Casualties

Lael-reef rash, wasp sting, sunburn, jellyfish sting.

Amanda-3 jellyfish stings, sunburn, a starfish laid her eggs in Amanda's hand, wasp sting

Kalie-gnarly reef rash, blisters, jellyfish sting, fire coral rash, fin cuts, over-friendly mosquitos

Ricarda-3 jellyfish stings, reef rash

Dr. Goodwill-cuts and STRESS

Overall, the worst were the jellies and fire coral. The rest were minor ad-ons.

The research trip is going great!! The team has collected over 330 species and has almost 385 specimens. We have had a lot of help from John Furey (biologist) and Harry Blalock (dive guide). They have both assisted in our specimen collection and analyzation. Kalie has been on a total of 14 dives for the team and has collected new specimens for the BYUH science department. Kalie's dive sites include: Wing Beach, Lau Lau, Grotto, and Obyan. She also received her advanced dive certification for the completion of the dives. Our favorite specimens collected are the octopi and purple bob-tailed squid. They were fun for the students to photograph in the lab. We have made friends with the local members of the Church, and have really enjoyed our time with them. Amanda was given the opportunity to fly to Guam on Friday to meet with Dr. Gary Denton, research professor at WERI and University of Guam. Denton researches heavy metals and bioindicators. He assisted Amanda with her 491 project, which is researching the use of a sea anemone as a bioindicator. Amanda now has the basis for her proposal, experimental procedure, and ideas for her presentation. Dr. Goodwill is pleased with students and the specimens collected.

Sunday has been fabulous for the team. We went to church with the locals and ran into several BYUH students on summer break. The species count is up to 131, with over 200 specimens. Yesterday, Lael collected the Blue-knee crab that Dr. Goodwill really wanted us to find. Amanda found a large Mantas shrimp that the science department does not have preserved yet. Ricarda and Kalie assisted in catching new fish and several crabs. It has been decided that Ladder Beach is the favorite place of the girls on the trip. The beach has beautiful coral and so many different types of species.

"We have found another species of sea anemone that I have not seen here before," said Dr. Goodwill. "We have gotten to collect the Blue-knee crab that I wanted. We have also collected many interesting polychaetes," said Goodwill.

Trip update: Kalie got stung by a sea urchin and Ricarda woke up sick. Even with the road blocks, we now have 103 different specimens. We found some new medusa worms and hermit crabs. The scopes are working well and John Furey is assisting us everyday in the field.

"Amanda! That is a cone snail--one of the deadliest things in the ocean" -Lael

"How was I supposed to know that?" -Amanda

"If it stings you, you will go to the hospital"- Lael

"No worries, that's why I brought 4 of you guys."-Dr. G.

Today was quite the adventure for the girls. We went out Geoffery's beach this morning to collect new specimens. Ricarda found an interesting sea urchin and the others grabbed some interesting crabs. In the lab today, we found several polychaetes that we had not seen before. We were excited to analyze and photograph them. We now have over a 150 specimens documented and preserved. Ricarda placed her slides out for her 491 project in three different locations on the island, as well. We also had an awesome dinner at a Japanese restaurant tonight (we sat on the floor while eating for the first time). Tomorrow we are going to go into the field again, and we are excited to experience all we can and take lots of pictures!

Aloha all,

The team has collected over 85 different species of marine life on the island of Saipan. There are about a total of 130 specimens, though. We have collected at Puerto Rico dump and mudflat, Tanapag, Big Fish beach, Marina resort, Garry's beach, and the beach outside our hotel. We have verified species found last year and collected new ones. We also found a large variety of crabs, and are currently working on photographing the specimens. Last night, we met some of the members on the island last night and found that one of their daughters goes to BYUH and is in the 13th ward.

The Team :) Bird Island--a protected island off the coast of Saipan.

Amanda climbing down into Kalabera Cave, Saipan.

Kalie Johnson standing on the highest point of Saipan-Mt. Tapochau.

Hafa adai

Aloha BYUH,

The research team arrived in Saipan July 4th, just in time for a few fireworks. We setup the equipment today, and plan to begin collecting specimens later this afternoon. Yesterday, we caught a crab that we do not have on file. So, it will be our first recorded specimen of the trip. We also took a short tour around the island to see the WWII historical sites. We are excited to begin the research and study the various species of marine life living in the waters of Saipan.