Submitted by Jasmine Jade Newton on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…
The first week in Honolulu Hawaii, I visited the Bishop Museum. One thing in the museum that truly peaked my interest was the impacts of settlement. I learned that there were only three ways for other things to travel to the island, “the three W”; water, wings, and wind. With the settlement of the remote Eastern Polynesian triangle, colonizers arrived at undisturbed and fragile environments that had never been visited by humans before. Some islands had more marine resources while others lacked extensive coral reefs. The colonizing settlers of the islands heavily altered the island ecosystems when they brought different animals and plants with them, as well as when agricultural needs lead to the clearing of land. As time went on, the increasing population densities affected the island’s natural biota as well.
Later in the week, we went snorkeling at the Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve. Actually viewing marine life with my own eyes was a magical experience. It made me wonder how different it must be compared to when the original settlers arrived. The amount of change this land has undergone throughout time has brought it to be what it is today. I am excited to continue my travel study journey!
