REPURPOSING PLASTICS AND THE STRINGBALL

FRED IS BACK..........Fred Z126 arrived on Marrowstone Island two days ago

wearing his GO GREEN shirt and reminding one and all that Albatrosses tagged

with legbands beginning with the letter Z include WISDOM, the oldest known

wild bird on Earth! Wisdom is Albatross Z333 in case you spot her flying out over

the Pacific Ocean between now and July as she searches for food for her chick. Once

the baby bird fledges, Wisdom might just show up along our coast. One never knows!

In the meantime, Fred is busy with new plastic projects and probably because he is a 

Happy Eye Monkey from Hawaii with connections all around the planet,

Fred now champions

REPURPOSING PLASTIC AS ART!!!

The photos above were taken this morning on the East Beach side of the island

where we receive tons of Seattle and Tacoma trash.

The colorful mesh bags came in on the tide yesterday afternoon

along the north shore of Hood Canal near the mouth of Shine Creek.

Funny, I used to feel a sadness on finding plastic on the beach.

Now with acceptance of its presence (much like beach glass),

I see it as a resource worth removing from the ocean

for all the right reasons,

then making cool stuff with it along with kids who care.

North and Central Kitsap Kids do care a lot!

We will be fusing plastic, picking it up from watersheds, 

drilling holes in bottle caps, and more.........to make

SALMON

WHALES

DRAGONFLIES

BEAVERS

SHRIMP

CRABS

and more.........Stay tuned.

p.s. My Stringball still grows, but it has now been repurposed completely

as a kind of storage unit for plastic art supplies.......

The fish you see in the bottom photo was made mostly with fused 

shopping bags, oyster mesh bags, dog treat bags, top ramen wrapper, and

junk mail plastic wrappings. The eye is a bottle cap. The gill cover is

a food container lid and the white mesh is a crab bait holder, cut

then fused to some bread wrappers and other plastic bags.   

FUSED PLASTIC PROJECT NUMBER ONE......Saving Albatrosses One Plastic Bag at a Time!

FUSED PLASTIC BAGS

Created after Beach Cleanups with

Bags, Plastic Film, Bottle Caps, Recycled Phone Wire, Found Objects

I photographed these on one of the beaches where I pick up plastic.

If you look closely, you will notice that one of the closures

(Middle Bag I call "Move over Gucci")

is a Monopoly Hotel found on this beach.

The red plastic is a mix of bags and film from a local grocery store.

It is thin. It would otherwise be tossed in the trash

and was originally used to wrap pallets of frozen food in shipment.

Bag used in far right piece is combo of this and an empty Sunflower Seed Package.

THE COOLEST PART

If you are familiar with fused plastic........

sort out some bottle caps, selecting soft ones, not those

with a rigid feel to them........

You can fuse the bottle cap between layers of plastic bags!

(The Green Blotch on the middle bag is a former bottle cap

that melted nicely, fusing elegantly into the red plastic)

THE RECIPE 

I just started doing this for a project with kids in a couple weeks,

so I am having a lot of fun learning on their behalf.

The basic steps I've followed:

1) Sandwich about four or five layers of plastic bag

between PARCHMENT PAPER that is placed on a hard, flat surface.

Make sure the plastic is inside the parchment 'sandwich", especially if using

your only iron. I've been reusing the same piece of parchment paper

that is about three feet long and folded in half.

2) Press down hard with a hot dry iron, using a bit of circular motion

to heat the plastic uniformly. Again, make sure the plastic is tucked in between the

layers of parchment paper.

3) As the plastic fuses it simply flattens out and you can easily flip the

parchment sandwich to fuse both sides. 

4) Continue pressing as if ironing a shirt, tucking edges over as you see the

now fused sheet form into a more rigid piece. It stiffens quite a bit.

5) You can now cool the sheet and form as you wish or simply use to cut out fish, trees, flowers,

or other shapes.........All suitable for outdoor uses!

The above pieces were single sheets. I folded them over, then fused at edges to form pouches.

No additional work was required to fold the flap. The sheets from this batch

were pliable enough to simply fold. I then punched holes in the sheets where I wanted

to attach the bottle cap buttons and "sewed" them on with recycled phone wire.

I'm now experimenting with bottles, frisbees, toy soldiers, and other found

plastic trash I collect pretty much everyday at the beach........

Thanks to Michelle Kaskovich for the Inspiration!

NOTE:

The bag on the far left incorporates plastic mesh that fused

nicely with the red sheeting. Sharon Buda and I picked 

the mesh from a beach the other day after she and I had

presented at the NAEA Convention in Seattle.

You will be seeing a lot more use from this type of mesh bag,

one of the most common beach finds in recent months. Like

Bottle Caps

It comes in many bright colors and is a type of plastic that easily fuses!

Have Fun and Malama i ke Kai

WISDOM RETURNS.........Mana'o Akamai...........

WISDOM FEEDING HER CHICK

Photograph by USFWS Midway Wildlife Biologist, Pete Leary

In a March 21 News Release, the USFWS has officially announced that

WISDOM

has returned to her chick following earlier reports of her possible loss

in the aftermath of the Tsunami of March 10, 2011.

The Mana'o Akamai (Spirit of Wisdom) is strong.........

This 60 year old Female Laysan Albatross

has been successfully raising chicks

on Midway for several decades and is

THE OLDEST KNOWN BIRD LIVING IN THE WILD.

Mixed results following the tsunami were understandable for many reasons.

Adult Albatrosses share in the raising of their single offspring.

Both partners switch off during the nesting season,

flying hundreds of miles to feeding grounds, 

returning to feed their young one a mix of sea life,

composed of a high percentage of flying fish eggs and squid.

Wisdom must have left Midway shortly after or even during

the time of the tsunami which swept away and/or directly killed

approximately 110,000 juvenile Laysan and Blackfooted Albatross chicks

and about 2,000 adult Albatrosses.

Many more seabirds were killed, including shearwaters and petrels.

Burrow nesters, these seabirds are more difficult to count than the

cup nesting and much larger Albatrosses.

Weighing about 8 pounds, Wisdom has survived life on Midway

through many years of the build up of ocean plastic that annually

kills about one million seabirds worldwide.

Tsunamis are not preventable and the low lying Pacific islands

where many seabirds nest are in harms way whenever severe quakes occur.

Rising Sea Levels also threaten their populations

and yet,

It is the death by plastics (legos, bottle caps, pens, markers, sheeting, lighters, toothbrushes,

fishing gear, broken crates, combs, brushes, and other items

we fail to successfully repurpose

enter rivers, streams, storm drains, and seas

then float out into the ocean. 

Looking for a Squid, Albatrosses

mistake the glisten of a bottle cap for food, snatch it up,

then fly back to Midway where their waiting young dine on 

so much plastic, they are unable to consume natural food.

See earlier posts at SOAR and links at this site

for educational information, teaching tools, and 

art/ecology ideas........

In the meantime, Wisdom has found safe feeding areas

and her survival suggests hope for the future of our 

ONE OCEAN, her only home.

See http://www.fws.gov/pacific for more information

about Pacific Ocean issues and further Wisdom updates.  

Thanks to Pete, John, and all out on Midway!!!!!!!!!

ART, SCIENCE, AND INSPIRATION FOR KIDS

Green Darter. Photo by Barb Mayer. Midway Atoll.

Project SOAR and Friends of Fred have added DRAGONFLY

to our growing list of species.

The above photo was taken by Barb just as the adult Dragonfly

began unfolding its wings at the edge of quiet waters.

Google Green Darter and you will find many articles about these insects.

Team up with Friends of Fred and you will soon learn much more and,

hopefully get involved in the science and art of Dragonflies.

I spent a couple days presenting and attending the

National Art Educators Association convention this week.

On returning home, I realized I should have presented a talk

called INSPIRATION........

Dragonflies inspire for sure.........They are beautiful creatures.

Their wings seem so delicate and yet they carry these predators

as if made of Boeing aluminum and fitted to the body with rivets.

Some kids, when I ask about this beauty tell me God made them.......

To each his and her own beliefs........

As an ecologist, I am adding Dragonflies to SOAR

because they represent a critical link

in watershed ecology

AND

Their beauty helps kids create dazzling art,

ART THAT MAKES THEM THINK!!!!!!!

Art and Science go together in the world of children

like chocolate and peanut butter.....and honey, and nuts, and more

chocolate!

Dragonflies link with their relatives, the even more delicate Damselflies.

Dragon and Damselflies are aquatic, totally so for most of their lives.

They are somewhat unusual in that the juvenile form, known as NYMPHS,

lives far longer than the adult form and there is no intermediate stage between

EGG

and

NYMPH.

The NYMPHS are so kid friendly.

I take hundreds of kids out onto and into ponds, netting up big wads of gooey muck.

We haul the net onto the shore and take a look..........

At first there may be no sign of life.......nothing at all. Then, suddenly, as if added by

Steven Spielberg,

DRAGONFLY NYMPHS crawl out of the goo, greeted by screams of delight!

A Dragonfly Nymph might measure a couple inches and, equiped as it is with 

HUGE AND POWERFUL JAWS,

The Nymph can and does feast on fish!

As a juvenile, the Dragonfly is an awesome predator, inspiring kids

with its curious shape, strong legs, and water lifestyle. 

Follow this blog thread and we will share seining trips to 

Buck Lake in Washington State with kids from Breidablik Elementary

and, later in the spring, with kids from Ohio and beyond.

Watch for the Nymphs this spring as they crawl out of the muck

at a pond near you........Watch as they become motionless, then crack open to reveal

a dazzling 

GREEN DARNER!!!

Much Smaller Damsels are also predatory as juveniles, live in the same 

basic wet habitats, and go through a similar metamorphosis......

To tell a Damsel adult from a Dragon adult?

Like butterflies and moths, the two generally have different wing resting positions.

Dragonflies hold their wings out when at rest.

Damselflies hold their wings together. 

If you live in Hawaii,

Watch for endangered Damselflies and read more about them in:

HAWAIIAN INSECTS AND THEIR KIN

by

F.G. Howarth and W.P. Mull

and

Hawaiian Damselflies: An Identification Guide

by Dan Polhemus and Adam Asquith

Happy Dragon and Damselfly Watching!

  

Fred The Happy-Eyed Monkey

Here are the lyrics, all revised and ready for you to sing along with the kids from CSG on their debut performance at YouTube:

Fred the Happy-Eyed Monkey

Adapted from Peter, Paul, and Mary's Puff the Magic Dragon

by:

Ron Hirschi and the Form III classes at Columbus School for Girls, Columbus, Ohio

Fred the Happy-Eyed Mon-key,

Was born by the sea.

And surfed a-long Bla-ack Pot,

In a Bay called Hanalei.

All the lit-tle Kei-ki,

Smiled when - 'ere he came,

Navy Ships would hoist their flags,

When Fred called out their names.

Fred the Happy-Eyed Monkey,

Loved the birds and SEAS.

Helped the IWA, ALBATROSS, 'n RED-FOOTED BOO-oo-BIES.

Fred the Happy-Eyed Monkey,

Loved the birds and SEAS.

He knew that he could d-o more,

With help from you and me!

Then one day it happened,

Fred, created SOAR!

Now the lit-tle Kei-ki,

go down to their own shore!

They pick out all the plastic,

And put it in its place.

Now, Fred smiles his Monkey smile,

Having helped the Human Race!

Oh, Fred the Happy-Eyed Monkey,

Loves all the Seas.

He surfs and boogie boards to play,

At a place called HANALEI........

o-o-o-ooh yeahhh........Ha-na-lei

right down by the bay!!!!!!!!!!!

NEWS DIRECTLY FROM MIDWAY...Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

To see and hear first hand accounts of the impact of the Tsunami on Midway Fish, Wildlife, and Habitat:

http://peteatmidway.blogspot.com/


As one who saw hundreds of dead albatrosses during "normal" conditions, I can't imagine how tough it is to witness thousands dead and dying. As more reports come in, I will keep you posted on information from Midway sources. The deaths of reef fish and incredibly powerful Ulua is especially sad to hear about since these fish are threatened in ways we don't normally appreciate. I am guessing more reports will help to determine losses of corals as well as the fish Pete talks about in his recent posts.

I'm a fish person and dream of catching Ulua the size you will see at Pete's blog. They are beautiful fish and feed at night, so the Ulua would likely be washed ashore as it chased smaller fish, not sensing the tsunami as something to move away from. Just last spring, during high surf on the windward side of Oahu, I almost touched a huge Ulua as it chased a parrotfish at the front of a big wave. The Ulua chomped the parrotfish in half as the wave curled, dropping the head end onto the beach, right at my feet.......So, they ride waves to feast. Sadly, the tsunami waves also carry them far too high onto the shore.

Please also note the importance in this tsunami event of Naupaka, the shore plant that more or less filtered Albatross chicks from wave surges.........This natural vegetation is what the USFWS is working so hard to protect as workers struggle to pull up non-native plants that inhibit nesting and destroy natural habitat.


All things connected.......from naupaka to ulua to baby petrels and albatrosses................Thanks USFWS!

   

TSUNAMI AND ALBATROSS POPULATIONS...........

Our hearts and helping hands go out to all the people of Japan and we urge everyone to find ways to help ease the pain and suffering following the earthquakes and tsunami.......But we must also consider our original mission and help all who wish to know more about impacts on Albatross and other wildlife.

At latest report, we know that tens of thousands of Laysan Albatrosses and large numbers of Black Footed Albatross were killed on Midway. A high percentage of the world population nests there and even though waves reached no more than about 5 feet above normal, over one half of low lying Eastern Island was swamped by the surge of tsunami waves.

A bright spot in all of this was the survival of the Short Tailed Albatross Chick who had already been washed from its cup nest once before!!!!!!! And, we have heard that Wisdom, the Sixty Year Old Albatross (Laysan) and her chick also survived. She nest on Sand Island where the approximately 65 humans reside and found themselves just fine after the waves washed over much of the runway and lower lying areas of the island............Not to say there is any "highland" to be found...........USFWS staff and volunteers were busy and continue to rescue and monitor. Our Friend and supporter of SOAR, John Klavitter is on island and as soon as it seems right to get in touch, I will post a comment from John.

I do know that he has made comments about the Black Footed Albatrosses on Midway. They nest closer to the ocean, generally, than Laysans. And so, they were hit harder.

I remember so well being on Midway when the chicks of both species were testing their wings. I thought at that time that the greatest threats they faced were from humans who toss plastics into the sea..........and now this natural event the birds have evolved with for centuries, adapting to the rise of seas. Wisdom chose her nesting place long ago. She survived this tsunami and so will many hundreds of others. We might mourn the losses as is our kind way of thinking about all species..............and yet, survival is what brings hope. If a Sixty Year Old Albatross can raise a Chick out in the middle of the Pacific, life goes on......and if a Short Tailed Albatross ----- ONE ONLY thousands of miles from any of us ----------can survive this historic tsunami......Then surely, life goes on.

Please give to a Japanese relief organization of your choosing and remember the Albatrosses and other seabirds, sea turtles, monk seals, and wildlife of the ocean who can not survive without human help.

To learn more about the fate of all Pacific Albatrosses and other seabirds, visit http://www.acap.aq/ and follow the Friends of Albatross Midway (FOAM) site of good friend, Barb Mayer....