Nā mea o ka Honua

Ua ʻike au i ka ikaika. ʻO ka ikaika o ka wai e hoʻokiʻekiʻe iaʻu, hoʻokuʻi iaʻu, huki iaʻu, hoʻoneʻe iaʻu, lawe iaʻu a hiki i ka ʻike ʻana o ka maka. Ua paʻa koʻu hoihoi a me koʻu aloha i ka moana i koʻu wā kamaliʻi i ke Kaiwa o Mexico ma South Padre Island. E ʻauʻau wau a hiki i ka luhi a ma ka holo ʻana i ka home ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ke ʻakaʻaka a noʻonoʻo iho iaʻu iho, "ʻAʻole hiki iaʻu ke kali e hana hou."

Ua hele au e aʻo i ka heʻenalu a me ka kayak ma ka mokupuni, kahi aʻu e hoʻohanohano ai i ka makuahine Nature ma ka hula ʻana ma luna o kona one ʻālohilohi, e holo ana i nā nalu i hāʻawi ʻia e ka ikaika o ka makani a me ka piʻi mālie o ke kahakai. ʻOiai ka maluhia mehameha aʻu i ʻike pinepine ai ma luna o ka wai, ʻo ka ʻoiaʻiʻo ʻaʻole wau ʻo wau wale nō i nalowale iaʻu. ʻO ke ola moana a me nā manu kahakai kekahi ʻāpana o ka moana e like me ka wai a me ke one. ʻAʻole wau i ʻike wale i kēia mau mea ola, ua ʻike au iā lākou a puni iaʻu i ka waʻa, heʻenalu a me ka ʻauʻau. ʻAʻole paʻa kēia kaiaola nani me ka ʻole o lākou, a ʻo ko lākou hele ʻana mai i hoʻonui ai i koʻu aloha a me koʻu mahalo i ke kai.  

ʻO koʻu ʻiʻini maoli a me ka ulu ʻana i ke ʻano a me nā holoholona hihiu e alakaʻi iaʻu e ʻimi i nā haʻawina i ka ʻepekema, e kālele nui ana i ka Environmental Science. ʻOiai ma ke Kulanui o Texas ma Brownsville, ua hana pū au me nā ʻepekema a me nā polopeka e hana ana i ka noiʻi ʻana i nā mea āpau mai ka maikaʻi o ka wai a hiki i ka sediment a me ka ʻike ʻana i nā mea kanu ma ke awāwa a ma loko o nā loko oxbow ma Brownsville, Texas i kapa ʻia, "Resacas." Ua loaʻa iaʻu ka hanohano o ka lawelawe ʻana ma ke ʻano he Campus Greenhouse Coordinator kahi aʻu i kuleana ai no ka mālama ʻana i nā Mangrove ʻEleʻele maikaʻi i kanu hou ʻia ma ke kahawai ʻo Mexico. 
I kēia manawa, ʻo kaʻu hana i ka lā e lawe mai iaʻu i ka honua o nā pilina lehulehu e hana pū ana me nā ʻoihana a me nā mea kūʻai aku e pili ana i ka hoʻopuka ʻana i nā kulekele aupuni. Loaʻa iaʻu ka hanohano o ka launa pū ʻana me nā alakaʻi Latino aupuni i ka hoʻokumu ʻana i nā manawa e wehe ai i nā alahele no ke kaiāulu Latino e hoʻopili ʻia i kekahi o nā mea hana pono o ka 21st century, ʻo ka Pūnaewele. 

Hoʻopili wau i ka neʻe ʻana o ka kaiapuni a me ka mālama ʻana ma o kaʻu hana manawaleʻa me Latino Outdoors kahi aʻu e lawelawe ai ma ke ʻano he DC Coordinator. Ma ke ʻano he mea hoʻoponopono, hana wau i ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā pilina e hoʻonui ai i ka ʻike a me ke komo ʻana o ke kaiāulu Latino kūloko me nā manawa leʻaleʻa waho. Ma o nā hana leʻaleʻa o waho e like me ka kayak, ka hoe ʻana, ka holo kaʻa, ka holoholo ʻana a me ka lele manu, ke kau nei mākou i ke kahua no ka hoʻomau mau a koʻikoʻi o ko mākou kaiāulu me Mother Nature. I kēia kauwela a i ka hāʻule, e hoʻomau mākou i ka hana ʻana me nā mea waiwai ʻole kūloko ma ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe muliwai. Ua kākoʻo mākou i ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻana a puni nā muliwai ʻo Anacostia a me Potomac i kōkua i ka wehe ʻana ma luna o 2 mau ʻōpala i kēia makahiki. I kēia makahiki ua hoʻomaka mākou e hana i nā hanana hoʻonaʻauao e lawe mai i nā loea biodiversity Latino e aʻo i nā papa pōkole e pili ana i nā kumulāʻau a me nā kaiaola kūloko. Hahai ʻia ka papa e kahi hike ʻike ma NPS: Rock Creek Park.

Ke kakali nei au i ka lawelawe ʻana ma ke ʻano he lālā ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo me The Ocean Foundation, a ke hana nei au i kaʻu ʻāpana e kākoʻo i ka misionari o ka hoʻohuli ʻana i ke ʻano o ka luku ʻana i ko kākou moana a me ka hāpai ʻana i nā kaiaola kai olakino.