Aloha everyone! Here we are again with another month gone and into the next. We just got 15 inches of snow dropped on us Saturday and although beautiful, it's time for a little Hawaii to melt away the snow. ;-) I hope this blog finds you all well and hope you all have a terrific week. The Mighty Mo is back where it belongs, so I'm going to talk about that and with endangered animals showing up way too often, Hawaiis Monk Seal Pups are also declining.
*Volunteers and Supporters Of The Battleship Missouri Honored Over The Weekend*
Governor Linda Lingle and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard commander Capt. Gregory R. Thomas, over the weekend, joined the Battleship Missouri Memorial in saluting its volunteers and supporters as the historic ship fully reopened to visitation following a multimillion-dollar drydocking project. It's a tribute to the American men and women who fought with pride and with courage during World War II. The outpouring of support to preserve this important part of our nations history is absolutely beautiful. Hawaii is proud to be homeport for the Battleship Missouri, which serves as a source of great inspiration and education to future generations, Govenor Lingle said. She also said The Mighy Mo will always be a part of the rich history of our nation and the principles of freedom and democracy that will continue to guide us into the future.
Shipyard commander Capt. Thomas said, "for three months, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers had the honor of safeguarding this national treasure. We take great pride in our support for the historic docking, preservation and undocking of this revered symbol of victory in the great World War II." The Battleship Missouri is now in better shape than any other historic ship in the world. We are grateful to have the expertise and resources in Hawaii to drydock the Missouri, thanks to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and BAE Systems and its subcontractors, says Memorial President Michael Carr. Just as important were the many local residents and Hawaii-based military volunteers who selflessly stepped forward to donate their time so that the Missouri returned home on schedule. The Missouri's return from drydocking, completed on time, comes just in time to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II this summer, on September 2nd.
An ukulele band from the Big Island of Hawaii's Waiakea Intermediate School, performed at a ceremony in honor of the memorial's volunteers and supporters. The school group stayed aboard the 66-year-old iconic battleship all weekend as part of the memorial's overnight program focusing on science, technology, engineering and math. I kind of jumped the gun last week when sending out a related link that Mike wrote, here at Hawaiin Life. I will resend the link, because it is a good article and also if some people didn't catch it last time around, it is about The Mighty Mo!
http://hawaiianlife.com/content/touring-mighty-mo
*Hawaiian Monk Seal Pups Endangered*
Each year there has been a 4% decline annually, with population in the islands down to 1,100 of Hawaiian Monk Seal Pups. The 2009 breeding season produced fewer pups in 10 years as the highly endangered marine mammal species continued its slide toward possible extinction. In 2008 NOAA Fisheries biologists counted 138 pups compared to only 119 last year in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Biologists predict their numbers will dip below 1,000 in the next three to four years, making the Hawaiian monk seal one of the world's rarest species.
These young animals aren't getting enough food. The smaller animals are competing with bigger predators and are losing out to bigger monk seals and predators such as sharks. Also humans are to blame for shooting the pups. Parasites can also cause trouble for the young pups. The biggest problem is poor juvenile survival. Less than 1 out of 5 monk seal pups that are born, live to grow up into adults. It's so sad because large numbers of the adorable pups, are starving to death. The breeding class of the pups will have a large impact for years to come, even if they could solve the problem of their decline.
They can become entangled in fishing equipment, such as nets and other things like boats and their motors and anchors. Monk seal pups, are about 3 feet long and weigh 35 pounds at birth, and have a 90 percent survival rate during their first six weeks. Although, once the pups are fattened up and weaned, their mothers abandon them and return to sea. If they can make it to 4 or 5 years old, it's a safer bet that they can survive. Biologists are now experimenting with two new strategies — relocation and deworming — to improve the survival odds for juvenile monk seals.
*On Friday, state Sen. Gary Hooser introduced legislation (SB 2441) that would increase the penalty for harming or killing Hawaiian monk seals and other endangered species from a misdemeanor to a Class-C felony. He also said that passing this legislation will send a message that the people of Hawaii will not stand by and allow individuals to take their anger out on innocent animals. I hope this legislation comes to pass, because we really want to protect and preserve this adorable animal, so it is around for generations to come.
Mike did an interesting article here at Hawaiian Life, that included these adorable animals. It's sad but hope the legislation will help save these adorable little creatures.
http://hawaiianlife.com/content/marine-life-coast-hawaiian-islands
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this weeks blog. I appreciate a place to write about all things Hawaiian. Hope you all have a fantastic week. Until next time, Mahalo!
Aloha,
Di
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