KILAUEA — Albatross soared in the sky, on the ground more soared at the Kilauea Lighthouse. The large seabird was only one phase of the 10th Annual Kaua‘i Family Ocean Fair held on the grounds of the Kilauea Point National
KILAUEA — Albatross soared in the sky, on the ground more soared at the Kilauea Lighthouse.
The large seabird was only one phase of the 10th Annual Kaua‘i Family Ocean Fair held on the grounds of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday.
Jim Jung, who was one of the Coast Guard auxiliary, said when the gates finally closed, more than a thousand people had taken advantage of the free family-oriented event.
Jean Souza, the coordinator for the volunteer-based event, said it also coincided with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, and as such, educators were able to take advantage of a lot of new materials being offered by the different sections of the NOAA.
“Are you and educator? Tell us,” signs read, anchoring many of the interactive displays and exhibits that offered materials, lesson plans, video, and other educational items educators could use in their classrooms.
“Ed Carlson was here in 2005, setting up the GPS for the Kilauea Point,” Souza said. “Today, he’s back here talking about global positioning.”
At the fish and wildlife exhibit, fair-goers could become a simulated albatross and during their flight through the short course, encounter various hazards and conditions that gave the participant a hands-on lesson on the life of the soaring seabird.
Two of the volunteers at that table explained they had just picked up a fledged albatross from the No. 9 tee box at the Princeville Golf Course.
“It should be taking off, today,” one volunteer said. “This morning, it was across the road, disoriented, and trying to fly.”
At the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, fair-goers had an opportunity to create their own 3-D painting to coincide with the dimensional bathymetric chart that was on display.
Stu Burley had just come off a flight from New York and joined the University of Hawai‘i Science Outreach Program in discussing robotics at the fair.
“This is exciting,” said Jim Cox, a science teacher at Kapa‘a Middle School, and volunteering for the fair. “The workshops are all full. There were adults who wanted to be part of it, but today, it’s for the kids.”
The two robotic workshops headed by Ryan Smith and Jeff Vines allowed people an opportunity to create autonomous underwater vehicles using a LEGO kit.
“This is what the Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program accomplishes in one week,” Souza said. “They’ve condensed it to a two-hour program.”
Souza said the project isn’t just about putting together a vehicle.
“The students need to take into account a lot of different things,” she said. “How the vehicle operates in air, and how it operates in a water environment. They also need to take into account factors such as buoyancy and mass.”
Those topics were put on the table as the teams of students worked through the various components of the robot craft.
Burley watched from behind the Remotely Operated Vehicle that dominated the table set up for the Waimea High School students who recently performed well at a Hilo competition.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing big enough so we could demonstrate the ROV,” Burley said.
And as the patrons worked through the many different exhibits surrounding marine life, environment, and the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, the albatross was joined by Tropicbirds and ‘iwa as they soared, glided and gave fair-goers a natural high.
