Intern Account: Malia:
"Working on Goat Island was a new and exciting experience for me. At first I was skeptical about walking accross the reef a hundred yards out to the island, but once we dove in, the hike out turned out to be my favorite part. When we arrived on the island, I was suprised to find out that the island would be entirely native if we were able to get rid of the few invasive plants out there. I helped to pull invasive weeds and vines off of the naupaka bushes and we found that we could not pull out the invasive purple flowers that plagued the soil with our hands and would have to use a spray instead. Other volunteers cut netting off of the sharp rocks from one side of the island to prevent monk seals and other animals from getting caught in it. After a quick lunch break, I would soon find out that this project included studying bugs. I was more of an observer and would not even let the butterflies land on me, while Princes had her hands full with the bugs. The hike back was slightly more difficult due to an increase in tide which caused me to slip neck deep in water, different from the thigh level water during the hike in. I am extremely excited to visit Goat Island again to continue the restoration and study!"

Intern Account: Princes:
"The field trip at Mokuauia island was both tiring and exciting. I had so much fun meeting new people and helping them uncontaminate the island. It was a whole new experience for me. I liked the part where I got to collect some insects and when David taught me how to use the net in a proper way to collect them. I've collected three different insects; a spider, small cockroach, and a bee. The hardest thing about the field trip was crossing the water to get to the island, because it was slippery and I kept getting out of balance, but I still had fun and I can't wait for our next field trip."