By Christie Jones, September 16, 2008
Today Carl, Steve, Faith and I flew into Kosrae, the smallest and most rural state of Micronesia. We are excited to begin our hunt for Ponapea ledermanniana. We know of only one locality but suspect it is spread throughout the island.
Leaving the airport, the first thing I noticed was the limited amount of flat land that is squeezed between the rugged mountains and mighty ocean. It is on this narrow swath of land ringing the island that the residents live.
A few facts about Kosrae:
Pronounced – ‘ko – shrye’
Population – about 8000
Size – 109 sq km (about 43 sq miles)
Rainfall – non-seasonal; near coast 200 in/yr, mountain interior 240 in/yr
Relative Humidity – 80-90% all year
Driest month ever recorded – .8 inches (February 1992)
Dominant economic activity – traditional subsistence gardening and fishing; some tourism
Highest elevation – Mt. Finkol (2064 feet)
Terrain – Volcanic island, rugged mountain peaks and deep valleys cover about 70% of the island; 15% of surface is flat or gently sloping; 15% covered by mangrove swamps
Vegetation – 63% forest, 23% agroforest, 11% secondary vegetation, only 3% is not under some kind of forest canopy
A few Kosraean words:
Paing kom Hello
Lo tuwoh Good morning
Ekwewo Good evening
Kulo maluhlahp Thank you
