#ulithi

The Azusa Special Attack Team, consisting of Ginga and Type 2 Flying Boats

Aimed to recapture Ulithi

Result: Heavy damage to the aircraft carrier Randolph

Kanoya Air Base Museum

Since I’ve finally posted all the species from Cue that I was able to ID, time for a few that people have asked me to ID, such as this grasshopper from the remote atoll of Ulithi, in the state of Yap in Micronesia. David V Wallace wanted to know what it was, and hoped it was widespread across the Western Pacific to improve the odds that someone would recognise it. He was half-right.

One Week in Ulithi

July 11, 2017

From July 3rd to 10th I was lucky enough to help out with a summer camp on the island of Falalop in the Ulithi Atoll. There are two ways to get from Yap to Falalop, on the ship, which makes rounds of the outer islands every few months, or on a small plane via Pacific Mission Aviation. I got on the PMA plane about 9:30 on Monday morning. It’s like a clown car of passengers, coolers, and other cargo. I had not only my bag, but 16 dozen eggs and ten pounds of popcorn kernels to complete our camp supply run. We had sent out nearly 600 pounds of other food and supplies several days earlier. PCVs Jared and Stephen met me at the airstrip right before camp stared. Camp was primarily held at the Falalop Ulithi Elementary School. Ulithi atoll was hit very, very hard by Typhoon Maysak in 2015 during which the school and much of the island of Falalop was completely leveled, and Falalop itself experienced a tornado on Christmas 2016. So the school is still under construction, but we stayed in three completed classrooms.

We had 22 campers ranging in age from 11 to 14 from the islands of Falalop, Federai, and Mogmog. Each day included three meals, a snack, loads of games, and sessions on health, active living, or the environment and climate change. We even had a quick session with a few guys from One People One Reef, which works in marine management. We painted a four square court at the elementary school, and held several insane games of capture the flag on the beach. We also swam at least once every day, if not more. The water out in Ulithi is so unbelievably clear, and the beach is amazing!

Food was a coordinated effort between PCVs and community members. We had lots of fish cooked in a variety of ways, and with a health focus for camp, we tried to limit rice to once a day. We incorporated veggies whenever possible and even had chicken barbeque two nights, as well as cheeseburgers for a Fourth of July treat!

Jared, the PCV on Falalop, was able to arrange a visit to one of the turtle islands for the day on Sautrday. It’s literally an uninhabited island where the turtles come to lay their eggs. We hung out and swam, the boys went spear fishing, and we got to enjoy fresh caught coconut crabs for lunch. Coconut crab meat is sweeter than normal crab, and they got their name because they are strong enough to crack coconuts themselves! There were also a gazillion hermit crabs, like to the point where it seemed as if the ground was moving, think that scene in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie where the crabs move the Black Pearl around. So cool!

One would think that getting around a small island isn’t too hard, it took me about three days to get my bearings on where things were, but I also had to manage wearing a lavalava, which is a type of wrap skirt that is worn by the women throughout the outer islands. They are super fun looking, but are held in place by a belt and frequently work their way loose, especially while walking! The girls at camp were helpful in making sure I didn’t embarrass myself while I was there!

After a dance party on Sunday night, and a breakfast of bacon and chocolate chip pancakes, it was time to get back on the plane and head home to Yap!

Gene Rachielug is from Federai and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. On his last home trip to Ulithi, he met Stephen Guertler a new Peace Corps Volunteer serving on the island. Gene proposed creating an online platform to not only raise awareness on the issues of Climate Change effecting his island home, and raise money and donations to help out the school and the entire community.  Gene will coordinate all the monetary and in-kind donations, and Stephen will coordinate everything on the ground. 

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a sovereign island nation with four states, from west to east – Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. These four states are made up of 607 islands; which range in size from the main island of Pohnpei which is 128 sq mi, to the largest island in the Ulithi Atoll at only 1.3 sq mi. The expanse of islands occupies over 1 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean.

The FSM has a special relationship with the United States, called the Compact of Free Association, which was officially adopted and signed into law on November 13, 1986. This agreement provides U.S. economic assistance in areas of health and education, along with defense of the FSM, and other services and benefits. The compact is periodically renegotiated between both governments, the last negotiation took place in 2003 and then next will one will take place in 2023. The U.S. Peace Corps was established in the FSM in 1966, and has welcomed more than 4,340 total volunteers since its inception. Currently, Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) are working in the Education Sector as co-teachers and co-planners in schools across the FSM in all four states. Peace Corps Response Volunteers (PCRV) also work in the education sector as professionals in the realm of accreditation. In the past, there have been volunteers in many sectors such as; agriculture, health, and youth development. Stephen Guertler is currently a PCV serving on the island of Federai in the Ulithi Atoll. This atoll is situated 95 miles off the coast of Yap Mainland and is accessible via planes, and cargo ships. Very few people know about these islands, or the generous, friendly, and hardworking people that inhabit them. It’s time for everyone to not only be aware of these super talented people, but to understand that if given the right tools to succeed they can do anything. To reach their goals, students need more resources to excel in school, continue in higher education, and come back to their home islands and influence positive change. Gene and Stephen created this page to raise awareness, and create a space for people to donate goods or money to assist the community on Federai.  It is our hope, that you will help us reach our goal, spread our message, and create connections to the community on Federai. Lets help these students have access to the books and materials they need to excel and reach their full potential.   Education is key for the future sustainability of the islands.

To donate goods directly, please take a look at the list below for the most needed items. When you send the package, please include a note with your name and address. To ship, go to a United States Postal Service Location (USPS) and get a white priority box to get standard shipping rates along with a tracking number. The boxes come in different sizes; small, medium (top-loading), medium (side-loading) large, and board game On the customs form please indicate “Donated Goods/toys/books” where applicable, and send to the following address, which is treated by the USPS as domestic:

Stephen Guertler: C/O Peace Corps P.O. Box 190 Colonia, Yap 96943, FSM

Students and families on Ulithi Atoll and Fais Island want to read. Will you send them books? Stephen Guertler, a Peace Corps Volunteer, hopes you will. Serving as a school based librarian on the Island of Fedraey (Federai), he has sought Habele's help in putting books in the hands of eager Island readers.

Fedraey is a tiny island on the Atoll of Ulithi, an "Outer Island" of Yap State, Micronesia. Guertler and his peers on Falalop, Ulithi, neighboring Fais Island, and the State Capital of Yap Proper, are working hard to provide students and community members with access to relevant reading materials. Micronesia was liberated from Japanese Occupation in the Pacific War and remains a staunch American ally. The former US dependency is guaranteed millions in structured annual aid and access to US agency funds in return for exclusive US military use and base rights through a “Compact of Free Association.” In practice though, few resources reach the most remote communities, of the sort where Guertler now lives and works.

Along with Palau and the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia is termed a "Freely Associated State" (FAS). These tiny Western Pacific islands and their waters flank the US forward defense perimeter. They dominate international sea-lanes to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, holding special significance for America's Pivot to the Pacific. They are home to some of the most isolated and traditional communities on the planet.

Living thousands of miles away from the wreckage of Typhoon Maysak hasn't stifled the enthusiasm and generosity of Habele's donors and volunteers.

Just this week, Rachel and Derek of Washington, DC, responded to the plight of Outer Island students by gathering, packing and shipping out an assortment of school supplies and toiletries! As a former Peace Corps Volunteer to Micronesia, Rachel has experienced firsthand the tremendous excitement and benefit that even simple supplies can provide for island children. 

Many thanks to Rachel and Derek for the supplies, and for the kindness that motivating your donation!

The ongoing needs of students and families on Micronesia's Outer Islands are significant. Donations like these go a long way in meeting those needs. Already, Habele donors have been able to encourage students displaced by the storm. Additionally, Habele's network of volunteers have been working to deliver sustainable, traditional food sources to devastated communities on islands like Faraulep and Piik. Please share this with friends and family. It makes a big difference! To donate directly to Habele's ongoing work in Moving Past Maysak:

or send check or money order to Habele, 701 Gervais St, STE 150-244, Columbia, SC 29201.

Habele is a tax exempt, all-volunteer, US based nonprofit with a proud history of high impact support for our partners in Micronesia.

Micronesia's remote Outer Islands were fortunate enough to receive emergency supplies of food and water immediately after the destruction of Typhoon Maysak. These rations are crucial for short term survival, but the need to revive traditional, sustainable food sources is an ongoing need.

Volunteers with Waa'gey - a Habele partner organization - have jumped in to help bolster relief work with a long-term food solution for some of Yap State's most isolated Outer Islands.

Drawing on traditional and local knowledge of storm relief, Waa'gey volunteers collected over fifty baskets of traditional crop seedlings, which they will personally deliver to the atolls of Faraulep and Piik. Inside the baskets are over 500 plants, including taro, banana, tapioca, sweet potatoes and even mahogany trees. These are familiar crops, identified by islanders as the most targeted means of helping remote communities regain self-sufficiency. Faraulep and Piik lie almost 500 miles east of Yap, and suffered 80% loss of food crops and infrastructure to Typhoon Maysak. The majority of this damage was directly from shoreline inundation. Islands and atolls even further east - Satawal, Lamotrek, Elato, Ifalik, Woleai, and Euripik - were fortunate to have avoided the worst of the storm, and sustained considerably less damage.

In addition to delivering plants to the island communities, Waa'gey volunteers will be lending their backs and chainsaws to clearing away the wreckage and debris. Many of these remote islands are confined to the use of the only limited hand tools, as chainsaws simply aren't available. Without the chainsaws and additional manpower, the task of clearing space to plant traditional food plots would be extremely daunting.

To donate directly to Habele's ongoing work in Moving Past Maysak:

or send check or money order to Habele, 701 Gervais St, STE 150-244, Columbia, SC 29201.

Habele is a tax exempt, all-volunteer, US based nonprofit with a proud history of high impact support for our partners in Micronesia.

Lagoon in Ulithi Atoll. 

Habele donors and volunteers often ask questions about the daily lives of the people who live thousands of miles away in beautiful Micronesia. Go here to read, "Where is Micronesia?" The Outer Islands of Yap provide a fascinating look into traditional island culture and lifestyle. Even today, many remote islands and atolls live in much the same way as they have for millenia. Villages Outer Islanders live in small villages facing the calm waters of the atoll’s lagoon. The lagoon provides a shallow, safe location for washing, swimming, gathering fish and shellfish, and launching canoes. This is an extremely valuable feature, considering that these tiny strips of land are surrounded by millions of square miles of some of the deepest water on Earth!

Off the beach, extended families live in houses that were traditionally constructed of hand-carved timbers and leaf thatching. Depending on its size, a family may occupy a small cluster of houses,  and have a separate shed-like structure for cooking meals and mingling. Islanders sleep in hammocks, or on raised wooden platforms in the house. In recent years, access to concrete and sheet metal has meant many houses are a melding of traditional design, and whatever modern materials are available.

Traditional home on Ulithi

While family units may gather for meals, not everyone sleeps under the same roof. Men and boys regularly spend their evenings in the mens’ house, one of the most traditionally important buildings in a village. This unique structure provides a traditional location for men in the village to eat, sleep, store canoes, and meet to discuss community affairs. Building projects, fishing trips, and project planning - like typhoon recovery - would be laid out by community leaders in the mens’ house. Mens’ houses remain strictly segregated. Women have a building of their own that is similarly off-limits to men.

Women on the tiny island of Asor (Ulithi) prepare food in the family cook house

An Outer Islands village like the ones on Ulithi Atoll may include an small elementary school building, a feast hall or meeting house, a church, and a number of sheds for the storage of food and fuel. Food Outside the main village are areas designated for growing food. Most of these  growing plots are located near the center of the island, and used for the cultivation of taro plants. Taro grows in swampy, low-lying areas, and produces a starchy stem and edible leaf that are a staple food source for island communities. Other regularly produced crops are coconuts, breadfruit, and bananas. The thin, nutrient-poor soil makes the regular production of many species of plant almost impossible. Outer Islands like those in Ulithi Atoll lost their taro patches and fruit bearing trees in Typhoon Maysak. Some families may have pigs and chickens that wander the island, although not in large numbers.

Women and children provide the care and labor for taro patches, leaving men in the village to focus on the crucial task of gathering food from the sea. Using hand carved outrigger canoes, Outer Island men paddle through the lagoon to check fish traps, cast nets, and dive to pursue small fish with spears. Larger fish cruise the depths outside of the lagoon, and often the men will paddle beyond the relative safety of the lagoon to bring home large catches for sharing in the village.  Outer Islanders have traditionally been willing to make long, open-ocean voyages in canoes to trade resources with other islands. More "Islands 101" posts coming soon. If you have friends and family curious about Micronesia, please share with them! To donate directly to Habele's ongoing work in Moving Past Maysak:

or send check or money order to  Habele, 701 Gervais St, STE 150-244, Columbia, SC 29201.

Habele is a tax exempt, all-volunteer, US based nonprofit with a proud history of high impact support for our partners in Micronesia.

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