Naturalist Tools

Sky, Land & Ocean

Naturalist Tools

 

Naturalists can identify other Naturalists by their tools, because we are always carrying something to record data or collect specimens in the field. Not all tools are physical, because some of our tools are knowledge. Scientific names are basic tools of a Naturalist.

Working in the field, a Naturalist will carry many tools in a pack. A good day-hike backpack or fanny pack is the minimum needed.

 

Observe and Record

• Binoculars. When you are birding or whale watching, you’ll want your best pair of binoculars, but they can add weight and bulk to your back pack.
• Camera. I use the camera in the smart phone for low resolution photos, and a small point and shoot camera for macro photos.
• Containers for collecting. I put everything in my back pack into zip lock bags, with extra bags for collecting. I keep a large assortment of used plastic jars in the trunk of my car for collecting larger specimens. I throw in several sets of bamboo chopsticks as a substitute for tweezers.
• GPS. Why carry a GPS and compass and set of maps, when “there’s an app for that”? I’ll use the GPS unit for more precise measurements, but continue to use the smart phone as a compass, and as a GPS to mark both tracks and way points.
• Knife. A Swiss Army Knife is the basic tool needed. Some field work requires a large blade and handle for sawing through woody plants, or cutting up marine debris.
• Magnifying lens. The small Fresnel lenses are flat and flexible. I have a plastic magnifying lens on a handle, but plastic scratches over time.
• Notebook and 2 pencils. I carry it, but find myself using a smart phone to dictate or type my field notes.
• Ruler. A six inch or ten centimeter plastic ruler is light weight and not bulky. Where possible, I place the ruler in the photo. Something else in your field kit can be taped or marked into units of measurement as a substitute for a ruler.

Photo 1: Contents of My Backpack: Chopsticks, Knife, Fresnel Lens, Notebook & 2 Pencils, Ruler, and Zip Lock Bags.

 

Field Guides and ID Keys

Any book you carry in your field pack is going to add weight and bulk. I will carry my favorite Field Guides when I am leading a group and need to teach a variety of species in a very short period of time. I would use the plastic cards more if the photos and illustrations were user friendly. Unfortunately, the colors and sizes of species on these cards are not that helpful.

Naturalists use ID Keys to identify unknown plants and animals. It involves carefully observing and recording information. The most common type of key is called a Dichotomous Key.

If you take photos or make sketches in the field, these can be used along with the Field Guides and ID Keys when you are back in the classroom or in front of the computer.

Safety

• Benadryl and/or EpiPen®. Benadryl is the name brand, but it also comes in a generic with the drug store label. It can be applied as a spray-on, a gel, or it can be taken internally as a tablet. I carry at least 4 tablets, in their foil pouches, in a zip lock bag. If you have a known allergy to insect stings, you already have a prescribed EpiPen®.
• Emergency Phone Numbers: A smart phone can be programmed to remember the basic emergency phone numbers used in the state of Hawai’i for: Ambulance – Fire – Police, Coast Guard, Hospital, Poison Control Center, and Utilities (electric, gas and water).
• First Aid basic supplies. Keep a few Band-Aids in a zip lock bag.
• First Aid Kits. The most used item in a first aid is the Band-Aid. My large First Aid Kit also contains a Resuscitation Mask. Do you need a few supplies or a large kit?
• Soap. Wash out an open wound with soap and water As Soon As Possible. Infection is fast and sometimes fatal in our semi-tropical paradise.
• Socks. Dry socks have saved many Naturalists!
• Vinegar. Some stings from marine creatures have mild venom that responds well to vinegar.
• Water. Carry water for hydration and for first aid.

Photo 2: First Aid & Safety Items in My Backpack: Band-Aids, Benadryl, Gloves, Soap Bar, Vinegar and Water. The green bag is a first aid kit with resuscitation mask for my dive bag.

 

Conservation:

Naturalists working in the field need tools appropriate for the job. The Crew Leader is responsible for developing an inventory of tools that need to taken to remote locations. Each activity will require a different set of tools: bird banding, coastal clean-ups, fence repair, marine debris removal, removing invasive species, planting native trees, and trail repair.

 

Resources:

Compleat Naturalist, The  http://www.compleatnaturalist.com/

Texas Junior Naturalist  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/junior_naturalists/tools.phtml

Tools for Backyard Naturalists  http://www.backyardnature.net/tools.htm

 

Rick Long, 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

Naturalist Videos #1

Sky, Land & Ocean

Naturalist Videos #1

Vimeo

Endangered Hawaii – HD

American Bird Conservancy

Endangered Hawai’i produced by American Bird Conservancy (ABC) with funding by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and narrated by actor Richard Chamberlain. The film explores the on-going bird extinction crisis in Hawai’i that has led to about 70 percent of all native bird species in the state becoming extinct. With beautiful footage of many of Hawaii’s stunning birds and their habitats, the film showcases the unique biodiversity of our 50th state and explains the environmental crisis that has caused Hawai’i to become known as the “Bird Extinction Capital of the World.” It describes the nature of the crisis, its causes, and current efforts to implement solutions for species on the brink. Length 30 minutes, 34 seconds

https://vimeo.com/42592260

‘Ike ‘Āina: Sustainability in the context of Hawaiian epistemology

Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer

Hawaiian Epistemology from The Kohala Center. Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer, using humor and interactive teaching techniques, explains “‘Ike ‘Āina: Sustainability in the context of Hawaiian epistemology.” Taped October 23, 2009 in Keauhou, Hawai’i. Length 65 minutes, 2 seconds.

https://vimeo.com/7910477

The Rain Follows The Forest

from Hawai’i Division of Land and Natural Resources

Jason Scott Lee sets out on a journey to learn about sustainable life in our island home. Through interesting conversations, he learns about Hawaii’s fragile fresh water supply and discovers connections to our upland forest environment. Length 28 minutes, 30 seconds.

https://vimeo.com/36052192

Rick Long, 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

Naturalist Readings #2

Sky, Land & Ocean

Naturalist Readings #2

Coastal

Komoto, Jill. Editor. Getting Involved in Caring for Hawaii’s Coastal Resources: A Community Guidebook. Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Research, 2006. http://coralreef.noaa.gov/education/educators/resourcecd/guides/resources/hi_resources_g.pdf

Conservation

Mitchell, C., et al. October 2005.Hawaii’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Department of Land and Natural Resources. Honolulu, Hawai’i. 722 pp.

Copies of this publication may be downloaded from http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/cwcs/index.html

Geology

Sinton, John.Maui Field Guide. March, 2006, University of Hawai’i, Department of Geology and Geopyhsics. PDF, 40 pages.

http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/resources/docs/Maui_2006.pdf

Soils

Deenik, J. and A. T. McClellan.Soils of Hawai’i. Soil and Crop Management, September, 2007 SCM-20. Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai’i at Manoa. PDF, 20 pages.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/SCM-20.pdf

Wetlands

Erickson, Terrell A., and Christopher F. Puttock with photographs by Laura M. Crago.Hawaii Wetland Field Guide: An ecological and identification guide to wetlands and wetland plants of the Hawaiian islands. Funded by Environmental Protection Agency grant CD-96911601-0 to Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife. (c) 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and distributed by Bess Press Books, Honolulu. PDF, 307 pages.

http://hawaiiconservation.org/files/content/resources/publications/general_conservation_resources/hawaii_wetland_guide.pdf

Rick Long, 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

Naturalist Readings #1

Sky, Land & Ocean

Naturalist Readings #1

Ahupua’a

Mueller-Dombois, Dieter. The Hawaiian Ahupua’a Land Use System: Its Biological Resource Zones and the Challenges for Silvicultural Restoration. Biology of Hawaiian Streams and Estuaries. Bishop Museum in Cultural and Environmental Studies 3: 23-33 (2007). PDF, 11 pages. Google Documents

Paman, Joylynn. Our Ahupua’a – Sustainable Living in Traditional Hawaiian Culture. Conservation Council for Hawaii, (c) 2010. website: www.conservehi.org For copies, contact CCH at 808.593.0255 or info@conservehi.orgPDF, 7 pages.

http://www.conservehi.org/documents/CCH_PosterGuide10.pdf

Ethnobotany

Gon, III, Sam M. Application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practices of Indigenous Hawaiians to the Revegetation of Kaho’olawe. Ethnobotany Research & Applications 1: 5-20 (2003). PDF, 19 pages. http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/125

Krauss. Beatrice H.Ethnobotany of the Hawaiians. University of Hawaii, Harold L. Lyon Arboretum Lecture Number 5, May 15, 1974. PDF, 29 pages.

http://kohalacenter.org/teachertraining/pdf/Ethnobotany-Krauss.pdf

Restoration

Medeiros, Arthur C.Restoration of Native Hawaiian Dryland Forest at Auwahi. Fact sheet. United States Geological Survey. PDF, 4 pages.

http://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/pierc/files/factsheets/auwahi.pdf

Science Education

Chinn, Pauline W.U., et al.Ua lele ka manu (The bird has flown): Indigenous /local inquiry methods. PDF, 26 pages.

http://manoa.hawaii.edu/coe/kulia/publications/Ua%20lele%20ka%20manu%20Taiwan.pdf

 

Rick Long, 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

Community Resources

Sky, Land & Ocean

Community Resources

A

Aha Moku

‘Āhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve

Auwahi Restoration

B

Breadfruit Institute, The

C

Community Work Day Program <Facebook>

Conservation Council for Hawai’i <Facebook>

Coral Reef Alliance <Facebook> <YouTube>

Coral Reef Alliance – Hawai’i

Coral Reef Data Monitoring Portal

D

D.T. Fleming Arboretum at Pu’u Mahoe, Inc.

Digital Bus <see also>

E

East Maui Watershed Partnership <see also>

East Moloka’i Watershed Partnership <see also>

Ewa Beach Limu Project <see also>

Eyes of the Reef Network <Facebook>

F

Friends of ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve <Facebook>

Friends of Haleakalā National Park <Facebook>

Friends of Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge <Facebook>

Friends of Moku’ula, Inc. <Facebook>

G

H

Haleakalā National Park

Haleki’i-Pihana Heiau State Monument

Hawai’i Association of Watershed Partnerships

Hawai’i Conservation Alliance <Facebook>

Hawai’i Coral Reef Strategy

Hawai’i Division of Land & Natural Resources <Facebook>

Boards/Commissions:

Board of Land and Natural Resources;

Commission on Water Resource Management; Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission; Natural Area Reserves System Commission; Public Land Development Corporation

Divisions:

Aquatic Resources Division; Bureau of Conveyances; Boating and Ocean Recreation; Conservation and Resource Enforcement; Engineering Division; Forestry and Wildlife; Land Division; Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands; State Parks; State Historic Preservation

Hawai’i Ecosystems at Risk

Hawai’i Entomological Society <Facebook>

Hawai’i Nature Center

Hawai’i Nature Center – Maui <Facebook>

Hawai’i Ocean Project (Lahaina Cruise Co.) <Facebook>

Hawai’i Wildlife Fund <Facebook> <YouTube>

Hawaiian Endangered Seabirds Project

Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Hawaiian Islands Land Trust <Facebook> <YouTube>

Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program <Facebook>

Hoaloha ‘Aina (Friends of the Land) / South Maui Coastal Volunteers

Honolua Bay-Mokule’ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District

Ho’omaka Hou Project

Hui Malama O Mo’omomi <on-line resource not located>

Hui ‘o Wa’a Kaulua <Facebook>

I

‘Iao Valley State Monument

Invasive Species Committees of Hawai’i

Island Earth, COSEE (Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence)

J

K

Ka’anapali Makai Watch <Facebook>

Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area <Facebook>

Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission

Kaho’olawe Friends and Volunteers <Facebook>

Kakahai’a National Wildlife Refuge

Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary <see also>

Kaumahina State Wayside

Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

Kipahulu ‘Ohana <Facebook>

L

Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center <Facebook>

Lāna‘i Forest and Watershed Partnership

Lāna‘i Native Species Recovery Program

Leeward Haleakalā Watershed Restoration Partnership <see also>

M

Makena State Park

Makena State Park Oneloa Coalition <Facebook>

Mālama Maunalua

Manele Bay-Hulopo’e Bay Marine Life Conservation District

Marine Option Program

Marine Option Program – Maui

Maui Aloha ‘Aina Association

Maui Astronomy Club

Maui Bird Conservation Center

Maui Cultural Lands, Inc. <Facebook>

Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project <Facebook>

Maui Huliau Foundation <Facebook> <YouTube>

Maui Invasive Species Committee

Maui Nui Botanical Gardens <Facebook>

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council <Facebook>

Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project

Maui Ocean Bloggers

Maui Ocean Center <Facebook>

Maui Ocean Stewards <Facebook> <see also>

Maui Park Watch

Maui Reef Fund <Facebook>

Moloka’i Land Trust <Facebook>

Molokini Shoal Marine Life Conservation District

Monk Seal Foundation <Facebook>

N

Na Ala Hele (Hawaiian Trail & Access System)

Na Mamo O Mu‘olea

Native Hawaiian Plant Society <Facebook> <see also>

Nature Conservancy in Hawai’i, The

O

Ocean Awareness Training – Maui <Facebook>

Ocean Awareness Training – O’ahu <Facebook>

‘Opihi Partnership <Facebook>

P

Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA

Pala’au State Park

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Plant a Wish Foundation <Facebook>

Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area

Preserve Hawai’i

Project S.E.A. -Link

Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside

Pu’u Kukui Watershed

Q

QUEST Field School (Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques)

R

Reef Check Hawai’i

Reef Environmental Education Foundation

S

Save Honolua Coalition <Facebook>

Save Makena <Facebook>

Save Our Seabirds Program, Maui <see also>

Sea Grant, University of Hawai’i

Sierra Club, Hawai’i Chapter <Facebook>

Sierra Club, Maui Group

South Maui Sustainability <Facebook>

Southwest Maui Watershed Plan

Surfrider Foundation – Maui <Facebook>

T

Trust for Public Land, The (Hawai’i) <Facebook>

Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development

Trilogy Blue’aina Campaign <Facebook, Facebook>

U

V

W

Wai’anapanapa State Park

Wai’ehu Limu Restoration Project

Wailua Valley State Wayside

Wailuku Community Managed Marine Area

West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership <see also>

X

Y

Z

Top of Page

Note: Internet links are frequently “broken” as websites close, or change their URLs.

Rick Long, 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

Naturalists in Hawai’i

Botany, Entomology, Ethnobotany, Ichthyology, Ornithology, Zoology

With respect to generations of unnamed Kahuna and Kūpuna

Nominations are encouraged.

A

Isabella Aiona Abbott

(June 20, 1919 – October 28, 2010) was an educator and ethnobotanist from Hawai’i. The first native Hawaiian woman to receive a PhD in science, she became the leading expert on Pacific algae. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Abbott

B

Thomas Blackburn

Thomas Blackburn (16 March 1844 – 28 May 1912) was an English-born Australian entomologist. First resident naturalist was Reverend Thomas Blackburn. Lived in Hawai’i 1877-1883. Supplied insects to the British Museum in London. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blackburn_(entomologist)

K

Beatrice H. Krauss

Beatrice Krauss (1903-1998). In 1926 she was the first woman to be granted a degree in agriculture from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, where she also received a Master of Science degree in 1930. In 1988 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by UH Manoa. For 25 years Aunty Bea taught pro bono at the Lyon Arboretum, conducting informal classes in ethnobotany. http://library.kcc.hawaii.edu/~soma/krauss/bio.html and http://www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum/gardens/bkgarden

P

Robert Cyril Layton Perkins

Robert Cyril Layton Perkins FRS (15 November 1866 – 29 September 1955) was a distinguished British entomologist, ornithologist, and naturalist noted for his work on the fauna of the islands of Hawai’i and on Hymenoptera. British entomologist R.C.L. Perkins conducted fieldwork that was published in multivolume Fauna Hawaiiensis by David Sharp. Remains our baseline of anthropoid groups. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cyril_Layton_Perkins

R

John E. (“Jack”) Randall

(b. 1924) Ph.D. in Marine Zoology from the University of Hawai’i. Senior Ichthyologist with the Hawai’i Biological Survey, Bishop Museum. http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/staff/randall.html and http://www.auas-nogi.org/bio_randall_john.html

 

Rick Long, 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

Observation Skills for Naturalists: Sky

SKY, LAND & OCEAN

OBSERVATION SKILLS: SKY

An Overview

Many people have devoted their lives to the natural sciences, and are not very familiar with astronomy.

Naturalists in Hawai’i have a unique opportunity to learn, teach and preserve the Polynesian science of navigation. The voyage of the Hōkūle’a in 1977 from Hawai’i to Tahiti re-introduced the knowledge and skills needed to read the stars, planets, moon and sun to voyage across the Pacific ocean.

The skills of observing the sky and the heavens can be blended with the observation of species and habitats to provide useful knowledge for planting, fishing and gathering.

The Naturalist can learn the Hawaiian skills to observe two domains of the Sky Sciences:

• Moon Phases, and the
• movement of the sun, moon and planets across the sky

·

Mahina – The Periods of the Moon

In the traditional Hawaiian calendar, the lunar month was determined by the 29.5-day cycles of mahina, the moon, and the passage of days were marked by the phases of the moon. The approximately 30 days of the moon cycle were divided into three 10-day periods known as anahulu.

• ho‘onui – the first 10-day period was called “ho‘onui,” “growing bigger,” beginning on the first crescent
• poepoe – the second 10-day period was called “poepoe,” “round” or “full,” as the moon became full and round.
• nā pō mahina kōnane – the nights of the bright moon – Akua, Hoku, and Mahealani – were referred to as “nā pō mahina kōnane,” kōnane meaning “bright moonlight.”

(Samuel M. Kamakau, Works of the People of Old / Na Hana a ka ka Po‘e Kahiko 17; David Malo, Hawaiian Antiquities 31-32).

MELE HELU PŌ
(HAWAIIAN MOON PHASE SONG & HANDGAME)

MELE HELU PŌ (HAWAIIAN MOON PHASE SONG & HANDGAME)

http://youtu.be/Qn6TsQEQ9GY

NĀ PŌ (HAWAIIAN MOON CHANT)

Kamali’i ‘ike ‘ole I ka helu po
Little children who cannot count the nights
Muku Nei, muku, ka malama
Muku is here, Muku the dark moon
Hilo nei, kau ka-hoaka
Hilo, followed by Hoaka
‘Eha ku, ‘Eha ‘ole, eae
Four ku, four ‘ole
Hu
Huna, Mohala, Hua, Akua
Hoku Mahealani, eae
Hoku (“star”- full moon) Mahealani
Kulua
Kulua
Ekolu la’ow, ekolu ‘ole, ekolu kaloa, eae
Three La’au, three ‘ole, three kaloa
Kane, lono, maulie
Kane, Lono, Mauli
http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/hawaiian_lunar_month.html

Na Ohana Hoku Eha (The Four Star Families)

Nainoa Thompson has organized the sky into four star lines:

1. Kekaomakali’i (“The Canoe-Bailer of Makali‘i”)
2. Kaiwikuamo‘o (“Backbone”)
3. Manaiakalani (“The Chief’s Fishline”)
4. Kalupeawawelo (“The Kite of Kawelo”)

http://www.imiloahawaii.org/72/hawaiian-starlines

Constellations

Polynesian constellations do not cross-walk to Western constellations and signs of the zodiac. The Four Star Families (above) should be learned above all else.

• Hanaiakamalama – shares the same stars as the Southern Cross
• Hokulei – shares the same stars as Auriga
• ‘Iwakeli’i – shares the same stars as Cassiopeia
• Kaheiheionakeiki – shares the same stars as Orion
• Kahuinakoluokaho‘okele – the Navigators Triangle
• Kamakaunuiamaui – shares the same stars as Scorpius
• Kamo’i – shares the same stars as Cepheus
• Kape’a – also shares the same stars as the Southern Cross
• Lehuakona – Antares
• Me’e – shares the same stars as Corvus
• Nahiku – shares the same stars as the Big Dipper
• Nakao – Orions’ belt and sword
• Namahoe – shares the same stars as Gemini
• Pimoe – shares the same stars as the Teapot

http://www.imiloahawaii.org/73/indigenous-star-names

Planets

Mercury
Ukali-ali’i.
Venus
Hoku-ao. Morning star, Venus when seen in the morning.
Hoku-loa. Same as Hoku-ao.Hoku-ao, Hoku-loa, Mananalo, Manalo, Wenuka, Ka’awela (probably)
Mars
Holoholo-pina’au (perhaps)
Jupiter
Iupika. (Names reported for Jupiter: Ao-hoku, ‘Iao, Ikiiki, Ka’a-wela, Ho’omanalo.
Saturn
Makulu
Uranus
Heleekela. Hereekela
hoku’ae’a. Planet. Literally, wandering star
hoku-hele. Same as hoku-‘ae’a. Literally, traveling star
hoku lewa. Moving star, planet.

from Hawaiian Dictionary by Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert. University Press of Hawai’i

Research from 1841

• Kawela – Mercury
• Naholoholo – Venus
• Holoholopinaau – Mars
• Homanalonalo – Jupiter
• Makulu – Saturn

(from The Journal of William Richards (1841) (Hawaii State Archives Manuscript Series M-126)

Resources

Hui O Wa’a Kaulua – (The Assembly of the Double Hull Canoe) in Lahaina has constructed a 62 foot voyaging canoe. Polynesian navigators rely on a unique set of tools and knowledge to read the stars and the sky. Kala Babayan is their Navigator and teaches the Hawaiian star compass. http://www.huiowaakaulua.com/index.htm

‘Imiloa – The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of the University of Hawai’i at Hilo is a gathering place that advances the integration of science and indigenous culture. http://www.imiloahawaii.org/

Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawai’i – Amateur astronomers will use paper or electronic star charts to locate objects in the night-time sky. They will point their telescopes at the object based upon data from the star chart. The Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawai’i provides an excellent monthly star chart. http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/publications/starcharts/

Ke Ala O Ka Mahina – Kamehameha Publishing offers a free (java script required) website featuring a Moon Calendar

• Lawai’a – Fishing
• Mahi’ai – Planting

http://www.kamehamehapublishing.org/multimedia/apps/mooncalendar/

Polynesian Voyaging Society
Old website (Hawaiian Voyaging Traditions) http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/
New website http://hokulea.org/

Rick Long, 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA