Month: July 2024

In the blink of an eye, the last day here in Palau has arrived! We had a thoughtful last reflection this morning and enjoyed a great traditional Palauan lunch here at PCC for our final group event.

We would like to take the time to offer sincere gratitude to everybody who has helped make this trip truly unforgettable. The Ebiil Society, Paddling Palau, and PCC have once again graciously opened their arms to Oregon State students and given us experiences that will last in our memories for a lifetime. Most of us never pictured ourselves weaving baskets from palm leaves, swimming with jellies, wading through thigh-deep mud in a mangrove forest, preparing taro for dinner, or counting out sea cucumbers, but these opportunities filled us with brand new knowledge and perspectives on the world around us.

During our first week in Ebiil, we learned to slow down and appreciate the natural world around us. We also got to recognize how food strengthens relationships and reinforces cultural heritage. Many of us got to experience our first hands-on field work through sea cucumber monitoring and conducting surveys in a mangrove plot, which gave us skills that we could utilize in a broad array of future outdoor careers.

In our second week in Koror/the Rock Islands, we were able to experience the impact of ecotourism, learn about modern scientific methods of achieving agriculture sustainability, and looking at the challenges and benefits of island self-sufficiency.

We arrived to this island as a group of complete strangers, and we are leaving as a family. These two weeks have created incredibly tight bonds and brought together people from all over the world. The Ridge to Reef family grows each year, and we feel so lucky to be the 2024 additions!

We’d like to personally thank the entire PCC staff, the Ebiil Society, Paddling Palau, and every other organization that made this trip a success. At PCC, Lik opened the dorms to us and helped organize transportation to and from events. Gurney, Chermang, Sean, Didil, and Lee kept our stomachs full with the most delicious meals in the dining hall! At the Ebiil Society, Ann, Ann-Marie, Joyce, Patty, Cindy, Sharon, Aki, Margie, Omar, Brekke, Red, Daniel, and the rest of the staff taught us traditional Palauan knowledge, cooked us more amazing food, and provided wonderful hands-on opportunities. At Paddling Palau, guides Mac, Jeff, Olilai, and Cobi helped us navigate the pretty blue waters in the Rock Islands and Chef Alina provided a wonderful first dinner. Thank you also to Belau National Museum, our guide to the Melekeok Bai Demei, Ngardmau Rangers, our mangrove instructor Rich, Des with Peleliu Adventures, high school STEP-UP program students, Airai 680 Night Market, Dr. Chris Kitalong, Elchung, Hideyos, Nikka, and Emengal, Christine and our other friends with CRE, Bruno and Cinzia with Palau National Aquarium, and LeAnn and Mr. Fuji with his staff at Palau’s Waste Treatment Plant and Glass Arts Center.

Thank you to KB for joining us on this trip and adding a Palauan voice to every important conversation, thank you also to Garrett for your willingness to be an honorary TA for the course, and thank you Reid for joining us and getting some great underwater pictures!

Finally, thank you endlessly to our instructors Bryan and Scott for giving us such a memorable, amazing experience in Palau. Your efforts to ensure a smooth, unforgettable course does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated.

Farewell, from the Ridge to Reef class of 2024! <3

This post comes from the heart of all students, and is authored by Iris Ford, Jacob Colvin, and Donika Mitev.

Today was the last full day of the course! We started the day off at the Palau Aquarium, where we looked around at various exhibits, which had information about mangroves, reefs, invasive species, and more. We also saw even more sea creatures in the tanks.

Then Bruno, who works at the aquarium, taught us about giant clam propagation. Afterward, Cinzia discussed with us her experiments with coral propagation, density, and resilience. 

Next stop was the waste treatment plant, where recycling and repurposing is in full swing. The plastics collected around the state of Koror are used to produce biodiesel. This fuel is used to produce part of the electricity needed to run the rest of the facility. The plant also repurposes glass bottles by using them for glass blowing to create creating beautiful jewelry, dishes, sculptures, and, more. Mr. Fuji, the manager of the Solid Waste Management Office/Belau Eco-Glass Center, explained to us the processes of turning the things we throw away into something new. 

We headed back to PCC for lunch and a presentation by Jason Johnson about a fungus that is killing one of the local tree species. He explained the process he has gone through in figuring out what the fungus might be and how it is being spread around.

Next, some of us headed to the beach for one last dip. Meanwhile, Mica and Reid worked with those at the PCC dining hall (Gurney, Chermang, Sean, Didil, and Lee) to prepare the tapioca that they harvested on Monday.

We finished off the day with a group dinner at Drop Off Bar and Grill. Everyone had a fun time and ate great food!

Today’s blog post was written by Gary Esvelt and Emma Schnabel

Today was all about dna extraction and GMO’s. The dna extracted today came from the taro samples cultured from yesterday. Later we set up mosquito traps to catch potential vector born illnesses, where they will count identify and test different species. High schoolers in the STEP-UP program taught us about a new breed of passion fruit that was sent from Jerusalem from one of their local universities. These passion fruits are much larger than other varieties and we had the opportunity to help them repot their propagations. We ended the day being invited by the president of the university to an assembly on land grant institutions and how their efforts in the US affect small pacific islands like Palau.

This blog post was done by Megan, Jacob, and Katie

This morning, we headed to Palau Community College’s Cooperative Research and Extension Center (CRE), dedicated to completing the College’s land grant mission (just like OSU!). This includes sustainable agricultural and resource management efforts that can benefit Palau. For example, we were taught about different Taro cultivars, and how they are being studied to create more saltwater resistant species. This would enhance food security by preventing crops from dying due to saltwater intrusion, which has recently worsened because of climate change.

To achieve so, CRE’s staff, Dr. Chris Kitalong, Elchung Hideyos, Nikka Ngirkelau, and Emengel Ida Singich (who is a fellow OSU student!) are harvesting three different taro species. After that, they isolate the samples, extract the genes of interest (salt resistance) from the plant’s DNA, and insert them into new taro plants. Lastly, the new samples are tasted by traditional women taro farmers for approval! We contributed to their research by harvesting wild taro (one of the three species being investigated).

After that, Em removed the roots and stems, leaving enough of the taro to be replanted later (a method we previously learned with Ms. Ann Marie in the Mesei – look at day 4 for referral 😊). Nikka taught us how to prepare taro cuttings for DNA extraction by getting down to the core of the tuber.

CRE has been monitoring salinity levels and climate indicators since last November, a collaborative effort to provide accessible empirical data to Palauan farmers, researchers, and any interested individuals. Currently, they have multiple sampling stations in Palau and one in Yap (a neighboring island) to connect the scientific Micronesian region. We are excited to see how this project will continue to grow!

Later in the day, we headed to CRE’s aquaculture facilities, where Christine Rengiil introduced us to their algae, crabs, rabbit fish, sea cucumbers, clams, and an adorable, rehabilitated sea turtle named Susanne. Besides research, the hatchery’s goals are to support local farms with stock and re-integrate species into the ocean.

After a day well spent with our friend’s at CRE, we headed back to our dorms at PCC. Some of us couldn’t resist the temptation of taking a nap in the air-conditioned bus.

Today’s blog was written by Emily Dye and Micaela Muñoz