Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1112638
She liked the food, prepared cafeteria style by contractors from Thailand. "You could eat Thai food three times a day if you wanted." A barge arrives with supplies every six months, but a garden and a hydroponic greenhouse produce some fresh vegetables. Everything else is frozen. Authorities allow seven fish to be caught per month, "so when we had seafood it was a big deal," she says. When a charter plane arrived, sending and receiving mail became a pri- ority. "I had no access to email for six weeks," says Loomis. Unplugging became part of the appeal, though, living a simple life in service to something bigger than herself. In the end, the count showed a slight increase in nesting Laysan. "They are surviving despite our bonehead moves, our lack of vision," she says. Loomis returned home to much interest in her trip, with local groups, including the Aquarium, asking her to speak. Her message? "Every effort makes a difference. Get involved in policies, support legislation, make your voice heard." Volunteer Jan Loomis, an RN for the Visiting Nurses Associa- tion's Travel Medicine Clinic, models plywood sandshoes designed to help counters avoid collapsing burrows of nesting birds. At left, a brown booby with lime-green beak and feet. 180 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 Photo: Jan Loomis