On an overcast northern California day with whales breaching and dolphins leaping between surfers, the blowing of the kulo ushers the start of dancer and choreographer Lisa Tenorio’s MFA thesis
Sometimes people see things on the beach and they don t know what it really is, said 29-year-old Andrew McInnis, a University of Guam graduate student and research assistant. If they don t know what it is, maybe they don t know that they re animals at all. With sea cucumbers, sometimes they ll squeeze them, and that can harm them.
McInnis said that sea cucumbers clean up detritus, algae and sand. By educating younger kids, he increases the chances that they will avoid stepping on, or playing with the animals.
Animals on the shore
Much remains to be learned about the life of these animals. By bringing these wonders to light, the park rangers and partners from UOG s marine lab hope to raise public awareness of their existence and need for protection. As the public steps on, or moves these animals from where they are found, they risk harming these living creatures, as well as the health of their marine ecosystems.