o October 30, 2009 - Bank of Guam Grand Opening! The new BOG branch offers full service banking, including ATM service.

o October 23-24, 2009 - Hundreds gathered in Lelu for the All Kosrae Canoe Races. Two intensive days of racing left Utwe with the trophy. Photos are here.

o October 16, 2009 - Lelu Harbor Plane Wrecks Documented. Kosrae Village working with Mr. Bruce Barth, Mr. Robert Calladine, Dr. Steve Smith, Micronesian Seminar and Kosrae State Historic Preservation identified the planes and the circumstances of the crashes. For details check this page.

o October 8, 2009 - 2009 Coral Monitoring Program, another very successful year of data gathering completed. A new protocol is being used that will make it easier to get quick and accurate statistics for the resource managers.

o August 21, 2009 - Tafunsak Church dedication; absolutely everyone was involved in this event, which is the culmination of several years work by all of the communities on the island.

o June 28, 2009 - An amazing find! During a refresher course in our training area at Utwe Mah, we spotted a Helmet gurnard (Dactyloptena orientalis). This strange (and beautiful!) little fish lives in sandy areas and "walks" around on it's pectoral fins. The Helmet gurnard is rare in Micronesia and is not currently listed for Kosrae. It's photo is posted in my underwater gallery.

o June 11, 2009 - This has been a great week for the Kosraean reefs. Today was the inaugural beach and reef clean up for all of Kosrae. Approximately 200 people from the community descended on Okat Harbor and Channel, picking up trash from the beach and reef flat as well as underwater. Cleanups are scheduled for Malem, Utwe and Lelu as well. The biggest thing recovered? A huge tire. The strangest? Huge metal framework, no one has a clue what it was for.

And last Friday, yet another mooring buoy was installed, making the total over 60 buoys protecting the reef. Not just for divers, all boaters use the buoys.

o March 27, 2009 - Spectators from throughout Kosrae lined the shore at Okat Marina for the all Kosrae Canoe Races March 27th. Utwe took the flag. Go to this page for race photos.

o January 10, 2009 - 300 to 400 community volunteers gathered to clear the site for the new Kosrae Community Hospital.

o November and December - Kosrae Clean Campaign: Kosrae Visitors Bureau, Kosrae Island Resource Management Agency and Public Works as well as the four Mayors' offices are collaborating in a project to remove old vehicles and other debris from the villages.

o November 17, 2008 - Ground breaking for the new Kosrae High School.

o November 2008 - Kosrae State Department of Education has 40 new fully accredited teachers, the first in the FSM.

o November 2008 - Kosrae Village named one the top 50 Ecolodges in the World by National Geographic Adventure Magazine. The online article is here.

o Summer 2008 - The Kosrae State Hospital has upgraded and modernized all of the exam rooms, to the delight of medical staff and patients.

o Spring 2008 - The Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) or "komokut" as it is known locally is declared a protected species by the Kosrae State Legislature.