HONOLULU — Wisdom, a Laysan albatross and the world’s oldest known breeding bird in the wild, has returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial. The approximately 67-year-old Wisdom flies thousands of miles each year to return to Midway Atoll. Her arrival is overshadowed only by the news that she has also laid an egg.
Each year millions of albatross return to Midway Atoll in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to nest and raise their young. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge staff spotted Wisdom and her mate, Akeakamai, near their nest in late November, and on Dec. 13 staff confirmed Akeakamai was on the nest incubating an egg. Wisdom and her mate return to the same nest site on Midway Atoll each year. Since 2006, Wisdom has successfully raised and fledged at least nine chicks and traveled millions of miles in her lifetime.
“An albatross egg is important to the overall albatross population,” explained Bob Peyton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project leader for Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial. “If you consider that albatross don’t always lay an egg each year and when they do they only raise one chick at a time – each egg is tremendously important in maintaining the survival of a colony.”
Public library closures
HONOLULU – In observance of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, all Hawaii State Public Library System libraries and library support offices will be closed Dec. 23-25, Dec. 30-31, and Jan. 1.
For more information about the holiday hours for individual public libraries, please refer to the HSPLS holiday schedule at: http://www.librarieshawaii.org/visit/updates/holiday-schedule or call your local public library.
Kona student makes honor roll at Oregon State
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University has announced the students who made the scholastic honor roll for fall 2017. This included Jasmin R. Carter, a freshman in University exploratory studies, with a B-plus (3.5) or better GPA.
Hawaii Community Foundation awards $40k flex grant
Kona Historical Society has been awarded $40,000 through the Hawaii Community Foundation’s FLEX Grants Program. The grant was given by the Robert Emens Black Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Hokulia Community Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, and the West Hawaii Fund supported by the Stanley and Renee Tomono Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation.
With support from this grant, Kona Historical Society will continue to serve 60,000-plus current annual visitors from West Hawaii and elsewhere — at its sites, out in the community, and directly engaging online. The grant will support many free activities, such as exhibits for adults and keiki in “pop-up” locations and at its two sites, educational lectures, and other special festivals and events. Preservation and cultural work aided through this grant will include educational outreach to cultural repositories and partners in West Hawaii, preservation of two national and state historic places, conservation of green space (including nearly 10 acres of Hawaii State Legacy Land), and significant and unique archival and museum collections.
“We are so thankful to these foundations, which provide rare funds that can be applied toward operational costs, and are so important to the health of small nonprofits like ours,” said Joy Holland, Kona Historical Society executive director. “This Flex Award from Hawaii Community Foundation, Hokulia Community Fund, the West Hawaii Fund, and the Robert Emens Black Fund, will be used to serve this wonderful community of ours in ways which will reach even more keiki and kamaaina this year.”