LOCATION
Ali’i beach park is a place where parties are held, tourists go to see the turtles, and surf. The climate is hot in the summer with warm water and in the Winter it becomes cool, windy and there are lots of waves. The park is very large and there are two sides to the beach, the surfing side which is by the surf tower and the swimming/snorkeling side which is next to a hong gong ji. On a rainy day there is lots of runoff the next day making it not ideal for swimming. The reef is 40% dead and there are signs of sediment due to the lack of native trees and there are signs of bleaching. At least 30% of the reef showed signs of bleaching. But none the less there is lots of limu for turtles growing and fish still flourish around the reefs.
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
A way I can design and implement a scientific inquiry that contributes to my project is to educate students. One of my main beliefs is that education can make all the difference when it comes to saving the ecosystems. By educating the Marine Biology class here at Mililani High school with the knowledge from Eyes of the Reef, I wish to teach them how to protect the reef and identify damage. The teacher agrees to teach the subject each year which makes it sustainable.
HUMAN IMPACT
Positive:
Local beach cleanups (Ex: Hui Malama)
Negative:
Sunscreen from beach goers pollutes the waters.
Runoff from agriculture.
Tourists/divers unconsciously harming coral (waking on it).
Parties at the park, causes trash.
Beach divers leaving nets in the ocean.