Papahānaumokuākea Alaka‘i ‘Ahahu‘i (PA‘A)
Overview
A 10-day experiential leadership program (PA‘A) that bridges together
teachers, business people, policy-makers as well as potential community
leaders interested in learning and being inspired by science and traditional
knowledge management practices is being sponsored by staff of Papahānaumokuākea
Marine National Monument (Monument). This workshop will bring together
a broad range of interests and knowledge to ultimately inspire active
stewardship of natural and cultural resources by participants within
their home communities. Alaka‘i is Hawaiian for ambassador or leader.
‘Ahahu‘i refers to society, club or association. The Hawaiian word/acronym
PA‘A means steadfast, learned, determined, strong, to hold, keep, retain.
The Monument co-trustee agencies (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Hawai‘i)
will select a group of up to 12 people to participate. The first three
days will be spent on O‘ahu in Hawai‘i preparing, learning natural and
cultural history, practicing with available technology and getting to
know the other participants. The remaining seven days will be spent
on remote Midway Atoll located 1,250 miles northwest of Honolulu within
the Monument. On the atoll participants will be surrounded by millions
of nesting seabirds on small islets surrounded by an incredible assemblage
of marine wildlife. In this living laboratory, participants will be
immersed in a variety of activities using traditional knowledge, science
methodology, island conservation, and resource management practices
while building upon their plans to navigate change back home.
Who May Apply
PA‘A accepts nominations from educators in formal and informal settings,
community leaders, as well as people in positions that support community
change and stewardship. We are seeking participants who are active in
their communities that will promote stewardship and lead people to action.
In each group, we will be seeking a balance of different professions,
skills and understandings. We will be looking for a combination of formal
teachers from schools, informal educators such as interpreters in national
parks, as well as community and business leaders that want to affect environmental
awareness and inspire people to take action. We are also seeking people
in each group for that have traditional ecological knowledge and cultural
understanding of Oceania and Hawai‘i. Both American and international
applicants are welcome.
Timeline
January 2, 2009 |
Application deadline |
March 13, 2009 |
Final selections announced |
June 13-15, 2009 |
Orientation on O‘ahu |
June 15, 2009 |
Depart for Midway Atoll |
June 23, 2009 |
Arrive (in the early morning hours) in Honolulu |
October/November 2009 |
Meeting of participants - Final stewardship/action plans &
evaluation plan submitted |
January 2010 |
Assist with nominations of next years’ participants |
June 2010 |
Stewardship/action plans & evaluation component completed
and presented to next years’ participants |
Life on Midway
Midway Atoll: Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and the Battle of
Midway National Memorial are part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National
Monument. The atoll includes three small islands – Sand Island, Eastern
Island, and Spit Island – in an encircling protective coral reef. Midway
Atoll is an unincorporated territory of the United States. The atoll
and its surrounding waters is the only area within the Hawaiian archipelago
that is not part of the State of Hawai‘i.
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Midway still maintains and uses some of
the infrastructure that once housed military servicemen and women.
Although there are some paved roads all transportation is by foot
or bicycle. For an extra charge, golf carts may be available. Renovated
bachelor officers’ quarters offer the same amenities as a comfortable
small town motel complete with towel/sheets and individual bathrooms
or at the minimum a bathroom is shared with one other room. Air
conditioning and heating units are available as necessary. In addition,
plenty of fresh food is served from a small cafeteria-style restaurant.
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Street on
Midway with albatross - Photo credit - USFWS |
However comfortable the amenities might seem, it is crucial to note:
** Midway Atoll has minimal medical facilities available and no doctors.
If serious medical attention is needed, it will be a minimum of 5 hours
to fly to the nearest hospital and potentially could be much longer.
** Life on Midway Atoll can be very unpredictable. Flexibility and
the ability to cope with uncertainty of airplane departures and arrivals,
day-to-day schedules as well as very windy and possibly rainy weather
conditions are crucial to the character of those who go. In other words,
a “go with the flow” attitude is essential.
Costs and Transportation
Food, lodging and transportation costs are covered during the seven
day segment of the trip to Midway including air transportation between
Honolulu, Hawai‘i and Midway Atoll. Currently a private G-1 Gulfstream
aircraft is the contracted carrier and can hold only a maximum of 15
passengers along with luggage capacity limited to 40 lbs each. The flight
can be delayed pending weather conditions and will take about 5 hours
each way. Costs for flights to Honolulu from other islands, the mainland,
or other countries, are not covered by this program.
Food, lodging and transportation costs are not covered for the three
days of the program on O‘ahu. Some bunk-style accommodations may be
available.
Spending money in small denominations for Midway Atoll is advisable
for purchasing items at a small gift store and convenience store on
the island (similar to a poorly stocked gas station), and at Captain
Brooks (small bar). No ATM machine is available on the island and credit
cards and debit cards are not accepted.
Day to Day Program
Before leaving for Midway the group will spend three days on O‘ahu preparing
for their trip. These three days will give participants a chance to
learn from and get to know each other, introduce them to the natural
and human history in the Monument, preview participant projects, conduct
water safety evaluations and learn Hawaiian protocols and cultural practices.
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The work you will be involved in on Midway
is pending upon what management activities are currently taking
place at the time and will more than likely include invasive species
eradication, out-planting native plants, and setting up marine transects
to assess the underwater world. You will also have the opportunity
to analyze and then strategize what day to day living practices
would lighten your human imprint on such a remote and fragile place.
Implementing this program as green friendly as possible will help
us assess our own impacts back home. |
Pulling Verbesina
- Photo credit Liz Foote |
This once in a lifetime experience will inspire and help you carry
out your stewardship/action plans. It will also help you articulate
how your own community is connected to the Monument and demonstrate
ways to help ensure the protection of the Monument in perpetuity.
Criteria for Selection
To be considered you will be expected to:
- Be currently active as either, an educator in a formal or informal
setting,
- A community leader, or in a position that supports community change
& stewardship.
- Provide evidence of past stewardship/action plans and their success.
- Have three letters of support from a principal, supervisor, or
community that are supportive of your endeavor.
- Have English language ability.
- Be comfortable with travel and have no aversions to traveling by
small air or water craft.
- Have a passport that is valid through July 2009.
Although not a selection criteria we strongly suggest you consider
that limited the medical facilities on the Island (see: Life on Midway).
Obligations as an Alaka‘i
As a participant, you must be willing to fulfill several program requirements
during and upon completion of the trip to Midway:
- Submit 3 journal entries with digital photographs during your experience
on Midway.
- Submit all photos and video collected during your trip to the Monument,
edited, with key words, and titles.
- Provide copies of any derived materials – PowerPoints, movies,
slideshows, PodCasts, etc to the Monument to use at their discretion.
- Either be willing to be interviewed by media coordinated by the
Monument or seek out media opportunities regarding your expedition
in your home communities.
- Give three community or professional presentations on your experience
(within your community or elsewhere). And provide number of attendees
and any feedback to the coordinators.
- Submit a stewardship/action plan relevant to your experiences in
the Papahānaumokuākea MNM.
- Implement your stewardship action plan and submit one copy of the
evaluation and its overall results.
- Participate in online collaboration with previous participants
to share what you have done with your experience, and possibly participate
in annual reunions.
- If asked, be willing to assist with selection of the following
year’s group of participants.
To apply
Nomination forms are available by contacting Ann Bell, USFWS at fw1pie_paa@fws.gov
or calling 808.792.9532.
Nominations can be submitted by sending a hard copy by mail to:
Linda Schubert
Papahānaumokuākea MNM / NOAA
308 Kamehameha Avenue, Suite 203
Honolulu, HI 96720
Nominations must be postmarked by January 2, 2009.
How many participants will there be?
Twelve participants will be selected. This number is based on the number
of passengers able to fit into the airplane going to Midway, and is
currently not flexible. We will also be selecting three substitute participants,
who may join in the pre-trip preparations, and could fly to Midway if
other participants cannot.
How will participants be chosen?
Participants will be chosen based on their written nominations, their
letters of support, and their capacity to fulfill the program’s need
for a strong variety of skills and abilities to create a balanced group.
Completed nominations will be reviewed by previous participants based
on a rubric. Top candidates will then go through a final review process
by the agency staff to ensure the most balanced and largest pool of
talents possible.
What is the rubric?
Each question will help us determine the candidates’ ability to fulfill
requirements of participants. The questions are not all weighed the
same, with some having more of an influence than others. The corresponding
weight is listed on the application.
For additional information contact Linda Schubert at linda.schubert@noaa.gov,
or call 808.933.8181.
*Program is contingent on available funding.
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