation awards were also given out at the celebration. The first was presented to Damon Deflondes, owner of the Kilauea Theatre, for the generous use of his facility. The second to Capt. Terry Donnelly of Blue Dolphin Charters for the use of his community drug free research vessel “The Tropic Bird”, and lastly a “lifetime achievement award” to Teresa Tico for her commitment to Save Our Seas for the past ten years.
SOS sends a MAHALO to all the business and community members that donated products and services. For more information on SOS check out www.SaveOurSeas.org or contact Capt. Steve at 826-0354, or Capt. Paul at 651-3452. SOS is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization
"Environmentalism is about saving our communities. It is about the power of the community asserting itself on these environmental issues that will directly affect our future generations."
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., SOS Clean Oceans Conference 1997
We hope to enlist the help of like minded people and organizations worldwide so that we as a whole can make a positive change in conservation practices in Hawaii, Polynesia, and the World. Many places in Hawaii are on the verge of becoming protected areas, and we as a whole can work to implement these changes efficiently and positively!
SOS needs your help, please renew your membership or Join SOS to help us promote and educate people from all walks of life about our precious resource, the ocean.
08/04/05 The link below takes you to a Sierra club summary of our state governments action or inaction on an array of environmental issues during this past session. It is in essence a follow up to the "Common Sense Conservation 2005" briefing book compiled by a coalition of HI environmental organizations earlier this year. http://www.hi.sierraclub.org/legislative/
Mahalo, Adam Roversi, SOS Advisory Board
From "The Garden Island" Newspaper 2004. With
over a million people living in Hawaii and hundreds
of thousands of tourists visiting yearly; Hawaiian huis, environmental
groups, community members, and scientists alike are realizing that our
marine resources are in trouble.
We need to know what our reefs look like and how abundant they are in different places around the island. Baseline surveys of our Marine Resources are imperative. What this means is that locals and scientists must examine the near shore marine coral reef as well as measure ocean health in offshore areas around each island. Baseline surveys are important to discover the health and abundance of animals on the reef, noting areas of importance and abundance, like where juvenile fish may shelter, turtle or monk seal areas, heavy coral spawning sites, other notable features as well as shoreline activity. Mapping the near shore with GPS (global positioning system), GIS (geographic information systems), as well as video and digital photo documentation can show the community what the reefs look like, provide an archive of the reef health if something was to harm it, and then let the community decide what is best for our reefs.
The state appointed stewards of Hawaii, the DLNR (Department of Land and
Natural Resources) and DAR (Division of Aquatic Resources) have a
severely limited budget, and their funding is constantly being cut.
These men and women, local and introduced, are doing the best they can
with what they have, and are working hard to
help Hawaii protect our ocean and land.
Many local groups here on Kauai like Waipa, Limahuli Valley, Hanalei Watershed Hui, Malama Maha’ulepu, Nawiliwili Watershed Council, Save Our Seas, and Reef Check have seen that their own fish catch sizes decreasing, and less abundance of marine animals. They have already taken action and currently are monitoring and surveying local reefs, while training community members, and high school students in these techniques that support Ahupua’a, MPA (Marine Protected Area) and resource conservation projects. Currently, there are NO Marine Protected Areas on Kauai! All of the other islands have them, but we must ask ourselves why we have none here.
Marine Protected Areas have many different designations, some are Hawaiian Sustenance Fishing grounds where native Hawaiians may fish, some are Fish Replenishment and Management Areas, where fish are left by fisherman and collectors to recover and “seed” other areas as ocean currents take the young of these animals and spread them around the islands. Some MPA’s, like the tourist hot spot Hanauma Bay on Oahu, are Marine Life Conservation Districts and are completely protected areas only open to certain activities and even restrictions about fish feeding, litter, and suntan lotion apply. These areas are created by the community, for the community, and it is up to us to get together and make these Marine Protected Areas places that we all can agree on.
Efforts must be made to further educate fishermen on the successful
programs already in place like the Ulua (jack trevally), Oio (bone
fish), Opakapaka (pink snapper), and Ahi (yellow fin tuna) tagging
programs. These programs show that many fish species move around and
leave MPA reserves. Fisherman must also work with the community
to make rules and help enforce rules because our own government can not.
Bottom fishing and “gill net task forces” must take action and find ways
to create restrictions on themselves so that they may care for fish
populations, our resources.
Mike Sakamoto, author and TV personality has proposed “a Fishing Task Force to look into a Marine License, smaller bag limits, slot limits, closed seasons on ulua and other species, an ulua enhancement program (stocking of ulua) and other enhancement programs…” as well as “Spear Fishing Task Forces” so that we the fishermen come up with size and bag limits, tournament restrictions, and night diving regulations. All of these ideas are a great way to increase and monitor populations, and the community certainly will be able to come up with more.
The management of Hawaii’s marine resources must evolve. Hawaii’s marine
resources must be protected by
us working together, with help from the state and federal agencies, to
make sure that areas of high diversity are preserved and that future
generations may have plentiful resources, we must create a bounty that
will ensure the legacy of those that live on these islands.
Mahalo,
Captain Paul Clark
Coral Reefs in the News:
This report was on the PBS News Hour You can click onto: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june05/coral_2-01.html
Coral reef destruction http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051025/ap_on_
Telephone:
(808) 651-3452