First lady visits Midway Atoll

Earlier this month, first lady Laura Bush visited Midway Atoll, participated in a Native Hawaiian ceremony for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument and planted native bunch grass that will benefit endangered Laysan Ducks. (Click on the map for a larger version.)

Bush said she has been an avid bird-watcher all her life, but she does not keep a checklist of birds she has seen, as some birders do. She noted that she had never before seen any of the three albatrosses she saw yesterday: the Laysan albatross, the rarer black-footed albatross and the only golden albatross in the country.

Asked if she had volunteered to make this trip, Bush did not hesitate in answering, "Absolutely."

Bush also said she supports the removal of lead paint from former Navy buildings; the paint chips poison the birds, prompting conservation groups like American Bird Conservancy to campaign for full and prompt funding of the clean-up effort.


Photo courtesy of Honolulu Star-Bulletin