Here is another rich source on the history of the Palmyra Atoll. There are lots of historical photographs, videos, documents, news stories, etc..
As the librarian for the Miller Library at Hopkins Marine Station, I was offered the opportunity to help with a research project on the Palmyra Atoll. This is a ring of islands surrounding a lagoon located about 1,000 miles south of Hawaii, just north of the equator. There are less than 5 square miles of land, and the highest elevation is 6 feet. It averages about 175 inches of rain a year, and there is no rainy season.
Monday, January 4, 2021
Sunday, January 3, 2021
I am amazed that over four years have passed since I made my third trip to the Palmyra Atoll. My time there is still very vivid in my memories. I am also surprised I continue to run across more information and history about Palmyra. Below are two links to articles about the atoll that came out recently. The first is a story that appeared in the April/May 2020 issue of Hawaiian Airlines flight magazine. The second is the story about Roger Lextrait, the manager/caretaker who lived on the atoll for 8 years prior to its purchase by the Nature Conservancy. This latter link includes an hour long home video by Lextrait.
I was recently in contact with Stefan Kropidlowski, the Fish & Wildlife manager of Palmyra. He informed me the atoll is currently experiencing a severe draught. I had not been aware that Palmyra had draughts, but then at the 52 minutes 30 seconds mark in Lextrait video he talks about a 6 month draught and showed how it had killed off many of the palm trees.