Sierra Club Kauai Kayaking Outing 2012
Humpback Whale Count January 2012
Sierra Club Kauai Hiking Outing 2012
Kauai Beaches and Rescue Tubes
Rescue Tubes have been installed on Kauai’s beaches to help distressed swimmers in areas where lifeguards are not stationed, or at times when they are not on duty. Because of strong rip currents around the island, more people on Kauai have died in the ocean than on the highway.
Since the Rescue Tube Foundation installed the first tube more than two years ago, 37 Rescue Tube saves have been reported. Rescue Tubes stand guard 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
In 2009, 67 tubes were installed, and 7 lives were saved.
In 2010, 107 tubes were installed, and 15 lives were saved.
In 2011, 162 tubes were installed, and 15 lives were saved.
Rescue Tubes are there for all of us. When you see a Rescue Tube, take a closer look and become familiar with it. Explain them to your family, friends, and visitors. Visit Rescue Tube Foundation for more information. Enjoy our beautiful beaches and stay safe on Kauai. Please remember: When in doubt, don’t go out. Check our Kauai Surf Report.
Humpback Whale Ocean Count 2012
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary offers you a chance to monitor Humpback Whales from the shores of Oahu, Hawaii and Kauai. Volunteers count the number of humpback whales which can be seen around the islands over a four-hour period and record their behavior. The 2012 count will be held the last Saturday of January, February, and March from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
This year, on January 28, February 25, and March 31, the Sanctuary Ocean Count will be conducted at over 60 different shore sites around the islands (15 different sites around Kaua‘i). The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, which is jointly managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Hawai`i, lies within the shallow warm waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands and constitutes one of the world’s most important humpback whale habitats.
Scientists estimate that 12,000 swim to Hawaii’s waters to mate and nurse their young, typically between September and March. Since 2006, the annual count has tracked a steady rise in the humpback whale population visiting the sanctuary. Visit Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary for details.
Aloha Shirt Postage Stamps
Postage stamps picturing colorful Aloha shirts will go on sale at U.S. Postal Service offices around the country. The stamps also will be available online at www.usps.com. The aloha shirt stamps will be 29 cent postcard stamps.
Nothing says “Hawai‘i” or conjures casual good times like the colorful Aloha shirt, which takes its name from the Hawaiian word often used as a blessing or greeting. The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the spirit of “Aloha” with five stamps, each depicting a different shirt. Aloha shirts are made from boldly patterned fabric showing decorative images of Hawaiian life. Two of the five classic shirts depicted in the stamp art showcase surfers and their boards; one shows fossil fish, shells, and sea stars; another shows a tropical flower known as the bird of paradise; and one shows Kilauea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawai‘i.
