Brought to you by the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance in partnership with ING DIRECT
FREE PARKING • ALL AGES WELCOME
The Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance in partnership with ING DIRECT invites you on a monthly exploration of the unique plants and animals that inhabit the lands and seas of the world’s most isolated island chain. Experts from the Alliance’s 15 member organizations will give 30-minute lectures about the places and native Hawaiian species they work tirelessly to conserve and restore, followed by question and answer sessions.
Join us on Wednesday 3/31 for
Dr. Samuel M.
‘Ohukani‘ōhi‘a Gon III Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i
Come join us for a virtual adventure through the many Hawaiian ecosystems. The
trek will go from coast to summit, from Lake Waiau down through the
streams, from the streams to the sea, and from our surface waters to
our subterranean regions. Dr. Gon's presentation is a blend of
scientific and cultural perspectives on the systems, plants, and
animals that reside in the special environments of our island home.
Sam Gon has over 30 years of experience in Hawaiian ecology. He has also applied his island conservation expertise in cooperative projects and workshops in the Galapagos Islands, the Phillipines, Pohnpei, Palau, Jamaica, Okinawa, Amazonia, and Rapanui. As an expert in Hawaiian history and culture, Sam's background has been an important asset in working with local communities. As a kahuna
kākalaleo(practitioner of Hawaiian chant and protocol), he serves as a Kahuna Pule (prayer master) at the haiau of Pu'u Koholā at Kawaihae. Sam strives to blend the richness of unique Hawaiian ecosystems with the equally rich culture that developed here in these islands. Sam currently serves as Senior Scientist and Cultural advisor for the Nature Conservancy.
Jim Jacobi Principal Investigator U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center (PIERC)
Hawai‘i has been home to over 100 unique species of birds.While
many have already become extinct, nine are critically endangered. Join
us for a talk
story with Jim Jacobi about what the U.S. Geological
Survey’s Pacific Island Ecosystem
Research Center is doing to protect
Hawai‘i’s unique species and ecosystems.
James D. Jacobiis
a biologist and authority on Hawaiian flora and forest ecology. Having
invested over 30 years in the conservation of Hawaiian species and
ecosystems, his research has included vegetation mapping, conducting
bird and plant surveys, studying impacts and management of invasive
species, plant community restoration, species range modeling, and
assessing the potential impacts of climate change on our island
ecosystems.
“The Army’s Award-Winning Natural Resources Program in Hawai‘i"
Whether it’s taking to the skies to scout aggressive weeds, tracking the trails of cannibal snails, or wielding eyebrow brushes to bolster plant reproduction, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawai‘i’s (USAG-HI) Natural Resources Program is at the forefront of environmental protection.
Michelle Mansker has been leading the charge for this program for the past five years, as the chief of USAG-HI’s natural resources section. Her program is responsible for managing more than 100 endangered species on Army installations on O‘ahu and Pōhakuloa, with a crew of almost 100 employees and a budget of more than $10 million.
Mansker’s talk will highlight the Army’s award-winning program, whose accomplishments include saving one of Hawai‘i’s only native palm trees from extinction, and safeguarding Hawai‘i’s state flower when 98% of its O‘ahu population was destroyed in the 2007 Waialua fire.
Previously, Mansker served as a botanist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Pacific Ecoregion. Her work with USFWS included completing critical habitat designations for more than 290 federal endangered plants.
Mansker has a Master’s degree in botany from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
Please note that the November lecture is scheduled for Tuesday the 17th rather than the last Wednesday of the month due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
October 28, 2009
Guest Lecturer:
Dr. Christian Giardina, Acting Director
Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry
USDA Forest Service, Hilo, HI
Our first guest lecturer is Christian P. Giardina, PhD, research ecologist with the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. His research focuses on understanding how global change will impact tropical forests and their restoration. Dr. Giardina will be presenting on Native Ecosystems and The Hawaiian Culture They Sustain: 21st Century Challenges & Solutions. While many landscapes, streams, and coastlines across Hawai‘i are in a protected conservation status, for some time our native ecosystems have been at risk from the potent forces of invasive, exotic plants and animals. Now is the time for a new and expanded approach to conservation in Hawai‘i. Dr. Giardina will present on a new dialogue between traditional practitioners, land and water managers, scientists and Hawaii’s diverse communities to implement new tools and strategies for conducting restoration and conservation at large spatial scales while mentoring a new generation of stewards.
Laupahoehoe Natural Area Reserve on the slopes of windward Mauna Kea includes wet montane forests. Pictured here are native tree ferns, 'olapa, `ohi`a, and koa.
