The UH Sea Grant Hanauma Bay Education Program recently established the E Mālama Hanauma Youth Stewardship Volunteer Program, a program designed to teach the students how to mālama (care for) this unique and precious natural resource, and then provide them with the opportunity to share this information with the nearly one million visitors who come to the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve each year.
The students will first interact directly with the Hanauma Bay Education Program staff who will share their expertise in topics such as Hawaiian fish and invertebrate identification, Hawaiian culture, coastal plant identification, and proper reef etiquette. In return, the students will be asked to commit to one four-hour shift per week for a minimum of two months.
For any students looking for a valuable summer learning experience in a world class nature preserve, the first training sessions are scheduled for Wednesday mornings in mid-June from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Advance registration is required. For more information or to register, please contact: Gavin Iwai, Hanauma Bay Education Program Stewardship Coordinator, at (808) 397-5840, email: hbvp@hawaii.edu or visit www.HanaumaBayEducation.org.
The youth stewardship volunteers must:
- Be at least 16-21 years old
- Have their own transportation to and from Hanauma Bay
- Commit to one four-hour shift per week for a minimum of two months. Shifts run every day from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (except on Tuesdays when the park is closed for maintenance)
Each shift rotates through 2 volunteer stations: the Entranceway and the Education Center Lookout - No experience is necessary.
The Hanauma Bay Education Program is administered by the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program with support and funding from the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.
The University of Hawai’i Sea Grant College Program is part of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s prestigious School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. It supports an innovative program of research, education and extension services directed to the improved understanding and stewardship of coastal and marine resources of the state, region and nation. Science serving Hawai‘i and the Pacific for over 40 years.