Coconut isle
By Alan H. Teramura
work blends
neighborliness
with cautionMoku o Lo'e (Coconut Island) certainly is one of the most beautiful sites in the state. It sits, with its inviting sandy beaches and lagoons, in a calm, sheltered bay sometimes full of recreational boaters.
Appearances and history can be deceiving, however. Coconut Island is not a park; it is an island with an active research facility. A benefactor has paid millions of dollars to buy the major part of the island and has given it to the University of Hawaii with the stipulation that it must be used for marine biology research.
We can all be proud that the students and faculty of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology are doing world-class work and attracting research money into the state. Every day they are working among the fish tanks, taking small boats out to track sharks and other fish, to observe the health of the turtles and coral, or to monitor the endangered fish that take shelter in our coves, to name a few of the numerous research activities.
However, their experiments are not limited to the laboratories. Such work is also conducted in subtidal and intertidal reaches of the island's perimeter. Often, they use structures and devices that are vulnerable to accidental damage from people who may not be aware that they are research tools. We must guide visitors through our facilities because it's very easy to unknowingly disturb experiments, causing a loss of days, weeks or months of data and resulting in the necessity to restart experiments.
Also, many of our studies involve bottom-dwelling species and free-swimming organisms whose habitats must remain undisturbed if the data collected are to be unbiased and relevant. Harm is no less real because it is unintentional. Information that is lost due to damaged sensors or interrupted experiments is lost forever.
For these reasons we must restrict access to Coconut Island in order to permit our faculty, students and staff to be most effective in their research efforts. However, "restricted" is not the same as "prohibited."
The Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, which manages Coconut Island, has worked hard to be a good neighbor. The institute is one of the most active of the University of Hawaii research units when it comes to involving the public in its programs. Open houses, special events, tours, educational programs and field trips have brought children and adults to the island to see what marine biologists do and to learn about the plants and animals of Kaneohe Bay.
During the last two years, scientists at the institute have provided special programs, which are outside the regular curriculum of the university, to more than 15,000 people. Over 6,000 students and parents have visited the island to learn about their activities. Faculty have participated in high school education at their own expense and on their own time. Large numbers of high school students and volunteers participate both individually and in groups in research projects. Many laboratories provide internships to attract Hawaii's young people to careers in science.
I hope that increased public awareness of the need to control public access will be received by our neighbors and other citizens with the understanding that excellence in many areas of marine biological research cannot be attained in a totally uncontrolled environment.
The beauty of Moku o Lo'e must also be preserved. A recent contributor to these pages complained about a construction fence on the island. It is there for good reason -- to ensure safety and security at a construction site, but it is a temporary measure. New laboratory, classrooms and library facilities are nearing completion on the island. They will enhance the university's ability to conduct research that will contribute to preservation of our island ecosystems and development of viable, sustainable ocean-based industries.
Alan H. Teramura is senior vice president for research and dean of the Graduate Division, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.