This isn't Massachusetts anymore.

Coming to live and work at Kalaupapa National Historical Park has been a great way to ease back in to mainstream American life. Kalaupapa is a tiny community with a unique history located on a very isolated peninsula on the Island of Molokai, “the most Hawaiian island.” I applied for the Conservation and Land Management Internship while finishing up my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. Having lived here at Kalaupapa for 4 months now, I can’t imagine a better way to transition back to the American culture and workplace.

The history here is special, not least of all because it is a living history. Beginning in 1866 the Kalaupapa peninsula was the site of the forced isolation of Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) patients. Since 1969 patients have been free to come and go; the patients that remain here today do so by choice.

I came to the park to resurvey permanent monitoring plots that were put in place in 1995 to monitor the growth and vigor of native trees and associated understory and overstory vegetation in a remnant tropical dryland forest. Tropical dryland forests are among the most disturbed ecosystems on the planet. In Hawaii only 10% of these native forests remain, and even these are threatened with conversion to other species.

A wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis) tree is the center of a permanent monitoring plot.

I am continually amazed at the dominance of non-native invasive species in Hawaii. In the northeastern US, where I call home, invasive plant species in forests are a relatively small concern. Here elevation bands of entire islands

are completely overrun by non-native invasive plants. This is compounded by the loss of pollinator species, and overgrazing by feral ungulates. It makes me appreciate and want to protect the mainland US with its large patches of intact native plant communities.

I’ve had several great opportunities for diversion from my main project. I attended the Hawaiian Conservation Conference in lieu of attending the Grand Canyon Workshop. I was also able to attend NPS wildland firefighter training. On a day-to-day basis I have helped with a variety of other projects at the park including seed collecting and processing, constructing fencing to protect native plants from feral ungulates, and digitizing maps and aerial photos of the park.

Lu'au pig roasting pit with the cliffs of Molokai in the background.

It is a small community down here, but people have been very welcoming. We play volleyball twice a week, and there are very competitive nightly cribbage games- don’t get skunked! We even started a book club. One recent highlight was the community lu’au. I got to help butcher and clean the stomach, intestines, heart, and other inside bits of a pig that was cooked underground overnight. The next night we feasted and danced the night away.

My mentor has been great. He’s very open to suggestions and ideas that I have. He’s been a great help when I need advice and resources at work, but he has also given me the leeway and freedom to explore and do things in my own way. He has opened his home to me and welcomed me to spend time with his family on several occasions. I have gotten a lot of good advice on career options and grad-school options from my mentor and many other people at the park. I’ve also learned a lot about the native Hawaiian perspective on the environment and management of the land. They’ve been here a lot longer than we have and the knowledge they hold could be used in resource management much more effectively.

All in all this internship has been a wonderful opportunity for me and I am very grateful. I would never have imagined I would be working on a tropical forest ecology research project in Hawaii, eating papaya and mangos all summer long. Then again I never would have thought I’d live in a rural village in Morocco and learn Arabic and Tamazight. Life is strange- time to embrace it and go play some volleyball!

-Nathan Johnson