Isles of Amnesia: Mark Rauzon on guano, rats, and military secrets of the Marine National Monuments

An article in JSTOR Daily by Juliet Lamb shares some of Mark Rauzon’s perspectives about the 1960s Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program expedition to remote US islands in the Pacific. Rauzon explores the history of this and other little-known incidents in his recent book, Isles of Amnesia: The History, Geography, and Restoration of America’s Forgotten Pacific Islands.

“Biologist Mark Rauzon, who spent many years studying documents related to the Pacific Project, has come to understand that the scientists themselves may have been guinea pigs for defense tests. Over fifty germ warfare tests were conducted in the Pacific during the 1960s, with substances ranging from harmless bacteria to rabbit fever. In the course of the tests, passengers on Pacific Project ships, which transported both military personnel and associated biologists, were exposed to harsh chemical cleansers, and the “harmless” bacteria have since been linked to a variety of debilitating conditions. Veterans who suffered adverse effects have been unsuccessful in requesting government compensation. Though no POBSP personnel have reported health effects, many may have been exposed. Rauzon’s efforts led to the release of many of the military’s documents related to the project, but complete records may never be provided.”

source: Hawai‘i State Archives

Read more on this in Rauzon’s 2006 essay, “Live Ammo: Testing of Biochemical Agents on U.S. Sailors,” that appeared in The Asia-Pacific Journal.

Other news on the book:

The Island Studies Journal review of Isles of Amnesia calls it “an interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining read” and “a good resource for scholars interested in these lightly-studied islands.” See the full review by downloading the PDF of the ISJ book review section (scroll down).

Rats on Wake Island, 2014

Isles of Amnesia makes Library Journal‘s 2016 top 20 bestselling books on biology.

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Isles of Amnesia:
The History, Geography, and Restoration of America’s Forgotten Pacific Islands
by Mark J. Rauzon
A Latitude 20 Book | 2016 | 288 pages | 71 b&w illus.
Paperback | ISBN 978-0-8248-4679-4 | $24.99

UHP in Hilo | Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference

23rd Annual
Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference

Hilo, Hawaiʻi | August 3-6, 2015

Contact acquisitions editor Nadine Little, available August 5 for meetings: nlittle@hawaii.edu

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Thinking Like an Island: Navigating a Sustainable Future in Hawaiʻi

Edited by Jennifer Chirico and Gregory S. Farley
Cloth | 978-0-8248-4761-6 | $45.00

“Blending outstanding scholarship with practical application, this book presents a portfolio of innovative, creative, and tangible projects that integrate cultural, ecological, and economic approaches. Most importantly, it uses Hawaiian indigenous knowledge and history as the basis for ecological sustainability, incorporating the best practices of the past and present with a vision for the future. Every Hawaiʻi resident and visitor who is interested in a sustainable future should read this book. ”

—Mitchell Thomashow, author of The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus

 

 

From King Cane to the Last Sugar Mill: Agricultural Technology and the Making of Hawaiʻi’s Premier Crop

C. Allan Jones and Robert V. Osgood
Cloth | 978-0-8248-4000-6 | $45.00

From King Cane to the Last Sugar Mill focuses on the technological and scientific advances that allowed Hawai`i’s sugar industry to become a world leader and Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S) to survive into the twenty-first century. The authors, both agricultural scientists, offer a detailed history of the industry and its contributions, balanced with discussion of the enormous societal and environmental changes due to its aggressive search for labor, land, and water.

 

 

 

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Coming Soon!

Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape: A Gardener’s Guide

Fred D. Rauch and Paul R. Weissich

Cloth | 978-0-8248-4005-1 | $55.00

In this extensive and lavishly illustrated guide to the selection of tropical landscape materials for xeriscape gardens, Rauch and Weissich provide landscape architects, garden designers, and home gardeners with the ultimate guide to the “less thirsty” landscape plant species that form the tropical xeriscape.

1,312 illustrations

UHP in Washington, DC | Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference

Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
2015 Conference

June 4-6, 2015 | Washington, DC
Find more information here.
Contact mpd4@hawaii.edu for an editor meeting

 

 

 

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Articulating Rapa Nui: Polynesian Cultural Politics in a Latin American Nation-State
Riet Delsing

304 pages
Cloth | 978-0-8248-5168-2 | $59.00

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Huihui: Navigating Art and Literature in the Pacific
Jeffrey Carroll, Brandy Nalani McDougall, and Georganne Nordstrom

320 pages
Paper | 978-0-8248-3895-9 | $29.00

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The Pearl Frontier: Indonesian Labor and Indigenous Encounters in Australia’s Northern Trading Network
Julia Martínez and Adrian Vickers

240 pages
Cloth | 978-0-8248-4002-0 | $50.00

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The Pacific Festivals of Aotearoa New Zealand: Negotiating Place and Identity in a New Homeland
Jared Mackley-Crump

232 pages
Cloth | 978-0-8248-3871-3 | $58.00

30% off + Free Shipping on our Favorite Plant and Garden Titles

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Join us in Washington, D.C. | American Society for Environmental History 2015 Conferences

EVENTS

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Join us in Washington, DC for the
American Society for Environmental History 2015 Conference
March  18-22, 2015 | Find Additional Info Here

Schedule a meeting with one of our acquisitions editors: nlittle@hawaii.edu

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Coping with Calamity: Environmental Change and Peasant Response in Central China, 1736-1949, Jiayan Zhang
Paper | 978-0-8248-4104-1 | 28 illustrations | $27.00

Sovereign Sugar: Industry and Environment in Hawai`i, Carol A. MacLennan
Cloth | 978-0-8248-3949-9 | 21 illustrations, 4 maps | $39.00

Coming April 2015
Hawaii’s Scenic Roads: Paving the Way for Tourism in the Islands, Dawn E. Duensing
Cloth | 978-0-8248-3928-4 | 30 illustrations, 7 maps | $42.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming June 2015
Changing Chinese Cities: The Potentials of Field Urbanism, Renée Y. Chow
Cloth | 978-0-8248-5383-9 | 82 maps and architectural drawings, 33 photographs | $34.00

Coming April 2015
From King Cane to the Last Sugar Mill: Agricultural Technology and the Making of Hawaii’s Premier Crop, C. Allan Jones and Robert V. Osgood
Cloth | 978-0-8248-4000-6 | 29 illustrations, 27 tables | $45.00

Sea of Opportunity: The Japanese Pioneers of the Fishing Industry in Hawaii, Manako Ogawa
Cloth | 978-0-8248-3961-1 | 30 illustrations, 10 maps | $39.00

 

“Voyagers of the Sky” Talk by Robert Shallenberger at Bishop Museum

Conservation biologist and wildlife photographer Robert Shallenberger will share his exceptional images and knowledge on the seabirds of Hawai‘i on Thursday, December 12, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Bishop Museum. The basis for his talk is Dr. Shallenberger’s UH Press book, Hawaiian Birds of the Sea: Nā Manu Kai, which showcases many of his photos accompanied by informative text on the natural history and behavior of Hawai‘i’s seabirds. His illustrated lecture is part in the museum’s Traditions of the Pacific educational program series. Click here for more information and to RSVP online.