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| Na`alehu Anthony captured this photo of Hōkūleʻa returning to Hawai`i this weekend. Photo from Polynesian Voyaging Society |
WITH THIS WEEKEND'S HOMECOMING OF POLYNESIAN CANOES, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia, after three years sailing 40,000 nautical miles around the world to 23 countries and 150 ports, using traditional navigation, Hawai`i residents are invited to take the Mālama Honua Pledge to commit to a more sustainable future.
Families, students, educators, ocean conservationists, voyaging waʻa groups, residents and visitors joined the welcome ceremony on O`ahu on Saturday. On Sunday, they were allowed to climb on board the canoes. Among those honoring the journey were Gov. Daivd Ige and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who issued a statement:
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Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Gov. David Ige joined leaders in |
"Thousands of years ago Hawai`i’s ancestors settled every livable landmass across a large swath of the Pacific. They used the technology of their time to explore the unknown and they lived in harmony with nature. Today, too often, technology is used to exploit nature, creating more suffering around the world. Every action has a reaction, and the voyage of the Hōkūle‘a over the last three years has spread aloha and the message of Mālama Honua, uniting a network of people committed to creating a better world."
She said that the mission of Mālama Honua "means preserving our limited resources, taking care of each other and our island earth. Much like our ancestors used technology to create a balance between our civilization and nature, so can we today. We are very proud that Hawai`i was the first state in the country to recommit to the Paris Climate Accord. As we look to Hawai`i to lead the way in protecting our environment, let us be inspired by the message carried by the Hōkūle‘a as a path to a brighter future for all. The Mālama Honua Pledge can be taken through this link.
The Malama Honua Fair and Summit are being held Sunday through Tuesday at the Hawai`i Convention Center in Waikiki. The Youth World Congress and Youth Summit draws students ages five to 25. The Youth Summit on Sunday brought together "local and global youth to celebrate Malama Honua stories and create a collective call to action for the future stewardship of our Island Earth," said a statement from the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
The Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are expected to come to the Big Island in the near future as part of islands-wide homecoming and educational events.
See www.hokulea.com.
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| Hōkūleʻa visited 23 countries, 150 ports and sailed 40,000 nautical miles, Map from Polynesian Voyaging Society |
OPENING OF THE 2017 WORLD YOUTH CONGRESS, on Sunday, inspired by the Worldwide Voyage of Hōkūleʻa, featured U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. She spoke about how successful examples of sustainability throughout history, like the ahupuaʻa system developed by Native Hawaiians, can inspire policies and communities worldwide today. She encouraged the delegates of the World Youth Congress and other attendees on O`ahu to continue the mission of the Hōkūleʻa—Mālama Honua—by finding ways to care for each other and the planet in their daily lives.
The 2017 World Youth Congress addresses issues from the 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress, which was well attended by representatiives of conservation organizations and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park in Ka`u.
The Youth congress explores the theme Reconnecting to our Ancestral Roots to build Sustainable Communities. In her remarks, Gabbard said, “Our ancestors taught us basic principles of sustainability and conservation—replenishing what we take, putting need over greed, and giving back to our home. These lessons gifted to us throughout history are just as timely and relevant now as ever before, and they must frame our path in the future.”
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| A masked Tim Orr, on his last day of field work as a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist, collected a sample from Kīlauea Volcano’s active lava flow on May 31, 2017. The face mask and heavy glove on his left hand provide protection from the intense radiant heat of molten lava. Orr (inset) has accepted a research geologist position at the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage. USGS photos. |
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY'S MASKED GEOLOGIST heads north to Alaska. The weekly Volcano Watch article points out that in recent photos of a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist collecting lava samples, readers might have noticed the face mask worn to protect exposed skin from the intense radiant heat. The mask also conceals the wearer’s identity, raising the question, “Who is that masked geologist?”
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| Tim Orr is known for his volcano photography including this ocean entry image presented with a collection of his photos at a Hawaian Volcano Observatory talk at Pahala Plantation House. Photo by Tim Orr |
Though not intentional, the concealment is fine with Tim Orr, the geologist behind the mask, who prefers to avoid the limelight. But it’s high time to recognize his contributions to volcanology in Hawai`i. Orr has accepted a research geology position at the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, so he’s headed north to Alaska.
Why would Orr willingly leave paradise? He hails from Montana, so he’s familiar with snow and grizzly bears. He’s actually excited about getting back to a climate and outdoor activities similar to those of his youth. He also looks forward to learning about Alaska’s volcanoes, their different styles of eruption, and new monitoring techniques.
Growing up near Yellowstone National Park, which is atop a volcanic hot spot, Orr was bitten by the “volcano bug” early on. While studying geology at the University of Montana, he spent four months volunteering at HVO in 1994.
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Orr photographed monitoring equipment that was obliterated by an explosive event at Kīlauea . It was published in The Atlantic. Photo by Tim Orr |
After completing a Master’s degree in geology at Northern Arizona University, and with a hankering for volcano monitoring work, Orr returned to HVO in 2002 as an operational geologist. By 2007, he was leading HVO’s Kīlauea geology group, overseeing monitoring efforts and hazard assessments for the ongoing East Rift Zone (Pu‘u‘ō‘ō) eruption. In 2008, his duties increased with the onset of Kīlauea’s summit eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu.
Despite his heavy HVO workload and family responsibilities, Orr managed to complete a Ph.D. in geology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2015.
During Orr's tenure at HVO, much has happened on Kīlauea, and he’s been in the middle of it all. A few examples: He was one of the HVO scientists who discovered the explosive deposits that marked the onset of the ongoing summit eruption in March 2008. Three years later, just as the Kamoamoa fissure eruption began, he straddled widening ground cracks on Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone to capture spectacular video of lava spewing to the surface. During the 2014-2015 Pāhoa lava flow crisis, his detailed mapping and keen field observations were essential to keeping Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense and the public informed.
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| Tim Orr getting up close to lava burning an ohia forest. Photo from USGS |
Orr is an excellent research scientist who integrates detailed observations and geophysical data with his geologist’s intuition. For example, at the start of Kīlauea’s summit eruption, he recognized that the occasional lava lake explosive events were triggered by large rockfalls from the crater walls. The cause of these explosions was initially debated, but high-resolution webcam imagery later provided conclusive support for his model.
Orr was instrumental in developing HVO’s modern webcam network and time-lapse camera systems to track volcanic activity. This opened a whole new way of monitoring and conducting research on Hawaiian volcanoes.
He also employed an innovative technique using structure from motion software to merge aerial imagery captured during overflights. This enables scientists to produce maps of active lava flows without having to walk many miles over rough and hazardous terrain.
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| Sampling from a tongue of lava, Tim Orr documents the life of volcanoes. Photo from USGS |
Orr's accomplishments at HVO and his contributions to a better understanding of Hawaiian volcanoes are extensive—too long to list here. The same is true for his community service. “Thank you” hardly suffices for the countless public talks, Volcano Watch articles, and interactions with students he's provided over the past 15 years.
Asked about the best part of his job at HVO, Orr replied, “There’s never a dull moment.” And the worst part? His response was identical, reflecting the intense demands of Kīlauea’s non-stop and ever-changing activity.
Orr is a valued USGS colleague and good friend to all of us at HVO. Generous with his time and knowledge, he’s always available to answer questions or mentor new staff. His calm demeanor and sense of humor are great assets in a work environment that often requires long hours and, at times, an abundance of stress. AVO’s gain is certainly HVO’s loss.
"You will be greatly missed Tim, but we wish you all the best in Alaska. A hui hou…until we meet again," said the statement from the HVO team in Volcano Watch.
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