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Recent Stories
Eco-Warriors, its time to hit the beach!
It's time for the yearly Okinawa Cleanup YUIMARU-ICC and the perfect time to launch our "My Beach" Project. Thanks to support from the Nippon Foundation and enhanced awareness about keeping beaches clean on the island we at NPO Okinawa O.C.E.A.N. feel that Okinawa is long overdue for a program like this. We actually had plans to start this type of program years ago having already met the people in charge of the world's first Adopt-a-Beach program in Texas and the successful program in the Great Lakes area. Okinawa was not ready. Okinawa O.C.E.A.N. (Ocean Culture & Environment Action Network) was created by the founders of the Okinawa International Clean Beach Club (OICBC) in order to better address environmental problems on Okinawa. In 2003, Okinawa O.C.E.A.N. became an officially registered Non Profit Organization. We have reached one of our founding goals of elevating the level of awareness about marine debris. Several of OICBC members have taken the lead and created their own NPO cleaning in their area, speaking at schools and organizing major cleanups. A hallmark was our co-founding of the the Okinawa Clean Coast Network (OCCN) with the 11th Division Hdqrts of the Japan Coast Guard based in Okinawa.
Those interested in becoming part of the "My Beach" Project Adopt-a-Beach Program are required to clean their beach at least three times a year. Register on-line: http://www.okinawaocean.org/yuimaru_signup.html
One of those cleanups needs to be scheduled during the Okinawa Cleanup YUIMARU-ICC and use the Bi-lingual Marine Debris Data Cards.
Right now, cleanups are scheduled year round and volunteers can credit their participation for those events. Special incentives are being worked on for members.
We encourage all volunteers to take action during the yearly I Love Okinawa(tm) Campaign that starts on Coral Day (March 5th-Sango 3.5 in Japanese) and runs through November.
For the first cleanup we start at our Headquarters at Cape Maeda (Maeda Point). It's a chance to get together as we celebrate the beginning of the season with a coastal/underwater cleanup followed by a small party for members.
April: Earth Day Cleanups scheduled
May : I Love Okinawa Cleanups every third Sunday organized by OICBC http//www.oicbc.org
June : Environment Month, International OCEAN Day, beginning of the OCCN Japan Coast Guard Marugoto Campaign from the third Sunday of June up to Japan OCEAN day on the third Monday (national holiday and the start of Summer)
July: Japan OCEAN Day weekend, Special events
August: GOMI ZERO - Trash ZERO campaign and cleanups by Junior Chamber of Commerce clubs
September 1st to October 31st:
Okinawa Cleanup YUIMARU-ICC (Int. Coastal Cleanup)
The main event days take place on the third weekend of September with cleanups scheduled all over the world and in every state of the United States. Marine Debris Data cards are used during this time for both coastal and underwater cleanups. PADI Project A.W.A.R.E. & the NPO Okinawa Diving Safety Council are the Underwater partners during this event.
September: Clean Up the World (CUW) Clean ups also take place during this time.
November: Final cleanup month with end of year reception for member.
Dry Dock MONTHS: December, January, February. No cleanups scheduled during this time except by special request. School visits are also accepted. We do work on doing surveys, compiling the campaign activities and general support work putting together collected data and preparing for the next year's campaign.
NPO Okinawa will assist in overcoming the language barrier between local officials and will work with each group in order to make a lasting positive impact in your community.
Register online. For any questions, e-mail to: edosensei@hotmail.com
We hope you will take the challenge!
From the Officers & Crew of NPO Okinawa O.C.E.A.N.
Life's a "Clean" beach!(tm)
posted by the Pilot & Chief Navigator ehs
edosensei@hotmail.com
info@okinawaocean.org
A New Light
Sunshine has finally replaced a long period of clouds and rain. After one of the more difficult cleanups we have had in many years, Keith, Simon, Meria, Daniel, Komaki and I take advantage of the weather and walk down the path that runs over the cliffs of Maeda. It is a picturesque day with flowers in bloom and the green colors of the surrounding flora are full of energy. I have quite a different feeling than I had a month ago when the murky sea seemed like it would never shimmer under the sunlight again.
We avoid the crowd of divers and snorkelers swimming below the newly built steps that lead down to Cape Maeda's translucent water. Instead, we walk down the fishing path on the other side of the rocky outcrop to enter. As soon as we begin snorkeling, the sea pulls us into another world. While swimming lazily over bits of newly formed coral and tiny fish, the coolness of the salty water is a welcome change from the hot sun we had just experience during the cleanup. At the edge of the reef, the water is extraordinarily blue and the drop-off leads to an endless vision of blue liquid. Staring into this infinity of water together with Komaki, I feel extreme joy in my heart to be in Okinawa at this moment. The beach is clean, we are surrounded by beauty, and everything is perfect.
Sadness
The rain continues to fall...This heavy rainfall is part of the natural weather cycle that Okinawa has been experiencing for millenniums. The problem is that much of Okinawa's lush sub-tropical forests have been slowly destroyed over the last century causing the island's clay-like red soil to cascade down the mountain slopes and wash into the sea each time it rains. Over the years, thick, red silt has been settling on the seafloor inside the reef, where it cannot escape. In some places it has smothered coral, blocking life-giving rays of sunlight and eventually killing the coral.
When I watch the sea turn red, I see the island bleed. We have sliced and cut the island too many times and it cannot heal itself. What we do to the forests and mountains affects the sea. The outpouring of blood from the island's many wounds rushes into the sea like a poison. White-sand beaches have turned brown and the blue water where colorful fish used to flourish has become gray and lifeless.
It is incredible how fast we have destroyed what was once so beautiful.
Balance
Today there are hundreds of people and cars backed up down the road at Cape Maeda because it is Golden Week. Yes, hundreds of people: divers, snorkelers, surfers, and sightseers. But the large crowd is only a preview to the chaos that happens every summer.
The first time I visited Cape Maeda was back in 1983. There were relatively few divers, especially Japanese divers, and there were hardly any snorkelers. Generally speaking, Cape Maeda was just a place with a wonderful view of the ocean. Going back in time even further, only the locals visited the area. Of course, not every person living in Maeda - a small community of about a few hundred or so residents - went to the cape each and every day, but quite a few of them fished off its jagged cliffs and scoured the surrounding reef for octopus and shellfish. However, as time went on and the number of visitors increased, the locals began staying away.
I believe that the sea and coastline belong to everyone, and I am happy to see more people enjoying both if it means more awareness about saving the marine environment, but I often wonder about the benefits of tourism versus the destruction of local customs and lifestyle.
Recently, the construction of steps to allow easier access into the water has begun. The steps will make entry into the sea safer for everyone, but the negative side of this new addition is that it will surely draw even more visitors to the area, not to mention the increase in stress on the environment. Talk of further development is also in the air. How much is too much? What price must small villages like Maeda pay down the road if local culture is sacrificed?
I think balance is a key factor when deciding upon the future development of any place. Unfortunately, we usually find that business seems to take priority over local concerns and the indigenous way of life. Is this good or bad? Only the locals can answer that question. In Maeda, has anyone bothered to ask?
Always Amazed
Today is another warm spring day on Okinawa. The water in Maeda is again sparkling clear with a pale blue sky in the background. My cousin, Norie, and her boyfriend have joined Komaki and I. We decide to walk to a nearby coastal cave during low-tide, but first we pick up some trash that has washed up from the sea since the last OICBC cleanup on March 5th at Ojii's Beach. In a short while we are finished. The sand, shells, and broken coral spread out before my eyes, clean and simple, the way nature should be. When the beach looks this pristine, it makes me feel like I am seeing it for the first time.
We walk along the coral-rock coast passing a few small caves on the way. Inside, tiny fish swim lazily around, protected from most predators. However, they are not completely safe. In the past, I have seen people trying to catch these fish with nets for home aquariums. It is nice to see families enjoying the water and marine life, but I also wonder if they realize how many others have taken fish from the same spot. Over time, the amount of fish has been declining.
We reach our destination. In the distance, the waves are pounding the reef, which is showing its hard-encrusted surface because of the receding sea. Standing before us is a half-submerged cave. It has two main entrances and we proceed around the corner to the larger one. From here, the cave opens up. It is dark and the water is cold from the lack of sunlight, but we build up the courage to take the plunge. The cave's water is incredibly clear during this time of the year from the constant flow of crystalline blue water entering from outside the reef, but when rainy season begins, the water will unfortunately become murky with runoff from nearby farm fields. As we swim toward the far entrance, our eyes grow accustomed to the blackness. Small fish appear and about 3 meters below there are a few small underwater tunnels that lead to other openings above the surface. These holes are illuminated with fluorecent blue light that has filtered through the seawater from above. Along the cave's multi-colored walls there is a variety of small marine life. I want to stay and just stare, but the sea temperature soon pushes us to climb out.
On the way back to Ojii's Beach, I think about the uncountable amount of times I have walked this coastline and swam inside that cave. Maeda's shoreline never stops feeding my curiosity and its wonders are like a magnet, drawing me back for more and more...
