The waves broke on the reef that surround the small islands. Although the atoll is large it is hard to imagine the battle that took place almost 60 years ago over ownership of this strategically located land. The military is gone now but evidence of years of occupation is still very clear. From the air you see numerous runways striping the land. Upon exiting the plane we were greeted by a team of Fish and Wildlife and Midway Phoenix staff.
Midway is an interesting mix of public and private organizations working together.
While it is an odd partnership, it seems to work well. Currently there are approximately 120 people on the island with a dozen or so people working for Fish and Wildlife and just over 100 working for Midway Phoenix. Before we were able to grab our gear we preceded through an orientation of the island which included a briefing on the areas which are off limits to make the endangered Monk Seals more comfortable to rest or raise their young. We were also asked to stay on roads and marked trails because of the Bonin Petrels' and Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters' underground burrows. Stepping on a burrow can not only hurt your ankle but can also injure a bird.