conwatch winter 2011-2012

8/3/2019 ConWatch Winter 2011-2012

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VOLUMIS

W2011

CONSERVATIONWATCHA PUBL I CA T I O N O F TH E G A RD E N CL UB O F A ME R I CA

IN THIS ISSUE:THE ANCIENT HAWAIIANSAPPROACHTO CONSERVATION

JAPANS TSUNAMI AND MARINE DEB

HAWAIIS CLEAN ENERGY IMPERATIV

CLIMATE CHANGE AND RISING

SEA LEVELS IN HAWAII

AN UPDATE ON GMOS

AND MORE....


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CONSERVATION WATCH | WINTER 2011-2012

Wise eachers no only presen inormaion, give hisorical

perspecive and explain issues, bu hey creae opporuni-

ies or heir sudens o experience dieren realiies or

hemselves. Tus i was ha our houghul hoss rom he

Garden Club o Honolulu, led by Heidi Ho Conjugacion,

helped us o undersand he proound ransormaion ha Wesern sociey has brough o he Hawai-

ian islands. We sared our visi in he glass and concree landscapes o Oahu, observing imperme-

able paved srees and parking los as well as concree canals which oo quickly channel waer rom

he mounains o he sea. Ten, we le Honolulu and headed or

he windward side o he island. I seemed ha our bus raveled

back in ime o he lush, green, ree and grass covered landscapes o

Kawainui-Hamakua Marsh and Kualoa Ranch.

We saw an ancien emple (or heiau) and ooded aro elds. Our

guides chaned he radiional chans, asking permission or ourvisi, showing respec or he place, ransporing us o an ancien

ime o learn lessons or our uure. We visied Honolulu Harbor

and Hanuama Bay, and ollowed he ancien pah rom Mauka o

Makai, sudying naional conservaion issues ha have paricular

resonance in he islands o Hawaii: ocean proecion, sea level rise,

and he challenge o alernaive energy; ood saey, sheries, GMOs, and organics; issue culure or

seed propagaion, rough errain boany and he scourge o invasive species in he enclosed ecosysem o

an island chain. I is said in evoluionary erms ha "srange hings happen on islands", or members o

he Conservaion and NAL commitees on he 2011 GCA eld sudy rip, srange mean exraordinary.

"STRANGE THINGS HAPPENON ISLANDS"

BY SARAH YOUNG

Broadmoor G.C. (Zone XII)Vice Chairman, GCANational Affairs and Legislation, Agriculture

GCA MEMBERS FALL STUDY TRIP 2011 OAHUPhoto by Pat Wall

HEIDI HO AND PONOAT IOLANI PALACE

Photo by Elva Busch


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Beween a housand and 1200 years ago, early Ha-

waiian sociey operaed by a se o rules or laws called

kapu. Tis complex religious, governmenal and cul-

ural sysem reeced he harmonious relaionship

beween he Hawaiians and he naural world.

Tere were our groups ino which sociey was separaed:

1. Alii, higher and lesser chies who ruled specic erriories. Tey governed wih divine power

called mana. Te highes chies, alii kapu, were considered gods.

2. Kahuna, priess who conduced religious ceremonies and were advisors o he alii and proes-

sionals, such as carpeners, healers, genealogiss, and boa builders.

3. Makaainana , commoners who were involved wih agriculure, ood preparaion and oher

daily asks or he good o he sociey.

4. Kuwa, who may have been war capives. Tey were considered oucass and oen used as hu-

man sacrices.

Te kapu sysems was derived rom he religious belies and radiions o he people. Te our maingods wereKu (God o War),Kane (God o Ligh and Lie), Lono (God o Agriculure), andKanaloa

(God o he Ocean). Tere were many lesser gods and he equivalen o guardian angels.

Since Early Hawaiians depended on naure or everyhing, he kapu sysem reeced a reverence

and respec or he naural world. Te kapu sysem is one o he earlies examples o environmenal

THE ANCIENT HAWAIIANSAPPROACH TO CONSERVATION

BY MARSHA MERRELL

James River Garden Club (AL)Vice Chair, GCA Conservation Committee,National Parks and Public Lands

ULUPO HEIAUPhoto by Candace C. Lyche


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proecionism. A he hear o he sysem was he ahupuaa (an ecosysem) ha was riangular in shape.

I exended rom he op o he mounain o he sea. Every island was divided ino manyahupuaa and

he segmens were usually dened by river valleys. Each ahupuaa had all o he resources needed or

lie. Te sea provided sh, a river or irrigaion, drinking waer and oher uses; he uplands had lumber

used or building. Agriculure was developed in each ahupuaa, usually a he oo o he mounain. As

populaions grew, villages developed and so did rade.

Te kapu sysem dened acions ha were appropriae or people o dieren ranks. Commoners

armed, shed, and provided mos o he needs o he sociey. Tey suppored hemselves and he

chies and kahuna. Te alii could orbid people rom eaing or using cerain plans, animals, or oher

resources. Resricions could be or cerain imes o he year. Tis was imporan o proec resources

rom over-exploiaion.

Heiau are sacred sies and places o worship where ceremonies and riuals were conduced. Tese

srucures were buil using sones. Te engineering abiliies o he Hawaiians are eviden in he sack-ing o rock o build hese srucures. No morar was used. Te heiau were a very imporan par o he

religious and everyday lie o Hawaiian sociey and osered he power okapu. oday hese srucures

and areas no only represen amazing eas o an ancien civilizaion, bu also an opporuniy or "mal-

ama." Malama (care or) is a concep cenral o Hawaiian culure and values. Te GCA Conservaion

Commitee visied he Ulupo Heiau in he Kailua Bay region. Buil around 1,000 years ago, i appears o

be a luakini heiau (dedicaed o he War GodKu). oday his place is reaed wih respec as a spiriual

link o he pas. Oen, leis or oher oerings are le o reec his.

MEMBERS STANDING NEAR SACRED STONE PLATFORM OF THE ULUPO HEIAUPhoto by Pat Wall


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While modern sociey coined he words "ecosysem" and "waershed," he conceps were clearly

undersood by he ancien Hawaiians. Tey realized ha he mounainop o heir ahupuaa was very

much conneced o he basin o he bay. Fresh waer ha came rom he op via waersheds provided

resh waer needed or crops, healh o he sh ponds miles below, and or susenance.

ying religion, socieal organizaion, and preservaion o naive ecosysems creaed an acive sew-

ardship o he Hawaiian Islands or housands o years. oday heAhahui Malama I Ka Lokahi, a naive

Hawaiian conservaion organizaion, works o ensure he preservaion o naive ecosysems and radi-

ions hrough educaion, acive sewardship, and research. Tis group, which is involved wih many

ecological resoraions, is very careul o relae he spiriual naure as an imporan aspec o apprecia-

ing he ancien Hawaiians sewardship o he islands. Te visior o one o hese sies receives a very

resh and holisic view o he erm "resoraion."

Papahanaumokuakea is he rs mixed naural

and culural UNESCO World Heriage sie in he

Unied Saes. I was designaed a Marine Naional

Monumen in June o 2006. Te monumen is a

conservaion area ha encompasses he Norh-

wesern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and is adminisered joinly by NOAA, he Deparmen o he Ine-

rior and by he Sae o Hawaii. I includes approximaely 140,000 square miles o Pacic Oceanan

area larger han all o he U.S. naional parks combined. We were orunae o have Aulani Wilhelm,

NWHI and NOAA monumen superinenden, speak o us abou Papahanaumokuakea.

Is name (pronounced Pa-

pa-hah-nou-mo-koo-ah-keh-

ah) comes rom an ancien

Hawaiian radiion concerning

he genealogy and ormaion o

he Hawaiian Islands. Te area

is signican as a sacred place

where Naive Hawaiians believe

ha lie originaed and where

ancesral spiris will reurn aer

deah. I is a place o connec o

PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA: WHERENATURE AND CULTURE MEET

BY JENNIFER FAIN

Hancock Park G.C. (CA) Vice Chair,GCA Conservation and NAL Committees, Oceans

PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA ENDANGERED MONK SEALCourtesy of Paphanaumokuakea.gov


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living culural radiions and o pass o each generaion he kuleana (righ and responsibiliy) o susain

heir ancesral belies. In he Hawaiian radiion here is a srong link beween naure and culure. Pa-

pahanaumokuakea is he embodimen o ha connecion. I is a reminder and example o us all o our

role as sewards o malama (care or) our naural and culural resources.

Te naural atribues o Papahanaumokuakea are remarkable. Te small islands, rees and shoals o

he area represen he cleares, and oldes example o island ormaion and aoll evoluion in he world,

spanning 28 million years. Tis mos remoe volcanic chain has helped our undersanding o plae

econics and hospos. Te deepes reaches o he area are 15,092 ee below sea level, and he highes

is 902 ee above sea level. Te habias include abyssal dephs, seamouns and submerged banks, wo

high eroded islands, pinnacles, aolls, coral rees, lagoons, shoals, dunes, dry grasslands and shrublands,

and a hypersaline lake.

Te monumen is locaed abou 3,000 miles rom coninenal land masses, making i one o hemos remoe archipelagos in he world. Te size o he Hawaiian Archipelago, as well as is isolaion

and disance beween islands and aolls has led o very high raes o marine and erresrial endemism

(species ound nowhere else in he world). Wihin Papahanaumokuakea, 60 percen o shallow-waer

sh species, 90 percen o deep-waer shes and abou 40 percen o he corals are endemic.

PROPOSED NOMINATED AREA: PAPAHNAUMOKUKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT OVERVIEWCourtesy of Paphanaumokuakea.gov


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Te near-prisine waers and rees o Papahanaumokuakea provide habia or many hreaened and

endangered species. I is one o he las apex predaor-dominaed coral ree ecosysems on he plane.

On less han six square miles o land over 14 million seabirds, represening 22 species, breed and nes.

Papahanaumokuakea appears o be a remarkably inac, prisine environmen. Wilhelm raised he

quesion, "Does prisine exis anymore?" Unorunaely, he answer is no. In spie o is isolaed loca-

ion, he monumen habias are hreaened rom human aciviies beyond is boundaries. Climae

change, sea level rise, ocean acidicaion, marine debris and he inroducion o alien species on land

represen he major problems. Every year, 50 ons o marine debris arrive in monumen waers. On

unpopulaed beaches, elevision ubes, botles, shoes and all kinds o plasic maerial can be ound rom

counries surrounding he Norh Pacic. Wilhelm said hey are apprehensive abou he debris rom

he sunami reaching he proeced waers in he nex ew monhs. Tere are problems in paradise.

Aer he sunami sruck Japan on March 11, 2011, debris rom

around Fukushima was swep ino he ocean, clearly visible by

saellie and aerial reconnaissance. Te debris included pars

o homes, boas, appliances, plasics and relics o human lives.

Aer April 14, he debris dispersed, sank or broke ino smaller

pieces. Curren saellie imagery is unable o deec i.

A compuer model simulaing ocean currens provides approximae predicions o where he rash

may be headed, and here have been sighings by vessels such as he Russian sailing ship SS Pallada

(Sepember 2011), whose crew

were aware o he compuer

projecions. Near Midway, en

roue o Vladivosok, he Pal-

lada came upon a Fukushima-

regisered boa along wih oh-

er buoyan objecsa V se,

rerigeraor, and various home

appliancesand coninued

o nd rash along he rajec-

ory o he compuer model.

Te crew measured he 20-oo

JAPANS TSUNAMI ANDMARINE DEBRIS

BY DIANA FISH

Carmel-by-the-Sea G.C. (CA)Zone XII Representative, GCAConservation/NAL Committees

NOAA'S OSCURS MODEL PLOTS ROUTES OF TSUNAMI TRASH INYEAR 1 (RED); YEAR 2 (ORANGE); YEAR 3 (YELLOW);

YEAR 4 = LIGHT BLUE; AND YEAR 5 (VIOLET).Courtesy of J. Churnside, NOAA


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Japanese boa or radioaciviy, bu ound none. (NOAA ofcials such as Carey Morishige mainain

i is highly unlikely any sunami debris is radioacive since he debris was washed ino he sea beore

radioacive releases occurred a he

Fukushima reacors.)

Alhough here are many vari-

ables and uncerainies, he debris is

orecas o hi Papahanaumokuakea

Marine Naional Monumen

(PMNM) his winer and hen con-

inue on owards he Wes Coas in

2013 and circle back owards he

main Hawaiian Islands in 2014-

2016. Te precise direcion, rae o

dri and locaion o he debris in real ime canno be pinpoined. Possibly cerain debris, like plasicsor berglass hulls, may ravel aser by wind han currens and so arrive sooner han expeced. Tere are

repors ha some osam already has reached beaches in Washingon. However, i also may be hard o

disinguish sunami debris rom he general rash o he Wesern and Easern Garbage Pachesvas

sreches o moving debris and micro-paricles circulaing in he Pacic Ocean.

Te sunami debris poses a hrea o vessels a sea and o marine and coasal ecosysems. Fishing,

ourism and local economies could be aeced, and here is a poenial risk o public healh rom haz-

ardous maerials and rom personal injury by wave-borne objecs. A serious concern or Papahanau-

mokuakea is ha rash could damage coral rees and injure marine mammals, birds, and criically en-

dangered species such as he Hawaiian monk seal. Sea lie can become enangled in shing gear and

JAPANESE TSUNAMI DEBRIS ON THE OPEN OCEANPhoto cour tesy of Timog

JAPAN EARTHQUAKE TSUNAMI OPERATION TOMODACHIPhoto cour tesy of Timog


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discarded iems and misakenly inges plasics as ood. Nes can snarl and smoher delicae coral polyps

and ree species. Tere is a poenial or invasive species o hichhike on debris and colonize new areas.

Since hese mosly uninhabied islands, aolls, and rees exend over 1200 miles rom he main Ha-

waian islandsa disance greaer han ha o Seatle o San Diegoi is logisically difcul o iner-

cep marine debris and challenging and complicaed o remove i properly.

Te Ocean Conservancy noes, ha "while he sunami debris is he laes high-prole case o ocean

debris, i is jus a small par o he overall ocean rash problem. A sunami's worh o ocean rash is cre-

aed every year simply by he hings we buy, use and hrow away."1

Te organizaion suggess a ew basic ways o preven marine polluion: reduce he use o one-ime

disposable iems like cups, botles, and sraws; pick up liter; paricipae in a beach/waerway or area

cleanup; and suppor legislaion o deal wih marine debris. I you live along he Wes Coas or Hawaii

or are on a vessel in he Norh Pacic, you also can paricipae in a NOAA monioring program byreporing marine debris.2

1 htp://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/marine-debris/sunami-debris-wha-you-need.hml

2 [email protected]

Naive Hawaiians believe heir people and heir naive

ecosysems are inerconneced and ha heir naural

resources, paricularly waer, are essenial o heir cul-

ure and spiriualiy.

Ancien Hawaiians creaed a susainable sysem or

ood producion ha suppored a large populaion o people and wildlie. Tey engineered diversions

o use he waer rom he sreams ha ran rom he rain-sauraed mounain peaks o irrigae erraced

aro elds. Tey hen divered he nurien-rich waer o he shponds hey buil below ha provided

no only ood or heir people bu permanen welands or waer birds. Tey planed swee poaoes

and bananas on he slopes. Tey buil religious emples o celebrae hese places ha delivered he

bouny ha nourished hem. Our commitee visied Kawainui Marsh, Hawaiis larges remaining resh-

waer marsh. Te place shelers wha remains o an ancien 450-acre shpond, erraced aro elds, and

KAWAINUI MARSH - ANCIENTHAWAIIANS UNDERSTOODTHE VALUE OF CLEAN ANDPLENTIFUL WATER

BY RUTH FLOURNOY

River Oaks Garden Club (TX) Zone IXVice Chairman, GCA ConservationWater and Wetlands


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a religious monumen consising o a massive sacked sone plaorm and alar. Visiors oday see ha

his was, and sill is, a sacred place, alhough i no longer suppors he rich ecosysem ha i once did.

In he mid-1700s, he Europeans arrived wih dieren ideas abou agriculure and naive ecosys-

ems. Tey divered huge amouns o waer o grow sugar cane and pineapples. Te Chinese ollowed

in he 1800s, desroying many aro elds o culivae rice. Te aro elds dried up and sedimens rom

he eroding land lled up he shponds. In more recen imes, many o he ancien shponds have been

drained or developmen. Over ime, Kawainui evolved ino a marsh wih a oaing ma o vegeaion

and very litle open waer. Te waershed suered as invasive plans supplaned he endemic and indig-

enous1 species.

Bu a new sense o sewardship was developing. In he early 1990s, a small group o naive Hawai-

ians ormed Hawaiians or he Conservaion o Naive Ecosysems "o develop, promoe, and pracice

a naive Hawaiian conservaion ehic, grounded in ancien radiion bu relevan o our imes, ha is

responsible o boh Hawaiian culure and science, in order o proec Hawaiis naive culural and nau-

ral heriage hrough research, educaion, and acive sewardship." In 1994, a maser plan was developed

or Kawainui Marsh o preserve and resore his naural ecosysem and he culural monumens ha

are par o i. Te plans include a visior cener or educaion abou he valuable culural and naural

1 "Endemic" reers o organisms ha are naive and ound only in a paricular area like he Hawaiian Islands, while "indig-

enous" reers o organisms ha are naive no only in Hawaii bu also in oher places. "Canoe" plans are also imporan o

Hawaiians. Tese were carried by he ancien Hawaiians fom Polynesia o he Hawaiian Islands.

MEMBERS HIKE KAWAINUI MARSHPhoto by Sue Klein


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resources o his area. Numerous organiza-

ions, including he Hawaii Audubon So-

ciey, an hisorical sociey and a local civic

club coninue o collaborae on his eor.

Teir work was recognized in 2005,

when he Kawainui Marsh received he

presigious designaion o a Weland o In-

ernaional Imporance. Tis designaion,

he 22nd in he U.S., creaes economic

bene by simulaing ourism, shing and

oher recreaion. I has encouraged he

resoraion o his large weland and sur-

rounding areas, which provide such eco-

logical services as he nesing areas or ourendangered endemic birds.

More suppor arrived in he orm o und-

ing when, on July 29, 2011, he Hawaii Deparmen o Land And Naural Resources and he U.S. Army

Corps o Engineers signed an agreemen o implemen par o he earlier maser plan o help resore

he wildlie habia o Kawainui Marsh a a cos o $4 o 6 million, wih he ederal governmen paying

75% o he expenses. Tese unds have been welcomed by he many people who have been working

o proec his ecological and hisorical wonder. Members o he Honolulu Garden Club allowed our

commitee o paricipae in a small par o his resoraion eor by planing endemic and indigenous

plans on he seep slopes above he marsh. Much work remains o be done.

Earhjusice atorney, Isaac Moriwake, sums up much o wha we learned when we visied Kawainui

by explaining ha resoraion projecs are "preserving and conserving the resource so that we still have it

for decades down the line and for future generations We live on an island and we have no other source

of water other than what weve got right here. And in that sense we in Hawaii are kind of a microcosm of

what our entire world is facing towards water scarcity."

PLANTING NATIVES AT KAWAINUI MARSHRUTH FLOURNOY, ANNE LYMAN AND LINDA JAMES

Photo by Sue Klein


12/3211


Te Conservaion sudy group in Hawaii learned

abou aquaculure as an ancien echnology, bu also

abou cuting edge scienic research on modern

aquaculure and is impac on he environmen. On

our ouing o he windward side o he island and he beauiul Kualoa Ranch we saw some o he ew

remaining walled shponds buil by Ancien Hawaiians, called loko i a. Te Molii shpond is one

o he larges in Hawaii, a over 125 acres wih a deph ha ranges rom 4 o 30 ee. I is one o he

ew ancien, royal shponds sill in operaion oday, raising Moi (hreadsh), amaama (mulle) and

awa (milksh). We learned how hese sh ponds helped susain Hawaiians when shoreline shing was

insufcien due o weaher and sur, and how he ponds served o slow resh waer running rom he

mounains o he sea, allowing more

waer o be absorbed ino he soil and

recharging he imporan resh waer

aquiers.

Dr. Charles Laidley, Direcor o he

Finsh Program a he Oceanic Insi-

ue, explained he imporance o mod-

ern aquaculure or our ood sysem.

While seaood is oued as a healhy

par o our die and worldwide demand

or seaood is srong, he produciviy

o wild seaood sheries is now maxed

ou. Fish arming, or aquaculure, is

needed o ll he demand, and in 2010

aquaculure produced more han wild

sheries or he rs ime ever.

Globally, sh provides abou 2.9 bil-

lion people wih almos 20% o heir av-

erage per capia inake o animal proein. From a producion o less han 1 million ons per year in he

early 1950s, aquaculure producion has grown annually a an average rae o 6.1%, reaching 55.7 mil-lion ons in 2009. Bu ha is no enough: he Food and Agriculure Organizaion o he Unied Naions

(FAO) projecs ha global aquaculure producion will need o reach 80 million ons by 2050 in order

o merely mainain curren levels o per capia consumpion. However, expansion o U.S. aquaculure

is no keeping up wih he res o he world.

SLUICE GATE AND ROCK WALL ANCIENT FISH PONDPhoto by Elva Busch

AQUACULTURE, OLD AND NEW

BY SARAH YOUNG

Broadmoor G.C. (Zone XII)Vice Chairman, GCANational Affairs and Legislation, Agriculture


13/3212


Tere are several en-

vironmenal concerns

associaed wih modern

aquaculure, and eors

o address hose concerns

while increasing produc-

ion have led o shery

models ha include gro-

wou in open ocean cages.

While working o creae

a model or susainable

aquaculure, Dr. Laidley

described several concerns, including he accidenal release o non-naive sh ino he marine environ-

men. In he Finsh program hey use only naive sh, eliminaing ha problem. Tere is also concern

abou he eec o capive socks on he geneics o he wild sh populaions. o reduce ha problem,new sock is brough in annually, and geneic monioring o all sh sock is coninuous. Some polluion

o he marine environmen is ineviable, bu he Insiue moniors waer qualiy around heir open

ocean cages o obain reliable daa abou he exen o he polluion. In he sudies underaken by he

Finsh program, no measurable polluion exiss one hundred ee away rom he cages in a horizonal

direcion, bu here is some debris ha alls below he cages. As a resul o hose sudies, cages are sied

careully o avoid sensiive areas and moved every year o minimize impac in a single ocean locaion.

ranser o diseases o naural populaions is sill he bigges issue wih open ocean sh arms. Accord-

ing o he Monerey Bay Aquarium,

"Where salmon arms are locaed near he migraion roues o young wild salmon, parasies

may inec and kill up o 80 percen o he wild sh. Pesicides and anibioics used o conrol

diseases and parasies can also leak ino he environmen, impacing local species."

Te mos eecive way o ensure ha his does no happen is o use closed, inland sh arms. I is

also imporan o locae hese arms away rom sensiive habias where sh eed and breed.

For heir sheries and sock enhancemen projecs, he Oceanic Insiue uses 8,000 gallon anks.Tey currenly breed Pacic hreadsh, among ohers. (Tere are many sheries or cold waer sh

such as rou, bu here were no sheries or warm waer sh beore he Oceanic Insiue esablished

heirs.) Fish are colleced rom he wild wih seine nes and quaranined unil hey grow up o be brood

sock. In capiviy, he sh spawn 8-10 days aer each ull moon. In he wild, hey only spawn in he

summer. Eggs are colleced every day. In he anks, he young sh are ed high qualiy ood. Tey live

OPEN OCEAN CAGE WITH PACIFIC THREADFINCourtesy of oar.noaa.gov


14/3213


Geneically Modied Organisms (GMOs)(GMs) are

plans or animals he genes o which have been modi-

ed hrough geneic engineering o enhance desired

rais, such as an increase in yield or a resisance o her-

bicides, insecs, diseases, drough or cold condiions.

Tese rais are ranserred rom one eniy o anoher. GMO seeds have been available or 15 years and

currenly consiue 10% o he worlds agriculural acreage consising mosly o commodiy crops such

as soybeans (95%) and corn (65%).

THE VALUE OF GMOS

Many armers applaud he echnology. B corn is an example. Te seed is geneically alered o ex-

press he B oxin, which is poisonous o insec pess, making i possible o apply herbicides or weeds

and insecs wihou harming he corn. Tis means ewer chemical pesicides needed and less oxic run-

o poisoning he waer supply. Producion coss or he grower are reduced and yields have increased

subsanially an imporan bene as populaion numbers escalae. In Hawaii, ringspo virus was

decimaing papaya crops. A GM papaya was developed ha resised he virus and 75% o papaya sold

here now are GM srains. A srain o "golden rice" is being developed wih viamin A imbedded in i,which serves as a proecion agains blindness in underdeveloped counries. GM salmon maure much

aser han naive salmon. A recen USDA gran will sudy ways o make hem serile o preven hem

rom breeding wih wild salmon. Poplar rees have been geneically engineered o remove heavy meal

polluion rom conaminaed soils.

AN UPDATE ON GMOS

BY JOAN MURPHY

Columbine Garden Club (AZ)Advisor, GCA National Affairs and Legislation Committee

in a plankonic environmen and become small sh in 3-8 weeks and are hen released ino a growou

sysem. According o Dr. Laidley, curren onshore ank sysems are no very economically viable a

his poin.

As wih oher kinds o agriculure, sh arms can provide much needed ood or a growing world

populaion, bu hey mus be planned houghully o avoid signican negaive impacs on wild sh

populaions and marine ecosysems. Te work a he Oceanic Insiue o develop "green" aquaculure

echnologies will provide much needed inormaion o be used in planning and regulaing he uure

o aquaculure.


15/3214


CONCERNS REGARDING GMOS

Environmental Hazards. Te use o geneically modied seeds coninues o be conroversial.

Farmers noe ha "superweeds" and corn rooworms are developing resisance o he eecs o he

geneically insered oxins, necessiaing he use o even more chemicals. Tese oxins aec boh good

and bad insecs, wih amphibians and benecial insecs crashing. Because o he poenial or dri o

seeds and cross-pollinaion, adjacen organic arms can be ained. A Caliornia armer won $1 million

in damages when pesicides carried by og caused he oal loss o his organic herbs. A reducion in seed

diversiy could also make our uure ood supplies vulnerable.

Health Risks. While some scieniss believe ha GM oods do no presen a risk o human healh,

hey are no regulaed in he U.S. and many eel sudies need o be done. I is possible ha an allergic

reacion could occur o he inroduced gene. In spie o his lack o guidance, oods conaining GMOs

already ll supermarke shelves. Caliornias Deparmen o Food and Agriculure esimaes ha 70%

o highly processed oods have GM ingrediens, wihou public awareness. Tese include cereals, vege-

able oils, high rucose corn syrup and soybean addiives. A coaliion o 400 organizaions recenly pe-

iioned he FDA o require labeling o GM oods. In addiion, some armers have observed decreased

eriliy in animals ed GM corn. Te lack o knowledge regarding possible healh eecs concerns

consumers and several counries prohibi he imporaion o GM crops rom he U.S.

HAWAII'S RAINBOW PAPAYA GENETICALLY MODIFIED TO RESIST THE RINGSPOT VIRUS.Photo at hciaonl ine.com


16/3215


Economic Concerns. Many o he GM seeds are paened, raising he price o seed and a hrea

o lawsuis i GM plans are ound in elds o radiional crops. Te nancial burden on small armers

can be remendous. Te ac ha he E.U. and oher counries will no buy GM producs means ewer

markes. Japan purchased $15 million worh o papaya rom Hawaii in 1996. Following he inroduc-

ion o GM papaya, his amoun was reduced o $1.2 million. Japan, however, recenly agreed o impor

papaya again. Currenly, hree governmen agencies have jurisdicion over GM oods: he EPA, he

Deparmen o Agriculure, and he Food & Drug Adminisraion. As more esing is done and regula-

ions implemened, hese could also mean addiional coss or growers and consumers.

Wih greaer yields, geneically modied oods have he poenial o solve much o he worlds hun-

ger problems while preserving he environmen using ewer chemical pesicides and herbicides. How-

ever, here are many challenges saey esing, governmen regulaions, inernaional policies, unore-

seen environmenal issues, a reducion in seed diversiy, and labeling. Te growers and he public mus

be able o make inelligen decisions regarding geneically modied oods. Say uned.

SEED INDUSTRY STRUCTURECourtesy of www.msu.edu

Global consolidation of the seed industr y raises concerns about ownership, access and seed diversity. (Editor)


17/3216


Te Hawaiian Islands are a 1500-mile-long archi-

pelago o eigh large islands and over one hundred

smaller islands ha orm a chain in he Pacic Ocean.

Each island is a leas 1800 miles in any direcion

rom is neares neighbor. Te islands are exposed

peaks o an undersea mounain range, he highes be-

ing 3.1 miles rom he ocean oor. For over 70 million years, he plan and animal lie on hese islands

remained isolaed and developed in soliude, unouched by invasive species. Almos all o he original

plans were no only indigenous bu also endemic.

Beginning abou 400-

500 AD, waves o people

rom oher lands began o

arrive by boa. Polynesians,

he rs o arrive, were insearch o more promising

arm land. Tey requenly

le heir islands in groups

o boas carrying enough

people and diversiy o

ound new setlemens.

Wih hem hey brough

ve or six plans, such as

bananas and aro, o culivae; and animals, such as pigs, dogs, and chickens, o raise.

Te rs Europeans arrived in 1778 wih Capain James Cook. Tey also brough wih hem ani-

mals and plans, adding o he increasing pressure being placed on he ragile environmen o he once-

oally isolaed islands. Missionaries and whalers ollowed, bringing mosquioes, goas, and mangoes,

as well as 344 new varieies o plans, 40 repiles, and 20 insecs.

Te pleniul oress were cleared and species dependen on ores habia and ood began o disap-

pear. A he same ime, one crop began o be grown on huge racs o land insead o he more variedplanings o he original islanders. In becoming a mono-crop culure, even more species began o be

hreaened. oday almos all o he remaining endemic plans and animals are considered endangered.

Over ime, more han 10,000 new plans have been inroduced o Hawaii. A leas 200 o hese are caus-

ing ecosysem damage. Hawaii is known as he "capial o exincions".

ALIENS ON MAGICAL ISLANDS:A REPORT ON OURCONSERVATION-NAL TRIPTO HAWAII IN 2012

BY JEANNE ARTHUR

Memphis G.C. (TN) Zone IXVice Chairman, GCA Conservation Committee,Endangered Species/Ecological Restoration

BROWN T REE SNAK E ON PAPAYASNAKES POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Photo cour tesy of USDA/WS


18/3217


In one o he horror sories abou Hawaiis eors o conrol alien species, he mongoose was inro-

duced in 1883 o conrol ras. Te ras were rampan in cane elds and i was hoped he mongoose

would dissipae hem. Te day-huning mongoose was brough in o do away wih nocurnal ras.

Insead, since neiher was awake when he oher was acive, he mongoose became a errible predaor

o birds, repiles, ruis, plans, and o eggs o cerain sea urles (now endangered), while he ra con-

inued o hrive.

Aggressive programs o save plans have been developed on he islands. Scieniss a Lyon Arbo-

reum are proecing agains exincion in he wild by keeping plans alive in culivaion. Te Lyon

lab uses echniques ha allow preservaion o he original plan genoype hrough micro-propagaion,

seed sorage, cloning by ip and issue cutings, and grow-ou o hese propagaed specimens in he lab.

Te arboreum is able o propagae plans ha are echnically exinc: 13% o he lab plans are exinc

in he wild bu exis in he lab; 80% o 681 specimens in he lab represen species wih less han 1000

living plans; and 224 plans are on he red lis or endangered plans. Scieniss hope o resore hese

specimens ino he wild.

Oher acive organizaions are CGAPS (Coordinaing Group on Alien Pes Species), which ries o

conrol enry ino he sae via boas and plans. Te Hawaiian Rare Plan Resoraion Group has he

PEP Program o Proec Endangered Plans ha are represened by 50 or ewer specimens in he wild.

Te Hawaiian Invasive Species Council (HISC) is acive a he cabine level; and he Invasive Species

Commitees (ISC) are acive a he islands level.

Unorunaely, ew opions eecively preven he inroducion o alien species. Firs class mail and

Federal Express shipping are wo requen mehods o enry. Hawaii has insiued laws and agree-

mens and employs ederal inspecors o ideniy exoics a poins o enry, bu unding or inspecors

and inspecion aciliies coninues o be an obsacle. Te sae has also creaed sae liss o endangered

species, bu sae and ederals liss do no mach. Te bes mehods or conrol include eradicaing he

alien species or conaining hem regionally.

Google or a more complee lis o aliens: Hawaiian invasive species, invasive birds, or invasive algae.

o read more abou Chrisy Marins presenaion go o:www.invasivespeciesino.gov/docs/council/HISC%20Presenaion.pd


19/3218


While he boaniss who work or he Plan Exincion

Prevenion Program (PEP) in Hawaii are no acually

supermen and women, hey do engage in perilous acivi-

ies as hey pracice rough errain boany. Te specialized

PEP boaniss are rained in exreme hiking and camping

and have learned o repel down clis and oen y o remoe areas in helicopers. Why do hese boa-

niss go o hese exremes? Tey are nding Hawaii's mos endangered plans in order o save hem

rom exincion. Hawaii has one o he highes raes o endemism in he world (90% o Hawaii's naive

ora is ound nowhere else), bu i also has he highes number o plans on he endangered species

lis (42%). Oen hese naive and endangered species have survived by growing in areas ha are very

difcul o reach.

A he presen ime, here are 201 PEP

species, dened as a species wih 50 or ew-

er individual plans remaining in he wild;hese reasured rare plans are he plans

upon which he PEP Program is ocused.

By preserving wild PEP plans or "ound-

ers", geneic diversiy is also preserved,

which allows a species o remain healhy

and beter able o adap o changing envi-

ronmenal condiions. PEP boaniss col-

lec seeds or cutings or propagaion; and

may have o hike or miles o bring back he

propagaive maerial. Someimes he rui

o cerain PEP species mus be enclosed

in sockings o proec hem unil hey are

ready o harves. Aer cutings or seeds

have been gahered, hey are propagaed as

issue culures a he Lyon Arboreum micropropagaion lab, sored as seeds a a seed sorage lab, or

sown a rare plan nurseries and cooperaing boanical gardens hroughou he Sae o Hawaii. Evenu-

ally, plans grown rom he colleced maerial will be reurned o proeced naural habias o mainainheir unique place in he naive plan ecosysem.

Te propagaed plans are evenually reinroduced o he area where he original parens were

ound so ha geneic diversiy may be mainained. I necessary, he young plans are proeced rom

eral animals wih he insallaion o enced enclosures. In addiion, raps are se or ras; and, invasive

ABLE TO LEAP TALLBUILDINGS IN A SINGLEBOUND? WELL.... ALMOST.

BY SUSAN OSBORNE

Susan Osborne, Carmel-by-the-Sea G.C. (CA) Zone XIIFormer Vice Chairman, Partners for Plants

STEVE PERLMAN COLLECTS OXALIS SIMPLICIFOLIAPhoto Courtesy of Plant Ext inct ion Prevent ion Program


20/3219


plans are removed ha would com-

pee or nuriens, space, and ligh.

Predaion by snails is ye anoher

serious problem or PEP species. A

snail inesaion around an endan-

gered plan species requires careul

monioring and boh chemical and

barrier reamens.

Cyanea grimesiana subsp. grime-

siana (hh) is one o he plans ha

has been successully reinroduced.

A single wild specimen was ound in 2004 and died a year laer, bu no beore 30 progeny were pre-

served in es ubes. In 2006 hree maure hh were planed in a small (1/2 acre) enclosure. Tese

small enced plos are considered shor-erm emergency measures unil he hreas can be removed orhe long-erm.

Te PEP program is a parnership o many people and organizaions working ogeher o save some

o he world's rares plans. Te program also educaes school children abou he imporance o saving

rare plans and heir pollinaors - i an avian or insec pollinaor goes exinc, so will he plan ha i

pollinaes. During our all sudy rip, Seve Perlman, a rough errain boanis who works or he Na-

ional ropical Boanical Garden and collaboraes closely wih he PEP Program, spoke o he sadness

o losing millions o years o evoluion when a species dies ou. He said people in his line o work need

hospice herapy, as well as schooling in rough errain boany.

CYANEA DUNBARIAEPhoto by Steve Per lman NTBG

Breadrui (Arocarpus alilis) is no exacly on our ra-

dar, since i is a ropical rui ha is no generally ound

on our supermarke shelves. Bu breadrui hisorically was such an imporan ood source ha he Bouny,

Capain Blighs ship, was especially purchased and -

ed ou by he Briish Royal Navy over 200 years ago o ranspor breadrui rees rom ahii o he

Wes Indies o eed slaves. oday i is high on he lis o oods ha are being disribued o gh world

hunger.

BREADFRUIT, A STAPLEFOR WORLD HUNGER

BY TINA FREEMAN

New Orleans Town Gardeners (LA) Zone IXVice-Chairman, GCA National Affairs and Legislation,Endangered Species


21/3220


Te breadrui ree has an amazing range o uses.

Te rui can be cooked and eaen a all sages o

growh, rom small and immaure, when i is similar

o arichoke hears, o sarchily maure, o ripe, when

i is so and swee. I is ypically consumed when

maure bu sill rm and is a delicious subsiue or

sarchy roo crops like poaoes, pasa, or rice. Te

resh rui can baked, boiled, roased, or seamed.

From a nuriional perspecive, breadrui is high

in energy rom carbohydraes and low in a. I is a

good source o ber, calcium, copper, iron, magne-

sium, poassium, hiamine, and niacin. Some varie-

ies are good sources o ani-oxidans and caroenoids.

Tese mulipurpose rees also provide consrucionmaerials, medicine, abric, glue, insec repellen, ani-

mal eed, and more. Breadrui is an imporan componen in radiional agrooresry sysems and can

be grown wih a wide range o plans. Te rees suppor susainable agriculure, improve soil condiions

and waersheds, and provide ood securiy. Breadrui rees also give sheler and ood or imporan

plan pollinaors and seed dispersers such as honeybees, birds, and rui bas.

More han 80 percen o undernourished people live in he ropics and sub-ropics. World hunger is

now an enormous problem and growing, he number o people aeced recenly repored by Te Food

and Agriculure Organizaion being 1.02 billion. Arica is a hospo. Te Breadrui insiue a he Na-

ional ropical Boanical Garden has recenly sen breadrui plans o Arica o help wih his problem.

Breadrui is a versaile plan. Te Naional ropical Boanical Gardens Kahanu Garden on Maui

houses he larges and mos exensive breadrui collecion in he world. Te collecion conains more

han 120 varieies o abou 220 rees. Tey are naive o over 30 islands hroughou he Pacic region,

including he Seychelles, Indonesia, he Philippines and oher areas o he ropics. Dr. Diane Rigone,

Direcor o he Breadrui Insiue, colleced many o hese over he las 20 years. She sared collecing

while doing her docoral research and has worked wih hese rees all o her proessional career. Shepainsakingly colleced he small rees using he radiional mehod o roo culure.

In 2003 Dr. Rigone began invesigaing issue culuring, an in viro mehod o propagaing. Which

allows healhy, disease-ree reelings o be grown in large numbers and shipped in es ubes. Anoher

imporan aspec o her research is o combine varieies ha rui over 12 monhs o he year.

BREADFRUITPhoto by Candace C. Lyche


22/3221


Why breadrui?

Breadrui rees grow easily in a wide range o ecological condiions wih minimal inpu o labor or

maerials and require litle atenion or care. rees begin o bear rui in hree o ve years, producing

or many decades. An average-sized ree wih a canopy cover o 25m will conservaively produce 100

rui (100 kg), while larger rees can yield 400 o 600 ruis. Yields are superior o oher sarchy saples

due, in par, o is vericaliy o producion. A similar-sized plo o land planed in planains or roo and

uber crops will produce less ood while needing greaer labor and maerials. Breadrui conribues o

susainable ood securiy, diversied susainable agriculure and agrooresry, improved soil condiions

and waersheds, and valuable environmenal benes including reducion o CO2.

reelings have over he pas hree years been delivered o areas o he Pacic and las Ocober 1000

breadrui plans were delivered o Ghana, he rs in Arica. Laer in Ocober H.E. Presiden Olusegun

Obansanjo o Nigeria ook a a o plugs home wih him rom he meeing o he World Food Prize

Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa.

Tis is an exciing beginning ha hopeully will mirror he success o he poao 500 years ago.

Many hanks o Dr. Ragone or he inormaion she provided or his aricle.

How is global warming inuencing he climae in Ha-

waii?

Dr. Chip Flecher, a climae change geologis,

opened his presenaion wih his quesion, a Kapi-

olani Communiy College on Day 2 o he GCA Conservaion Conerence. Te answer includes he

ollowing daa: Air emperaure in Hawaii shows a warming rend ha has increased over he las 100

years and is acceleraing since he 1970s. Carbon dioxide, which has a higher concenraion in he

amosphere han oher greenhouse gases, has he larges impac on global warming and is also he gas

mos abundanly produced by he modern era o human civilizaion. Scienic measuremen showing

he increased level o carbon dioxide in he amosphere was rs developed in 1958 a he Mauna Loa

Observaory in Hawaii.

{NOE: Using his newly developed scienic echnique a he op o Mauna Loa, he rs amoun

o carbon dioxide measured in a relaively unpollued amosphere was 310 pars per million (ppm). By

CLIMATE CHANGE ANDRISING SEA LEVELS IN HAWAII

BY LINDA JAMES

Garden Club East Hampton (NY) Zone IIIVice Chairman, GCA Conservation Committee,Climate Change


23/3222


2007 he Unied Naions

declared ha scienic evi-

dence on he earhs warm-

ing had become unequivo-

cal, wih carbon dioxide

measured a 383-384 ppm.

In December, 2011 he car-

bon dioxide level in he a-

mosphere was measured a

392 PPM.1,2

Dr. Flecher oulined

he impac o Hawaiis

changing climae, which is consisen wih he inuence o global warming: rising air emperaures,

decreased rainall and sream ow, increased rain inensiy, ocean acidicaion, rising sea surace em-peraures and sea levels. In Hawaii, rainall has declined abou 15% over he las 20 years, bu inense

downpours have increased approximaely 12% beween 1958 and 2007. Alhough Universiy o Ha-

waii marine scieniss have measured an increase o sea surace emperaures or he laiudes o Hawaii

in he easern Norh Pacic, Hawaiian rees have largely escaped major widespread bleaching. Bu hey

are no ou o danger i a warming rend coninues.

However, as rising carbon dioxide in he amosphere mixes wih seawaer, he availabiliy o dis-

solved carbonae, vial o he oceans marine bioa, is reduced and he ocean acidies. Coninued

acidicaion would have proound impacs in Hawaii on some o he mos undamenal biological and

geochemical sea processes.

According o Dr. Flecher, sea level in Hawaii has been rising over he pas cenury a approximaely

0.6 inches per decade, leading o episodic ooding and erosion along he coas, he resul o exreme

ides and weaher evens. Climae change is expeced o escalae sea level rise. Coasal roads and com-

muniies are under hrea. Sal inrusion in coasal welands and groundwaer sysems will inensiy

and exreme ides will increase in already-challenged drainage sysems, and rising ocean waers will

coninue o cause increased coasal damage. Due o local variabiliy, changing winds, and ocean cur-rens, undersanding he patern o sea level change is complex and calls or careul monioring and

improved modeling eors.

1 www.climae.gov/#climaeWach

2 "Climae Change Repor", Garden Club o America Conservaion Commitee Vice-Chair - Climae Change LJames,

November, 2011.

VIEW OF HONOLULU HARBORPhoto by Pat Wall


24/3223


Using a se o slides

o visualize a projeced

coasal sea level rise o 3

ee above he 1990 level by

he end o he cenury, Dr.

Flecher summarized his

dramaic presenaion wih

he ollowing conclusions

or Hawaii:

Climate changes are

having measurable impacs on human communiies and naural ecosysems

Climate changes continue to threaten Hawaiis water resources and forested coastal communi-

ies and marine ecology.

Our hanks o Dr. Flecher or a lecure ha provided he NAL/Conservaion Commitee atendees

an inormaive baseline in he general science o climae change. Linking he rends o climae change

daa o projeced impacs on Hawaiis naural resources, Dr. Flecher oulined he challenges Hawaii

aces and he need or ocused governmen monioring and planning or adapaion and miigaion

sraegies. See "Climae Change and Sea Level Rise in Hawaii" by Dr. Chip Flecher, Deparmen o

AERIAL VIEW OF WAIKIKICourtesy of Wikipedia.com


25/3224


Hawaiian Elecric Companys slogan, "Energy Indepen-

dence is up o us," speaks volumes. Wih niney percen

o Hawaiis energy generaed by impored ossil uels and he

highes elecriciy raes in he Unied Saes, Hawaii adoped

he Clean Energy Iniiaive in 2008. I is he naions mos

aggressive energy policy, ormed hrough a parnership beween he Hawaiian Islands and he U.S.

Deparmen o Energy. Te agreemen mandaes ha by 2030 he Hawaiian Islands will derive 70

percen o heir energy needs via a combinaion o renewable resources (40 percen) and conserva-

ion programs (30 percen). An imporer o six billion dollars worh o oil annually, he Hawaiians are

consanly a he whim o world markes, poenial supply uncerainies, and heir own aging elecric

inrasrucure. Over 10 percen o Hawaiians Gross Sae Produc is devoured by energy coss. No

surprisingly, he Hawaiian Islands are ripe grounds or a diverse porolio o aggressive clean energysraegies.

One leader o he charge is Je Mikulina, execuive Direcor o he Blue Plane Foundaion, a local

biparisan nonpro commited o

a ossil uel-ree uure or Hawaii.

He spoke abou his several-old

mission during he GCA Conserva-

ion/NAL sudy rip in Honolulu.

His organizaion promoes imple-

mening sringen energy policy,

creaing a social movemen around

energy, and developing pilo pro-

grams o help consumers make wise

HAWAIIS CLEANENERGY IMPERATIVE

BY CAROL DAVIS

Green Spring Valley G.C. (MD) Zone VIZone VI Representative, GCA Conservation andNAL Committees

BIG WIND AND WAVE ON MAUICourtesy of Wikipedia.com

Geology and Geophysics, School o Ocean and Earh Science and echnology, Universiy o Hawaii

a Manoa.

Coninuing in an academic role, Dr. Flecher provided me wih a 2010 Brieng Shee, "Hawaiis

Changing Climae." In addiion o my noes, his paper has been an imporan resource or his aricle.

I also hank Dr. Flecher or his lis o climae change Inerne resources (which I will gladly share wih

hose who are ineresed). And, nally, a lasing hank you or addressing me as a growing "climae

change junkie".


26/3225


energy choices. Te group pushes or an islandwide surge in use o renewables: gahering and soring

more power rom world-class radewinds, broadening use o solar energy, drawing energy rom ocean

swells, and expanding use o local biouels. Te Foundaion seeks o urher energy efciency and urges

cooperaion among residens, companies and he governmen o cu consumers coss.

Soluions o Hawaiis burdensome uel coss are lierally all over he map. Six wind arms are in op-

eraion on Molokai, he big island o Hawaii, Maui, and Lanai. Tey have a combined poenial urbine

generaion o 1,000 megawats. One in our homes in Hawaii currenly has a solar ho waer sysem and

all new homes require insallaion o rooop hermal solar panels as o 2010. (Waer heaing accouns

or abou 40% o he average elecric bill.) Hawaiis rs uiliy scale phoovolaic insallaion was con-

sruced on Lanai and expansion o phoovolaic panels a schools, hospials and correcional ceners

was announced his pas December. Oceanlinx, an Ausralian company, recenly se up a saionary

plaorm o he coas o Maui o

capure kineic energy creaed by

waves, currens and ides via com-pressed air buoy echnology. An-

oher projec in Honolulu pumps

cold seawaer ino a cooling saion

o use or air condiioning. Te

40-degree waer brings he em-

peraure down in he disribuion

sysems o over ory downown

highrises, saving over 20 percen in

annual cooling coss. Te Hawaiian

Ligh Company aps ino he vas

cauldron o hea under he Kilauea Volcano, where ho waer and seam ravel up wells o he surace

o generae elecriciy. And he Hawaiian Elecric Company is now parnering wih Japan on a "Maui

Smar Grid Projec" o nd ways o miigae he unpredicable naure o erraic energy producion rom

wind and sun.

As par o Hawaiis Clean Energy Iniiaive, Hawaiians are ackling ransporaion issues, as well.

Te Deparmen o ransporaion aims o reduce ground uel usage 70 percen by 2030 and place10,000 elecric vehicles on he road wihin ve years. A Palo Alo, CA-based company, A Beter Place, is

seting up a nework o charging and batery replacemen saions or Hawaiis growing ee. Misubi-

shis rs Norh American delivery o heir "i" 100 percen elecric model was o Honolulus por. EV

cars are now available or ren a he Honolulu airpor, more Zip Cars are available in designaed spos,

and eighy HEV ransi buses are errying passengers around Oahu.

OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION (OTEC)USES THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

WARM SURFACE WATER AND DEEP COLD WATER TO DRI VEA HEAT ENGINE. THE VERTICAL TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE MUST

BE AT LEAST 20 DEGREES, AND IDEALLY 30 40 DEGREES.Courtesy of Wikipedia.com


27/3226


Green iniiaives and ingenuiy are prevalen hroughou he islands. Blue Planes conservaion pro-

grams have included ree CFL/incandescen exchange programs on Molokai a businesses, schools,

churches, and Hui Up, an appliance replacemen projec. Te Foundaion purchased Energy Sar ap-

pliances in bulk a wholesale prices and passed he discouns along wih bill rebaes o residens. On

one planaion in Maui, biomass, known as sugar cane bagasee, produces all o he energy or he plan-

aion and is sold o he local elecric company. Oher experimenal crops or biomass producion in-

clude eucalypus, which does no require exensive replaning as i regeneraes rom sumps; and algae

arming in he sea. One indusrial park is ueled enirely by biodiesel, primarily animal as and wase

grease rom resaurans. New publicly-owned buildings in Honolulu now have o be LEED ceried.

Looming quesions include he enormous coss or grid modernizaion and island inerconneciv-

iy via undersea cables which are needed o efcienly disribue he renewable resources hroughou

he islands. Te governmen is considering raising he barrel ax as dedicaed unding or clean energy

projecs and as an emergency und. Residens o he smaller Hawaiian islands resis he environmenalimpac and disrupion o new energy resource developmen and seek royalies and communiy benes

packages or use o heir land and resources. In he 1990s, he Big Islanders proesed agains hermal

energy venures, earing ha hey were sucking he lie orce ou o Pele, he volcano goddess o he Ha-

waiian people. Furhermore, aer he 2012 Sae o he Sae Address, Je Mikulina is concerned ha

Governor Abercrombie has now added impored naural gas o he energy mix, lessening he urgency

o renewable power generaion projecs and conservaion eors.

Hawaiians reuse o run on empy, however. Hawaii currenly leads he naion in energy savings

perormance per capia. And, visionaries like Je Mikulina are commited o achieving he 70 percen

Clean Energy Iniiaive goal and harnessing Hawaiis many indigenous resources o susain he com-

muniy.

Sources:

blueplaneoundaion.ino/Recen-News/gov-abercrombie-hi

blueplaneoundaion.org

Hawaii Powered, 2010 HawaiI Clean energy Iniiaive

www.mauielecric.com/poral/sie/heco

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011

www.onewaer.org/sories urning o he Ocean o Cool Honolulus Skyscrapers, 2010

Knigh Cener or Inernaional Media, Univ. o Miami School o communicaion


28/3227


Popular auhor Cynhia Barnet has ollowed her award-win-

ning book,Mirage: Florida and he Vanishing Waer o he Eas-

ern U.S.wih a new ile,Blue Revoluion, Unmaking Americas

Waer Crisis. In his book she observes ha he issue is no

ha we don have enough waer bu raher ha we don have enough clean waer o wase. She de-

scribes how communiies around he globe are addressing heir waer supply problems, worrying ha

he American people are unconneced o he waer hey depend upon and so leave reshwaer ecosys-

ems unproeced and vulnerable.

Cynhia Barnet reminds us ha:

1. America was blessed wih a vas amoun o waer above

and below he ground. Our lakes conain he larges number o sh

and reshwaer species ound anywhere on he plane, ye our resh-

waer habias are now he mos degraded o all American ecosys-

ems, wih 40% o all sh species imperiled. Ye many individual

saes are beginning or coninuing "waer wars" wih heir neigh-bors. We can conras ha siuaion wih waer-independen Singa-

pore, where every drop on ha iny island is used and reused.

2. Many Americans mainain he illusion ha he resh waer

supply is endless and abundan. Tey believe he myh ha we can

always urn on our ap and have all he waer we wan. Sill, hey undersand litle abou where he

waer comes rom, who conrols i, how much i really coss and where i goes aer we use i a kind o

"hydraulic illieracy" making us no value waer enough o proec i or pay or i.

3. Americans use more waer han any culure in he world (abou 410 billion gallons a day or

150 gallons per person). Hal o his resh waer is used in agriculure. Te oher hal, which we use in

our households, is pu on our lawns (Americas larges crop) and landscaping wih all o i reurning

back o our waerways pollued primarily wih pesicides and erilizer.

4. When we undersand ha resh waer is a naional reasure ha mus be conserved, reused, re-

cycled and proeced insead o being squandered like " liquid liter", and ha our exising waer supply

model no longer works, Ms. Barnet believes we will adop an American "waer ehic." Some drough-plagued American communiies have already been orced o esablish such sandards, ollowing he

lead o an increasing number o religious organizaions who sen ou a moral call or responsible sew-

ardship o he land.

THE ILLUSION OF FRESHWATER ABUNDANCE

BY SUSAN CAVEN

First Vice- Chair Conservation Committee


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PRIVATE GARDEN TOURSTO END OUR JOURNEY

Photo by Sue Klein

Photo by Gretchen Downs




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A special thank you goes to the Hawaii study trip

committee, led by Chair Heidi Ho, including Hono-

lulu G.C. members Lisa Cavanah, Lili Meagher, Jean

Abbott, Heidi Bornhorst, Barbara Kuljis, Phyllis Lee,

Elizabeth Riegels and Joyce Tomonari for an extraor-

dinary trip, and to the members of the Honolulu G.C.

that welcomed us into their homes and gardens. Addi-

tional thanks goes to the leadership of our Conserva-

tion and National Affairs and Legislation committees,

Fayetta Weaver and Melissa McAdams, respectively.MELISSA MCADAMS AND FAYETTA WEAVER

Photo by Pat Wall

Conservaion Wach, a publicaion o he Garden Club o America, is produced

by he GCA Conservaion Commiee. Readers' ideas, conribuions, and

suggesions are welcome, as are requess or addiional inormaion on any o he

subjecs presened, and may be emailed o he Edior.

Candace C. Lyche, Edior


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INDEX

"STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN ON ISLANDS" 1

BY SARAH YOUNG

THE ANCIENT HAWAIIANS APPROACH TO CONSERVATION 2

BY MARSHA MERRELL

PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA: WHERE NATURE AND CULTURE MEET 4

BY JENNIFER FAIN

JAPANS TSUNAMI AND MARINE DEBRIS 6

BY DIANA FISH

KAWAINUI MARSH - ANCIENT HAWAIIANS

UNDERSTOOD THE VALUE OF CLEAN AND PLENTIFUL WATER 8BY RUTH FLOURNOY

AQUACULTURE, OLD AND NEW 11

BY SARAH YOUNG

AN UPDATE ON GMOS 13

BY JOAN MURPHY

ALIENS ON MAGICAL ISLANDS: A REPORT ON OURCONSERVATION-NAL TRIP TO HAWAII IN 2012 16

BY JEANNE ARTHUR

ABLE TO LEAP TALL BUILDINGSIN A SINGLE BOUND? WELL.... ALMOST. 18

BY SUSAN OSBORNE

BREADFRUIT, A STAPLEFOR WORLD HUNGER 19

BY TINA FREEMAN

CLIMATE CHANGE ANDRISING SEA LEVELS IN HAWAII 21

BY LINDA JAMES

HAWAIIS CLEANENERGY IMPERATIVE 24

BY CAROL DAVIS

THE ILLUSION OF FRESH WATER ABUNDANCE

BY SUSAN CAVEN


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Fayeta Weaver,Chairman

GCA Conservaion Commitee

Mill Valley Mounain Garden Club (VA)

Zone VII

2502 Sanley Avenue SE

Roanoke, VA 24014-3332

(540) 345-2229

(540) 345-5726 (ax)

Melissa McAdams, Chairman

GCA Naional Aairs and Legislaion

Knoxville Garden Club (N) Zone IX

1043 Craigland Cour

Knoxville, N 37919

(865) 558-9441

(865) 250-3890 (cell)

[email protected]

Candace C. Lyche,Edior


Hillsborough Garden Club (CA) Zone XII

171 New Place Road

Hillsborough, CA 94010

(650) 537-0506

[email protected]

Anne OBrien,Assisan Edior


Columbine Garden Club (AZ) Zone XII

6018 Eas Cholla Lane

Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

(480) 874-3323

(480) 970-8328 (ax)

[email protected]

CONTACTS

conwatch winter 2011-2012

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