We went to Las Grietas today, an area first inhabited by a German family escaping persecution from the Nazi’s in the mid-1930’s. Las Grietas is a crack in the lava flow that runs mauka at least a mile from the ocean. The crack is deep enough that it is filled with ocean water and rain-water collects there creating a cooler brackish water lens above the warmer, more saline oceanic water. This rapid change in salinity, or halocline, is visible as light is while swimming down into it. In this unique environment were plenty of mullet, about a foot long, parrotfish, also over a foot long, blennies, gobies, and small crabs. They gather here, as it is an excellent place to avoid the predators of the reef and mangrove flats.
A ceremony presenting the mission of Mālama Honua to the officials of the Galápagos and the community of Santa Cruz. The students did a tremendous job sharing Hawaiian Culture through Oli
A short walk away is a mangrove flat (the tide was too low to snorkel there) and La Playa Alemania (German Beach). Snorkeling here we saw some of the greatest marine biodiversity we have seen during our stay. There were many different types of algae growing on the shallow rocky bottom. Plenty of food for the herbivores, many hiding places for the smaller organisms and invertebrates, as well as sea lions, marine iguanas, turtles, small reef sharks, rays, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and a gull unique to the Galápagos.
The beaches we have visited have hours of operation and larger groups like ours need guides with them. This is all part of Ecuador’s management plan for the Galápagos, to ensure that there remains balance between human actions and the natural environment. There are some lessons here that may be of tremendous use to protect the invaluable resources of Hawaiʻi.
We were able to connect with students from the Tomas de Berlanga School in such a deep and profound way. The Hawaiʻi students performed Hōkūleʻa’s haʻa and Oli, which they then proceed to teach the Galápagueño students. It seems as if we may be able to create long term relationships with this place based, project based learning school. Here we learned about the how Galápagos has a culture that is an amalgamation of various cultures from the continent, a highland ranching culture, and a burgeoning ocean minded culture. One of the English teachers there has created amazingly creative project based lessons. She was inspired by our students to create a new project on creating names for many of the unnamed places on Santa Cruz that describe their environmental significance. Our students were shown around this fantastic school and were able to play a soccer game and share music.
From the school, we went to visit the 100% sustainable coffee farm and house of Roberto Plaza. We all want change and to create a sustainable existence, an existence that coincides with nature in a harmonious way. For that change to occur, we need to change. Here is a family that has walked the talk and put their money where their mouth is to create this space that capitalizes on the natural environment of the place, the reassessment of their energy needs, and the materials they have used in construction, 90% of which were already on the property, including the use of wood from invasive Spanish Cedar trees they are eradicating. Oh yeah, the coffee is 100% organic and so delicious!
Environmental and restoration work is taken very seriously in the Galápagos, it is all very well planned out, purposeful, and regulated. For a people who are not Galápagueño and involved in specific programs, it is very difficult to engage in this type of work. We had inquired several times, well before the trip, as to how we might be able to engage in some of the is work, as a way for us to give back to the Galápagos. It seemed like we were not going to be able to get this opportunity and we would need to figure out another way to show our appreciation and contribute to the betterment of these spectacular islands. After returning from the Berlanga School and the coffee farm we were exhausted and ready to call it a day. Then it happened, the Parque Nacional under direction of the Governor invited us to their endemic plant nursery and to engage in an out-planting activity. Here our students were able to repopulate an endangered Scalia forest in a part of the park that is not accessible to most. It was quite an honor to be a part of this multi-national, multi-organizational effort!
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