Living & working in Paradise

I’ve seen a lot of the world, yet I’ve found few places on this planet that I like as much as Kosrae. This is my second stay here. I’ve been here for two months. Although some folks might say there’s not much to do on this quiet little island in the middle of nowhere, I stay busy with worthwhile and satisfying work.

I teach Environmental Studies for Kosrae’s College of Micronesia, a junior college with about 100 students. In the past month, we’ve taken two field trips. Our first field trip was to the Yela Conservation Area where towering Ka trees (terminalia carolinensis) live in the tidal floodplain between the mangroves and the steep volcanic slopes that form most of Kosrae. This forest is the last unharvested stand of Ka trees in the world. On our field trip, the students learned what a special and unique ecosystem they have on their island.

To help spread the word about Kosrae’s Ka forest, I manage and maintain the yelaka.com website. Next month, when I post more photos and stories about Kosrae, I plan to add a gofundme link to raise funds for the maintenance and preservation of this priceless forest.

On our second field trip, the students learned about Invasive Species. The unique endemic species of a small island like Kosrae are especially vulnerable to aggressive plants and uninvited predators who find their way here. Led by conservationists from KIRMA (Kosrae Island Resource Management Authority), the students toured the island visiting sites where invasive species are being monitored, controlled and in some cases eradicated. These students had more fun looking for invasive species than I could’ve imagined.

In addition to teaching, I do a bit of environmental work. Last month, Kosrae hosted a couple dozen consultants, engineers, environmentalists, financiers and politicians representing the World Bank, Royal Haskoning, and Micronesia’s national government. We spent a week discussing road repairs, climate-oriented enhancements and maritime investments to find ways to improve Kosrae’s infrastructure and to prepare for rising sea levels due to global warming. For all of Micronesia, there’s about $95 million dollars available for dozens of major projects. Hopefully, Kosrae will get some of these funds so that the most serious environmental problems can be resolved.

My role in these meetings was to explain to our international visitors Kosrae’s primary environmental problem: About 50 years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers bulldozed a few acres of Kosrae’s reef to create the Lelu Causeway which connects two parts of Kosrae with a raised roadway. Although the Army Corps of Engineers thought they were doing Kosrae a big favor, they divided Kosrae’s lagoon in half, with the result that tidal flushing between the inner and outer lagoons no longer occurs. After 50 years, the inner lagoon — which used to be a sparkling channel full of fish, coral and giant clams — is on the verge of becoming a muddy mangrove swamp. To see an explanation of this problem and what I proposed to the World Bank, click on the PowerPoint title screen above.

Life in Kosrae isn’t all work and no play. Last Saturday, I took an afternoon cruise to the western end of Kosrae with friends Liz, Alice and Sepe. Here’s a 2-minute video of our ride from Walung back to the Okat marina. I hope you enjoy this little trip half as much as I did!

Life here is never dull. On April 20, Kosrae is looking forward to its first total solar eclipse in recorded history.

This eclipse will be known as the Ningaloo Eclipse. Ninglaoo is the Aboriginal word for Australia’s remote northwest cape where the moon’s umbra first touches land. After grazing the northwest corner of Australia, the eclipse will cross the east end of Timor-Leste and the rain forests of West Papua before coming to Kosrae. Click here for a hi-res Google Earth map of the eclipse path.

If you have nothing else to do on 4/20, I invite you to come to Kosrae for this cosmic event. Although there’s no guarantee that the skies will be clear that afternoon, I’ve ordered 400 eclipse viewing glasses. My students and I will be taking a field trip. If you’re interested in joining us, let me know and I’ll book your lodging and save you a seat on one of our viewing boats!