Laysan is in the middle of the leeward island chain.

Bathymetric map of Laysan

Monk seal on the beach at Laysan Island. Note ripple pattern in coral sand. - June 1969

A dead Laysan albatross chick, showing a belly full of plastic garbage.

Laysan from the north

The shore of Lake Laysan.

A Laysan duck mother and her ducklings.

Laysan (Hawaiian: Kauō), located 808 nautical miles (1,496 km/930 mi) northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian language (Hawaiian ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i) is an Austronesian language that takes its name from Hawai'i, the largest island in the tropical A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of Length. It corresponds approximately to one minute of Latitude along any meridian. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Honolulu is the Capital and most populous Census-designated place (CDP in the U The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small Islands and Atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest It comprises one land mass of 1,016 acres (4. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U 114 km²), about 1 by 1. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 5 miles in size (1. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States 6 by 2. 4 km). The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some eight feet (2. An atoll (pronounced /ˈætʌl/ is an island of Coral that encircles a Lagoon partially or completely A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 4 m) above sea level that has a salinity approximately three times greater than the ocean. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. Laysan's Hawaiian name of Kauō means egg, referring to its shape and how much life springs from the island.

Geology

Laysan is the second largest single landmass in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, after Sand Island at Midway Atoll. Midway Atoll (or Midway Island or Midway Islands; Hawaiian: Pihemanu Kauihelani) is a 2 Laysan was created by coral growth and geologic upshift. ^[1] The fringing reefs surrounding the island cover about 735 acres. Lake Laysan, the 100 acre, brown, hypersaline lake in the island's interior, has varied in depth over the decades. Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. In the 1860s, the lake was at most 30 feet deep, but by the 1920s it averaged three to five feet deep, because of the buildup of sand that had been blown away in sandstorms. The best way to find fresh water on Laysan is to observe where the finches are drinking; the fresh water floats on the saltier water and accumulates around the shore. The Laysan Finch, Telespiza cantans, is a Bird found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The tallest point on the island is at fifty feet above sea level, on a large dune that covers much of the northern portion of the island.

History

Discovery and early expeditions

It is likely that the first reported sighting of Laysan (Kauo) Island was by Capt. John Briggs of New Bedford about 1822, although historically the credit has gone to Capt. Staniukowitch of the Russian ship Moller, about six years later. ^[2] Staniukowitch, however, was probably the first one to map the island. In 1857, Capt. John Paty of the Manuokawai annexed Laysan to the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of O{{okina}}ahu, In 1859, Capt. Brooks of the ship Gambia travelled to the island, and in his ship log wrote that there was guano there, but "not of sufficient quantity to warrant any attempts to get it. Guano (from the Quechua 'wanu' via Spanish) is the Feces of Seabirds Bats and seals "^[3]

In 1890, the Kingdom of Hawaii granted George D. Freeth and Charles N. Spencer permission to mine the guano on Laysan anyway, as long as they paid a royalty. This newfound attention to Laysan attracted scientists, and in the next decade, many of Laysan's unique species were scientifically examined for the first time. ^[4] The working conditions at the guano mines were grueling, but there seemed to be more guano than Capt. Brooks had thought. Around 100 tons were extracted per day. ^[4] In August of 1900, a fight broke out between the Japanese workers and the management when the workers refused to work anymore; this ended in two deaths and two injuries because of the language barrier. Language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to indicate the difficulties faced when people who have no language in common attempt to communicate with each other

Guano digging affected the island’s ecosystem dramatically. Professor William Alanson Byron of the Bishop Museum estimated that there were 10 million seabirds on Laysan in 1903, but eight years later the estimation was at little more than a million. The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a Museum of History and Science in the In those eight years, the Pritchardia palms that were unique to Laysan, and the island’s sandalwood trees both became extinct. The genus Pritchardia (Family Arecaceae) consists of between 24-40 species of fan palms (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae found on tropical Pacific

1894 marked the arrival of Laysan’s most notorious inhabitant, German immigrant Max Schlemmer. Maximilian "Max" Schlemmer (1856-1935 was the self-proclaimed "King of Laysan" and superintendent of a guano mining operation on the Hawaiian island of Schlemmer introduced Belgium and European Hares as well as Guinea pigs on the island so as to prepare for a future meat canning business. The European Hare or Brown Hare ( Lepus europaeus) is a species of Hare native to northern central and western Europe and western The Guinea pig (also commonly called the cavy after its scientific name Cavia porcellus) is a species of Rodent belonging to the family Caviidae This innocent move would prove to be crucial in the decline of Laysan.

Period of extinction

The rabbits that were introduced to the island multiplied at a quick pace. Soon, the number of rabbits far exceeded the vegetation needed to feed them. Complaints about this and about Japanese poachers led President Theodore Roosevelt to declare the Northwestern Hawaiian chain a bird sanctuary in 1909. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Poaching is the illegal Hunting, Fishing or Harvesting of wild plants or animals Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Schlemmer continued to allow the Japanese to export illegal bird wings and so was removed from the island. But without plants to hold the earth together, much of the soil and sand became loose and blew about in horrific dust storms. By 1918, the rabbits had eaten so much that the remaining vegetation was only enough to sustain 100 rabbits. Twenty-six plant species had been eradicated, and the Laysan Millerbird had gone extinct. The Laysan Millerbird ( Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris) was a subspecies of the Millerbird, similar in appearance to the remaining subspecies the Nihoa ^[5]

In 1923, the Tanager Expedition arrived, and the rabbits were exterminated at long last. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The 1923 Tanager Expedition, under Captain Samuel Wilder King of the USS ''Tanager'', was a survey of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands The bird population had been reduced to about a tenth of its former size, and three endemic taxa had become extinct, plus numerous other plant species. Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. Two other endemic species, the Laysan Duck and the Laysan Finch, survive to this day, but are endangered. The Laysan Duck ( Anas laysanensis) also known as the Laysan Teal because of its small size is an endangered Dabbling duck endemic to the Hawaiian The Laysan Finch, Telespiza cantans, is a Bird found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation

Recent history

Like most of the Northwestern Hawaiian islands, Laysan is now currently uninhabited. It is protected by the Hawaiian Natural Life Act of 1961 and cared for by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who have had success in eliminating pests, restoring the island to almost pre-desert state, and restoring the numbers of imperiled species.

All sorts of garbage that is thrown off of ships ends up floating to shore on Laysan. This poses a great danger to the birds, because they swallow the plastic, which remains undigested and crowds the stomach, leaving no room for actual food. Curiously, most of the plastic found is Japanese in origin. ^[6] Additionally, in the 1990s, biologists found that a container of poisonous carbofuran had floated to shore and burst open above the high tide line, creating a "dead zone" which killed anything alive that went near it. Carbofuran is one of the most toxic Carbamate Pesticides It is marketed under the trade names Furadan, by FMC Corporation and Curater Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood This area is still off-limits. ^[7]

Sandbur eradication

In 1991, the USFWS started an effort to eradicate alien sandbur, a grass that crowds out the native bunchgrass, which is habitat for the birds. Cenchrus is a genus of about 25 species of grasses. Common names include buffelgrasses, sandburs, and sand spur. Bunch grasses, also commonly called Tussock grasses, are Grasses that grow in clumps or tufts rather than forming a Sod or mat Sandbur was first introduced in the 1960s by US Armed Forces personnel. ^[8] Costing almost one million dollars, the project ended in 1998 when the sandbur was completely removed. With this threat gone, the USFWS hopes to restore Laysan to how it was before it was discovered. To replace the Pritchardia palms that went extinct, the FWS wants to bring in Pritchardia remota from Nihoa, a similar species to Laysan’s lost fan palm. Pritchardia remota ( Nihoa Pritchardia, Nihoa Fan Palm, or Loulu) is a species of palm endemic on the island of Nihoa (also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu) is a small island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands located northwest of the island of Niihau Next may be Nihoa Millerbirds, to replace the extinct Laysan Millerbirds that were closely related. The Nihoa Millerbird ( Acrocephalus familiaris kingi) is a subspecies of the Millerbird. These transfers would accomplish a two-fold goal: to restore Laysan to its original form, and to protect those two species from extinction by maintaining a second population on Laysan. That way, if diseases, fires, or hurricanes obliterate the Nihoa population, the population can be revived by transplanting some from Laysan. ^[9]

"Laysan fever"

In 1991, there was the first recording of an illness that was, as of then, unknown. It affected people in varying levels of severity (one woman was evacuated for persistent fever, but others showed very mild symptoms). Cedric Yoshimoto of the University of Hawaii School of Public Health, wrote that "surveillance has identified a newly-described illness of humans termed 'Laysan fever (LF)' It is associated with bites of the seabird tick Ornithodoros capensis. The University of Hawaii, formally the University of Hawaii System and popularly known as UH, is a public co-educational college and university system that confers . . [and] joins a short list of human illnesses associated with seabird colonies. . . "^[10] The symptoms of Q fever overlap significantly with those of Laysan fever, and scientists have speculated as to their possible common causes. Q fever is a disease caused by infection with ^[11]

Possible Ancient Hawaiian presence

Recently, an archaeologist examining sediment cores found pollen from coconut trees deep below the bottom of the central lagoon. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family This unexpected find raises several issues. Heretofore, no evidence existed that the coconut ever reached any of the Hawaiian Islands before the arrival of the Polynesian voyagers. The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an Archipelago of 19 Islands and Atolls numerous smaller Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Further, there has never been any physical evidence that the ancient Hawaiians extended their explorations of the Hawaiian chain beyond Nihoa and Mokumanamana (Necker). Nihoa (also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu) is a small island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands located northwest of the island of Niihau Necker Island ( Hawaiian: Mokumanamana) is a small island in the Pacific Ocean, north of the Tropic of Cancer, located at. Dating the sediment containing the Cocos pollen is imprecise, but appears to be somewhere between 5,500 years ago, and the arrival of Europeans in Hawaiian waters in the late 1700s. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The full length of the core was 70 feet and is thought to represent a record spanning 7,000 years. Coconut pollen was not found in the deeper (older) part of the core. However, cores from Guam in the western Pacific show the presence of coconut trees there as early as 9,000 years ago, well before human habitation. Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Hawaiian traditions suggest that the Hawaiians were aware that islands existed to the northwest, and the pollen evidence could be interpreted as proof of early Hawaiian visitation to Laysan. Clearly, more precise dating of the sediment layers will be crucial to better interpreting this find. ^[12]

Species of Laysan

Laysan is generally regarded as the "gem" of the NWHI, with the most biodiversity. It is home to the Laysan Duck, the rarest duck in the world. The Laysan Duck ( Anas laysanensis) also known as the Laysan Teal because of its small size is an endangered Dabbling duck endemic to the Hawaiian ^[13] The other native land bird of Laysan is the Laysan Finch, an opportunistic hunter. The Laysan Finch, Telespiza cantans, is a Bird found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Eighteen other bird species nest here and use Lake Laysan, the only lake in the NWHI, as a rest stop or breeding ground. Laysan also has its share of native plants, many of which, such as Eragrostis variabilis, were extirpated from Laysan during its extinction period and then reintroduced by scientists afterwards, from other Leeward islands. Lovegrass is the Genus Eragrostis of the Poaceae (grass family) ^[14] Like most other of the NWHI, Laysan is home to Hawaiian Monk Seals and Green Sea Turtles. The Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi, is an endangered Earless seal that is endemic to the waters off of the Hawaiian Islands "Chelonia" redirects here It is also the name of the Superorder uniting turtles tortoises and terrapins ( Testudines) with the "proto-turtle"

Birds

• Laysan Finch, Telespiza cantans - endemic
• Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis - endemic
• Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis
• Black-footed Albatross, Phoebastria nigripes
• Short-tailed Albatross, Diomedia albatrus
• Great Frigatebird, Fregata minor
• Lesser Frigatebird, Fregata ariel
• White Tern (or "Fairy Tern"), Gygia alba
• Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscatus
• Gray-backed Tern, Sterna lunata
• Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis
• Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva
• Christmas Shearwater, Puffinus nativitatis
• Red-tailed Tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda rothschildi
• Brown Noddy, Anous stolidus
• Black Noddy, Anous minitus melangogenys
• Masked Booby, Sula dactylatra
• Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster
• Red-footed Booby, Sula sula rubripes
• Bonin Petrel, Pterodroma hypoleuca
• Laysan Rail (or "Laysan Crake"): Porzana palmeri -extinct
• Laysan ʻApapane - extinct
• Laysan Millerbird - extinct

Notes

References

• TenBruggencate, J. 2005. "Coconut pollen found on Laysan". Honolulu Advertiser, Monday, May 23, 2005, p. B1-2.
• Rauzon, Mark J. (2001), Isles of Refuge: Wildlife and History of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 0-8248-2209-9.
• Sinclair, Doug (2007). "Laysan Island: the name, the "discovery" and a lot of confusion."
• Greene, Patricia (2006). "Death of a Laysan Albatross Chick."
• Liittschwager, David & Middleton, Susan (2005), Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Sanctuary, National Geographic, ISBN 0-7922-4188-6.

External links

• Ecological description of Laysan
• History of Laysan
• Quick Facts on Laysan Island from the PBS Ocean Adventures site

• Laysan is at coordinates 25°46′03″N 171°44′00″W / 25.7675, -171.7334 (Laysan)Coordinates: 25°46′03″N 171°44′00″W / 25.7675, -171.7334 (Laysan)