Hello all! Quick culture note: Belau is Palauan for Palau! Today was our last Conservation and Development class and we got to spend it monitoring Ngederrak, a Koror state marine protected area (MPA). The MPAContinue reading
Day 10 (16 January 2014, AM edition): Identity and Conservation
Today we met Umai Basiliaus, who works in the Policy Planning program of the Palau Conservation Society (PCS). While Umai’s formal presentation gave a great overview of the organization and its objectives, she shared invaluableContinue reading
Day 10 (PM edition) 16 January 2014: A Farewell Feast
Humbled and inspired. Those are two words that describe how I feel at this very moment—and how I’ve felt for a lot of this trip. Tonight we were invited to a dinner at Chief NgiraContinue reading
January 14th: Exit Fees
When you leave Palau, you’re charged fifty bucks in cash. Ouch. I’ve been whining about it quite a bit if not verbally, at least internally. However, today’s discussions made me feel incredibly better about payingContinue reading
Cruising Through the Rock Islands
January 15, 2014 Today we once again enjoyed the type of weather most people only dream about in the middle of January. Sunny, slightly breezy, and hardly a cloud in the sky, which was perfectContinue reading
January 15th Sea Cucumber Fishery
Today was my 10th day in Palau, and the 8th day of my conservation & development class. This morning we met with Irving and Tiare with OSCA in Ngardmau state. What was amazing about Ngardmau,Continue reading
We live in a Bai, we fish on the sea and sometimes, we get lost
Today started out much like the others. Many of us, still adjusting to the time difference, woke up well before we needed to be ready. We trotted down the staircase, bags in hand, to headContinue reading
Day 6: From the Taro Patch to the ‘Eco Theme Park’
Sunday, 12 January 2014 Before we left Ollei this morning, we stopped at the village taro patch for one last lecture. Throughout our visit to this small fishing village, our experiences focused on the community’sContinue reading
Alanna Gisonodo
CEM, coasts, conservation, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, oceans, students, travel
CEM, coasts, conservation, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, oceans, students, travel
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Conservation in Ollei, Palau
We have just returned to Koror from our two-day trip in Ollei, a small village located in the northern end of Ngarchelong state of Palau. We spent most of the visit with local women andContinue reading
January 8th: A Tour of the Rock Islands
Koror Palau, 18:00, January 08, 2014 Who knew…. …that so many different types of living things could live in such a small area?!?! Even after being here five years ago, I am still so blownContinue reading