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ISLET FIELD ACCOUNTS
Follow the interns and volunteers through their work on the offshore islets. Click on the photos to link to a photo gallery for each visit.

> 19 Feb 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 29 Feb 2007: Mokulua, O'ahu
> 28 Mar 2007: Kaohikaipu (Black Rock), O'ahu
> 2-3 April 2007: Po'opo'o, Lana'i
> 2-3 April 2007: Pu'u pehe (Sweetheart Rock), Lana'i
> 5 Apr and 7 Apr 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 5-7 Apr 2007: Mokoli'i (Chinaman's Hat), O'ahu
> 29 Apr 2007: Kapapa (Mokukapapa), O'ahu
> 3-4 May 2007: Lehua, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau
> 9 May 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 12 May 2007: Mokoli'i (Chinaman's Hat), O'ahu
> 29-31 May 2007: Molokini, Maui
> 29-31 May 2007: Kaemi, Maui
> 29-31 May 2007: Hulu, Maui
> 1 Jun 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 8 Jun 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 15 Jun 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 22 Jun 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 29 Jun 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 6 Jul 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 18 Jul 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 24 Jul 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 31 Jul 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 7 Aug and 30 Aug 2007: Kapapa (Mokukapapa), O'ahu
> 7 Aug and 30 Aug 2007: Kaohikaipu (Black Rock), O'ahu
> 8 Aug 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 17 Aug 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 17 Aug 2007: Mokoli'i (Chinaman's Hat), O'ahu
> 24 Aug 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 8 Sep 2007: Mokauea, O'ahu
> 10 Sep 2007: Moku'ae'ae, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau
> 18-20 Sep 2007: Mokapu, Moloka'i
> 18-20 Sep 2007: 'Okala, Moloka'i
> 21 Sep 2007: Mokoli'i (Chinaman's Hat), O'ahu
> 22 Sep 2007: Moku'au'ia (Goat Island), O'ahu
> 24 Sep 2007: Kaohikaipu (Black Rock), O'ahu
> 24 Sep 2007: Manana (Rabbit Island), O'ahu
> 14-16 Oct 2007: Mokoli'i (Chinaman's Hat), O'ahu
> 17 Oct 2007: Popo'ia (Flat Island), O'ahu
> 20-21 Oct 2007: Kapapa (Mokukapapa), O'ahu
> 25 Oct 2007: Moke'ehia, Maui
> 26 Oct 2007: Mokupipi, Maui
> 27 Oct 2007: Pu'uku (Pu'uki'i), Maui
> 1 Nov 2007: Po'opo'o, Lana'i
> 1 Nov 2007: Moku mana, Maui
> 2 Nov 2007: Pu'u pehe (Sweetheart Rock), Lana'i
> 2 Nov 2007: Ki'ei, Lana'i
> 10 Nov 2007: Mokauea, O'ahu
> 1-2 Dec 2007: Kaohikaipu (Black Rock), O'ahu
> 9 Feb and Feb 11 2008: Manana (Rabbit Island), O'ahu
> 15 Feb 2008: Mokuho'oniki, Moloka'i
> 16 Feb 2008: Moku manu, Moloka'i
> 16 Feb 2008: Kanaha, Moloka'i
> 19 Mar 2008: 'Alau, Maui
> 20 Mar 2008: Mokuhuki, Maui
> 26 Mar 2008: 'Ale'ale, Kaho'olawe
> 26 Mar 2008: Pu'u koa'e, Kaho'olawe

Mokoli'i (Chinaman's Hat)   5-7 Apr 2007

Trip Goal: To assess the food preference of an invasive ant species as part of a project to remove Long-legged ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) from seabird islets where they disrupt nesting by swarming adults and killing chicks and piping eggs.

Accomplishments: We set out with a group of 4 - half going to Mokolii and half going to Mokuauia. We then repeated the study on April 7th. On each islet we tested 4 different food types and discovered which type the ants prefered. This information will be used to create an ant bait specific for this species and is the first step towards removing the ants from these islands.

Mokoli'i
Photo Gallery

Intern Account: Princes (Apr 7):
"I joined Heather and Jaap to help with this experiment to get rid of Yellow Crazy Ants from the islets because ants have recently begun to be a big problem. They actually attack eggs that are about to hatch and kill them. So, what we did was set out containers with different kinds of food (such as a corn-based bait) in a certain area where there were a lot of ants. We started early in the morning and the water was really shallow so there wasn’t any problem getting to the island. I had my camera with me and I took a lot of pictures. I really had a lot of fun during this trip; it was one of my favorite field works also."

Intern Account: Malia (Apr 5):
Mokoli'i is definity my least favorite islet. No matter how many islets I visit, I know this one will be my least favorite. We ventured onto the islet to protect the shearwater's eggs from the ants that were eating them. We had to walk around the islet in its entirety, whether there was a trail or not, to plant the ant bait. By the time we were half way around the island it was time to pick up the first batch. Thus, we were racing the clock for the first batch and for light, since night was soon approaching. We raced around the rest of the islet in which we had to make our own trail through Lantana bushes taller than I while falling through the soft bushes that coated the ground. Unfortunately, Lantana bushes have thorns on them, many thorns which will tear your skin apart. Unfortunately again I was wearing shorts and a short sleeved T-shirt, a combination that did not mesh well with the thorns. As you can assume, I left the island looking either like I was scratched and mauled by a persistent, evil cat or like I was whipped from the waste down. On the other hand, the kayak out to the islet and the islet itself is utterly beautiful, the Lantana bushes, I wish i could say the same."