What’s the southernmost point of the US? In the Continental States it’s Key West, FL. Counting all 50 States, it would of course be the Big Island of Hawaii’s southern point, Ka Lae. But including all Incorporated Territories, it would be this small atoll 1,000 miles due south of Hawaii.
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Palmyra Atoll is an amazing place with amazing history, now owned and run by the Nature Conservancy. Although small, it’s not tiny as Pacific islands go and was once inhabited. 4.6 square miles in area, highest elevation is 33 ft with average 7 ft. It supports a thriving forest of Pisonia trees and an extra-large coconut species found nowhere else. High rainfall and high, stable temps (80-81F avg; min 75F February max 86F September) produce a tropical ecosystem and beautiful reefs. Besides humans and birds, the largest land animal is the Coconut Crab, a huge edible arthropod weighing up to 10lbs.
Part of the northern Line Islands, these are actually ancient volcanic peaks that have eroded into atolls, in a line roughly northwest to southeast, similar to Hawaii. And for the same reason: the Pacific plate has shifted northwest over their hotspots, creating each island chain; although the Line Islands are much older than the Hawaiian Islands, dating back to the Cretaceous with multiple hotspots: Map of Main Pacific Island Chains (Hawaiian Islands and Line Islands to the right; you can see they’re roughly parallel).
Inconclusive if Polynesians built permanent settlements; none have been found yet by archeologists. But quite likely it was a stopover halfway between Samoa and Hawaii during the last millennium of Polynesian seafaring. There began to be Hawaiian-American regular residents after King Kamehameha IV annexed it to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1862, and this continued after Hawaii became a US Territory and then a State. The population was never more than a few families who ran the island's copra concession (dried coconut exports). During WWII it became a Pacific Naval Air Station, even though Harold Ickes, Roosevelt’s Secretary of the Interior, recommended preservation due to its natural beauty. The last remaining Hawaiian-American family resumed ownership after the war, and finally sold most of it to the Nature Conservancy so it could be permanently protected.
As a brief intro. some fine footage of the main islands of Palmyra and areas around them including the Research Station and WWII-era landing strip (still functional):
An excellent thumbnail clip by Richard Brooks, who’s worked for Nat. Geographic and Animal Planet; great music track as well with orchestral string section and percussion.
Science Manager Katie Franklin explains Nature Conservancy work on Palmyra:
Major projects include restoring the forest balance post-plantation, monitoring the coral ecosystem which seems to be resisting global warming, and eradicating invasive mosquitoes. Birds have rebounded after rats were removed; Palmyra is an important Pacific Seabird stopover. An endangered Pacific island bird, the Guam Kingfisher (extinct on Guam), has been released on Cooper Island and is doing well.
Hawaii Now Interview with Dr. Eric Concklin of the Nature Conservancy:
Very positive that Hawaiian-Americans of diverse backgrounds have a renewed interest in the Outlying Islands and their health as a protected buffer zone against commercial fishing, and in preserving and studying original Pacific ecosystems. These islands are part of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument managed by NOAA.
Research Facility Drs. Joe and Amanda Pollock report on recent work at the Science Facility on Palmyra, including the big El Niño bleaching event of 2023 and the coral's gradual recovery:
This demonstrates that, even in Equatorial latitudes, ecosystems can be resilient to climate change if protected from pollution and development activity.
Protection = hope!
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