Papah膩naumoku膩kea: A Talk Story Event About The Last Wild Place
A recent series of stories published by Civil Beat, Guardians Of The Deep, took readers to the vast protected place known as Papah膩naumoku膩kea Marine National Monument, an environmental and cultural wonder few are ever allowed to access.
The archipelago that stretches more than 1,000 miles northwest of O驶ahu is threatened by a warming planet and a mysterious invasive species. And it has long been in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump.
Last fall, Civil Beat journalist Nathan Eagle accompanied a team of marine biologists on a 25-day research expedition led by NOAA scientist Randy Kosaki as they assessed the health of one of the few remaining places in the world that is truly wild.
With notebook, camera, drone and scuba gear, Eagle joined the scientists in sharky waters on dozens of dives as they checked up on the reefs, counted the diverse fish 鈥 thousands found nowhere else in the world 鈥 and returned to sites suffering from rising seas, stronger storms and a 鈥渄evil seaweed鈥 smothering swaths of coral the size of football fields.
The days were grueling but the trip was essential to fully capture how climate change is affecting life in and around these uninhabited atolls. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration team discovered reasons for hope and reasons to sound the alarm.
Less than a week before Trump took office, NOAA took action, announcing it was embarking on national sanctuary protection for Papah膩naumoku膩kea. As Eagle and Kosaki sat down at Civil Beat headquarters, that designation began its official review process in the U.S. Congress.
