Hawaii Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary: Volunteers Up Close

Charlene Lewis assembles a juvenile bottlenose dolphin skeleton.

Bones. Upon hearing the word does your mind conjure up images of skeleton costumes for Halloween or do you think of calcium intake and how much is needed to prevent osteoporosis? Here at the Maui Headquarters site of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, when we hear the word “bones” we think of Charlene Lewis. Charlene is a volunteer at the site who has been assembling a juvenile bottlenose dolphin skeleton for the past year. She has become our own personal bone consultant.

Charlene had been a naturalist on a research vessel in Nova Scotia and wanted to participate in educating visitors here on Maui about whales. She began volunteering with the Sanctuary over two years ago by doing land- based whale education from the Sanctuary Headquarters’ viewing deck of the main building. Scopes were set up for visitors to observe the humpbacks and Charlene was on hand to answer questions and offer information on this species. She mentioned to Cindy Hylkema, the Maui Volunteer and Facilities Coordinator that she would be interested in assembling a skeleton if we ever acquired one. Low and behold there was a juvenile bottlenose dolphin in the dunes and Charlene set to work.

One would think, “How hard can it be?” Considering the facts, the assembly has been a tedious process of research and trial and error. The bones needed to be cleaned, sorted, and identified, yet Charlene could not find anyone who had ever completed this same process before. “The greatest challenge in this project has been finding information and sources to say the same thing regarding the procedure I should follow in the preparatory stages and in the construction of the skeleton,” Charlene stated. Charlene has been researching worldwide to find answers to her questions and this has lead her to numerous universities, museums, and researchers including Lee Post, of Alaska. Post, who is also known as the “Bone Man” has written a book, entitled, Articulations of a Porpoise Skeleton: A Step by Step Guide. Despite guides such as these, Charlene maintains her trailblazer status since so much is still unknown. Lee best summarizes this point when he states in his book, “You’re on your own fitting these in…” On her own she has been, and what a project she is creating.

With great challenges there always seem to be great rewards. For Charlene that reward has been seeing people’s interest in the project. “One of the first questions I am often asked by children who are visiting the Sanctuary is ‘Do you have any skeletons?’ Now, with this skeleton underway, I am able to talk to people about the process that I have gone through, the type of species of the dolphin while also answering questions that they have. It even gets people excited about learning about their own bodies.” Getting people excited about learning is one of the things Charlene does best.

Charlene’s enthusiasm for knowledge and this project is contagious. When asked what vision she has for this dolphin skeleton, Charlene responded that she would like it to be a tool for learning. To fulfill that vision, the completed skeleton will be displayed in the Education Center at 726 South Kihei Road, Kihei, HI. She would also like students to assist with the assembly of the next skeleton.

As the skeleton comes closer to completion, the opportunities for it to be used as a tool for learning expand. Charlene’s passion for learning and sharing of knowledge continues to excite visitors, staff, and volunteers. Charlene is as great a tool for learning as the display she is creating.

Volunteers Up Close

Charlene Lewis

Na Iwi o Ka Nai`a Bones of a Dolphin

Na Iwi o Ka Nai`a
Bones of a Dolphin