sabella Aiona Abbott was an educator and ethnobotanist from Hawaii. She was the first native Hawaiian woman to receive a PhD in science, and became the leading expert on Pacific algae.
Please join us as we celebrate Dr. Abbott's birthday and help in rehabilitating this iconic Hawaiian landmark – Waikiki Beach!!
THE PROJECT
Several species of alien algae have become established on Hawaii’s reefs, and have contributed towards the decline of some reef areas. One such area is the reef fronting the Aquarium, and here efforts have been underway since 2002 to remove these alien species and to restore the reef to its natural condition. Driven by Dr. Celia Smith and her students at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Botany, this Waikiki Aquarium/Botany Department collaboration is a community-oriented project that seeks to remove the alien algae from the reef ecosystem by picking them from the substrate and loading them onshore. Care is taken that any native species inadvertently collected by volunteers is returned to the ocean. The alien algae are weighed, to assess both the scale of the challenge and the effectiveness of the removal efforts, and transported to Honolulu Zoo. There the algae are added to the Zoo’s compost pile, which is used to fertilize the plants on the Zoo grounds and available for public use. At each cleanup, volunteers numbers range from 25 to 90 and represent individuals from throughout the community. All ages are welcome, however minors should be accompanied by an adult at all times.
What to Bring:
Volunteers will want to bring their own tabis or reef shoes, gloves, and even water gear - goggles, mask fins snorkels, towels and sunblock...but, you don't have to go in the water- there are jobs on 'land'.
