Written by: Haley Kennard

Aloha from Hawai’i! This summer, I somehow talked my way into working at the NOAA Office of the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Monument (PMNM) in Hawai’i as a Policy and Evaluation Intern. Growing up on O’ahu I’ve always felt connected to the ocean and its creatures, and it was amazing to be back in my island home. PMNM was recently expanded by President Obama and is now the largest protected area (terrestrial or marine) on the planet – nearly twice the size of Texas! It has been fascinating and rewarding to be a part of that process this summer. One of the first things I did was help collect and analyze public comments from meetings held in July to assess the local community opinions on expansion. As SMEA students might expect, this was a hotly debated issue, with stakeholders from the Native Hawaiian community, the local tuna fishing fleet, commercial fisheries, the Western Pacific Fishery Council, and a number of environmental NGOs (from local to global) expressing many different points of view.

I’m interested in the social and cultural aspects of marine conservation and in integrating diverse knowledge systems into management. When I set up this internship, there were just whispers about expansion, but I was interested in PMNM because it protects a place that I care deeply about and also because of the relationship that the Monument maintains with Native Hawaiians and their commitment tointegrating cultural knowledge and practices into the management of the Monument. Everything (from staff meetings to research cruises to outreach) that happens around PMNM is done so with the understanding that one is working with a cultural and social-ecological system. No management or collaboration system is perfect, but it was inspiring to see the effort to incorporate cultural research and practices along with western biological/ecological research.

In addition to expansion-related activities, I compiled data for program evaluation reports, worked with the communications director on the PMNM website, drafted a policy document for the PMNM Resource Monitor Program attended a number of advisory council meetings, and volunteered at the World Conservation Congress on behalf of NOAA. I’ve also done a lot of surfing, snorkeling, and “working on my thesis” at the beach.

In addition to checking out NOAA from the inside, I really feel that I experienced SMEA curriculum in real life this summer. I was a part of the debate around subsistence fishing and conservation, witnessed the legal implications of the Magnussen-Stevens Act and the Antiquities Act on marine resources and spaces, heard many differing opinions about large marine protected areas and access, saw adaptive management in practice, and began to understand what integrating traditional ecological knowledge into marine conservation really means. I’m excited to get back to Seattle to see you all and get started on year 2!